Restaurant Review: The Chameleon Cafe

For Salman's birthday, I decided to keep him in the dark about where we were going to dinner...

I've been to The Chameleon Cafe (4341 Harford Rd) a couple previous times and have never been disappointed.  Far from it, in fact.  The chic graffitied facade of the small restaurant is located next to a Safeway, which gives it a very Baltimore-esque feel as a gem in the middle of a lesser-known neighborhood.

The cuisine is French meets American traditional.  We both ordered from their Prix Fixe Menu, which is currently being offered every Tuesday and Thursday Night.  For $30 you can purchase a 3-course meal, and for 4-courses, it's only an extra $5.  (The extra course is an additional appetizer.)

Salman ordered a grilled lettuce salad with parmesan, garlic dressing and walnuts.  I ordered the pumpkin and leek soup, which was quite possibly the most rich, creamy, bowl-licking soup I've ever tasted.  (Hence, the picture of an already-consumed dish.  sorry about that.)

For our entrees, Salman had a steak and potato dish.  This is not just your average "meat n' potatoes."  The potato gratin was flaky and crispy on the outside, with softer layers following as you sank your teeth into it.  I'm not a meat eater, but Salman claims that the steak was thick, yet very lean and was prepared well-done (you are able to choose the preparation, though.)  The last time he ate good steak was in the 6th grade, so I'm assuming it was divine.

My entree was basically an upscale version of a vegetable pot pie.  Think 10 notches up from the best pot pie you've ever had, with a flare of creamy deliciousness in every bite.  The crust was a fine french pastry.

Dessert consisted of a german cheesecake and a flourless dark chocolate walnut torte.  The cheesecake was different from any other New York cheesecake.  Not as rich and overpowering, it still had a thick and creamy consistency.  With a cookie-like crust at the base and cinnamon sprinkled on top with a raspberry sauce garnish, it melted in our mouths.

As a dark-chocolate lover and self-proclaimed aficionado of the stuff, I have to say that this was the best dark chocolate dessert I've ever had.  It may sound like I frequently praise the bittersweet delectable, but it is actually very rare to encounter such a dessert that stays true to the essence of dark chocolate.  The raspberry sauce and homemade whipped cream was the perfect compliment.    

To summarize:  The Chameleon Cafe's seasonal menu with local produce falls in with the elite restaurants of Chez Panisse and Woodberry Kitchen, while managing to stay true to its own culinary style.

Salman's rating:  5 stars

Jacqueline's rating: 4.75 stars (the hostess seemed to be having a slightly off night.  However, our Server, Josie, was delightful!  Very sweet and attentive.)

**Make sure to ask for a Birthday coupon!  $15 off your meal if you eat there on your birthday!  (Who I believe was) one of the owners (it's a couple who owns the restaurant) approached us after our meal and was kind enough to strike up a conversation and give us two coupons for our next visit. 

***Note: Just make sure to have enough cash on hand to grab a cab back home.  There aren't many taxis driving around Harford road, particularly late at night.  It's also best to keep their phone number in your cell...and spell "Harford" to the telephone operator...the first time I called they thought I said, "Hartford."  Woops.

Restaurant Review: XS

XS is a Baltimore City restaurant and bakery that does everything "excess" except their food. The music was blaring, making it rather difficult to carry on a conversation with two of our best friends sitting right across the table from us. The lights were so XS-ively dim, that we could hardly find our plates of XS-ively luke-warm fried rice and pan-fried noodles. The music was an XS of incoherent phrases from the DJ.




Compliments worth sharing, however, were the spicy wasabi mayo sauce and the tempura-style calamari appetizer. XS-ively addictive. And to their credit, the dishes themselves tasted rather good, if only they were a bit hotter.

Pricewise, the bill was fairly manageable. The only complaint we would file is the XS-ive over-pricing of the sushi menu. ($3 for one piece of yellowtail.) On the upside, all of the entrees were priced at or around $8 per dish.

All-in-all, the initial feel was an exciting XS of eclectic art and people, but quickly dissolved by the end of the night.

...I guess what they say really does hold true: It doesn't matter where you are, but who you're with. Reconnecting with two lovely ladies made the Xperience anything but XS-ive.

Rating:

Salman: 3 stars
Jackie: 2 stars
Overall: 2.5 stars

Moorenko's Pumpkin Ice Cream

With fall festivities in full swing, there is nothing better than discovering pumpkin-flavored goodies in every nook and cranny. We recently came upon the most wonderful pumpkin ice cream the world has ever known at Whole Foods supermarket in Baltimore. This is our second time going back JUST for the ice cream. However, another pumpkin "affectionato" must have buried the much-treasured delicacy from us in the sea of Moorenko's choices, since we found the last pint disguised within the coconut almond (another sinful pleasure) and honey lavender (one we have yet to try, but are dying to do so) shelves.

It's not only the most divine pumpkin-flavored dessert we've ever tasted, but in the realm of ice cream, it reigns supreme. Imagine a spoonful of frozen pumpkin pie that melts in your mouth, only leaving behind an aftertaste you don't want to rob your mouth of.

Moorenko's also makes a host of different flavors, and they are all locally produced in Silver Spring, MD! Their original location is in McLean, VA. Check out their website.


Rating:

Jackie: 6 stars (out of 5)
Salman: 5 stars
Overall: 5.5!

A little on the rating system...

So we were thinking about how to rate the movies, recipes, restaurants, books, biking paths, etc. that we will rate and came up with a few different scales: thumbs, pumpkins, smiley's--all very cute. I think in the end we will (for now) stick with a simple 5 star rating method. Both of us will rate things (if we've both done it) and provide you folks with each of our ratings and an average.

1 star = don't waste your time

2 stars = missed the mark

3 stars = average

4 stars = definitely worth it

5 stars = absolutely must try

Sorry that the rating system came out after our first review, but please read Jackie's review of Where the Wild Things Are, and follow us on Twitter so you can be up-to-date on everything we review!

Film Review: "Where the WIld Things Are"

Friday, October 16th, was the opening day for "Where the Wild Things Are," the movie-adaptation of Maurice Sendak's children's book. Directed by Spike Jonze and co-written with Dave Eggers, this film is the epitome of young-meets-old...grandchild meets grandmother, young hipster meets long-time professional, son meets mother, daughter meets father...it's a beautiful clash of all emotional ages into one imaginative time and place. The movie makes you want to climb mountains, explore the desert, forests and everything in between; and who cares if you haven't showered? I'm sure the monsters won't mind one bit. The scenery simply compliments the friendships made and broken between Max and the monsters along his journey, which all-together provide an emotional roller coaster ride that you cannot bear to leave. The soundtrack by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's, with the clanging of children's voices in the chorus, only makes your heart pump that much more in rhythm with their colorful chants to run and have fun.

Some have questioned the maturity level of the film and whether or not it is appropriate for children to see. NPR recently brought up the movie craze that has been created amongst a more mature audience of the young adults persona. To this I say the following: we are all children at heart, and if it attracts just as many adults as it does children, then all the better. Isn't it always a good things when adults are able to recapture their inner child and learn to appreciate (if only for a couple hours in a dark theater) the purity and innocence that they still maintain deep within themselves?

However, it is not all about making snow forts and starting mud-clot wars. "Where the Wild Things Are" oh-so-delicately examines the harsh realities that children must face in a grown-up world: divorce, hatred, loss, love and forgiveness.

In the end, it's a wonderful montage of lifelong lessons from a child's perspective.

Jacqueline's Rating: Five stars! (out of five)