New Restaurants

First - Thank you so much for the kind words over the last couple posts! It has helped to know that I'm not the only crazy one about pets!

In an effort to not make all of my posts debbie-downers, I'll move onto something something unrelated to school! Since moving to Baltimore, we've taken the opportunity to try out some new (to us) restaurants. Coming from the Rockville/Bethesda area, we now are realizing just how spoiled we were in terms of our restaurant selection. We think we've figured out that because the cost of living in Montgomery County is extremely high, mediocre restaurants can't survive. Our usual Friday nights there consisted of driving 5 minutes to Bethesda, parking, walking in a restaurant that sounds good. If the wait was long, we could go to another one of our faves down the street and get in there. There were tons of options all in the general vicinity. We miss that!!

Here are a few we've tried in Baltimore:

• Birches Restaurant: Unfortunately, we will not be returning to this restaurant. The menu had some very odd combos and the things we did order were not good. The caesar salad was basically caesar soup because of the amount of dressing on it. My lobster risotto came out cold. And I understand sometimes food isn't done at the same time - but risotta typically stays warm for a long time. Ian's food was poor as well. I wouldn't be so concerned, but it was overpriced! Not happy!
• Ra Sushi: This place had a fun, hip, trendy atmosphere. The food was very good, a little pricey. I think we'll certainly go back here.
• Obrycki's Crab House: We hadn't eaten crabs in about two years. As a celebration for me being finished my first paper, we went here for crabs. They were yummy! And the steamed shrimp were great too. Wish it was on the water though - but otherwise good!
• Three: We had tried going here a couple times and there was always a long wait. We finally got to try it out. Once again - this place left us wanting more. There was very little on the menu (the menu is ridiculously small - only 4 entrees are offered) and what we did get was just okay. Ian said he'd go back for appetizers, but I would not go back here.
• Saute: This is a fairly new restaurant. The atmosphere was fun and the food was good! It was a bit pricey, but the food was worth it I think. Would certainly go back!
• Akbar: We had been looking for a good Indian carry-out restaurant and think we finally found one. Although it's not quite as close in proximity to our house, we think it's worth it. The sauces were flavorful and rich - absolutely delicious. We'll be going back soon probably!

Hmm - I can tell it's been a little while since I've written about recent restaurant trips. I might even be forgetting one! Although we've hit a few mediocre (or even a couple less than mediocre) restaurants, we are excited to be exploring new neighborhoods, meeting new people and eating at new restaurants. It's all about the ride I guess!