Monday Munchies - Best of Baltimore Party

Yeah, I know; we took a week off an you missed us.  But we're back.  And honestly Best of Baltimore is one of the reasons for the lull in posting.



What, you thought that just because Baltimore Magazine snubbed Fish & Spaghetti in their Baltimore's Top Ten Blogs list we'd miss out on the party?  Wrong.  I mean, we were snubbed, but we weren't going to miss out on the party.



It was...an experience.







First off, it was at the Hippodrome again, which makes for an odd juxtaposition; the classiness of the Hippodrome and those in it, with the squalor in the blocks surrounding it.  But honestly that's practically the entirety of Baltimore; every other block is a revelation.



The party itself was pretty fun.  The upper echelon VIP's where the only ones who access to the upper level, but everything else was free for exploring.  There were three bars and dozens of vendors offering up their tastiest morsels.  It was quite the affair.



Chipolte was there and honestly you can't go wrong with a taco.  It's basic enough that you can't really mess things up but familiar enough to hit the right notes.  Still, when you're at the Best of Baltimore Party you want to venture outside of your comfort zone.



RA and Roy's both offered up sushi that was totally adequate.  Much like Chipolte's taco, it was pleasant to the palate but safe.  

(And it was around this time that I realized that I'd been watching too much Top Chef because I was describing food as "safe" and criticizing the lack of bolder choices.)



Talara had some succulent tapas, with the beef option being the better of the two, though the shrimp was no slouch.  It's just that the beef tapa had kick and just made you want to go back for more.  And really that's how you "win" at Best of Baltimore; creating something that stands out and makes people want to come back for more.



Dirty Carrots had some very interesting desserts.  They were vegan, gluten free and quite tasty.  They weren't too sweet and some even bordered on being savory.  It was surprising, but in a good way.



Mr. Rain's Fun House won points for having the most attention getting table display; an entire pig.  It was eye catching, controversial, but it got everyone talking.



One of the best things that I tasted was a scallop in a delicious risotto.  It was so good that I wanted to go back for more, but didn't because I didn't want to rob anyone else of the chance to try it for themselves.  But the worst thing is that I can't remember to supplied it.  I know it was on the first floor though.



Mouth Party was the one that impressed me the most.  Their caramel with sea salt was amazing.  It was practically addictive.  I wanted to grab one of their sliver display trays and run off it.  Like, it's good enough that I'm going to spend money at Mouth Party.  I'll say it's for my fictional girlfriend, but it'll all be for me.



The music at the party was predictably milquetoast.  And the dance floor was equal parts milling about and embarrassing carefreeness.



It was a cool event and we were happy to be in attendance.  Next year you should try to make it.