Let’s take a look at some of the dishes I’ve had recently in South Baltimore that really stood out. And, please don’t hesitate to share some of your favorites in the comments section!
Chicken Pad Thai at Thai Yum
Craving some Thai food one night, we picked up a to-go order from Thai Yum in Federal Hill. We got the Chicken Pad Thai and the Thai Green Papaya Salad. The salad featured fresh young green papaya with palm sugar, lime juice, peanuts and chili. It was very refreshing and a great blend of fresh flavors.
I’ve had pad thai many times – and at many places – and I was very impressed with the plate at Thai Yum. I’ve always enjoyed pad thai, but sometimes the overwhelming flavor of peanut makes it a bit too sweet about half way through the meal. Thai Yum has the perfect amount of peanut flavor so that you still get the sweet and sour flavors of the other ingredients in the dish on top of their rice noodles. Delicious!
Adelina’s Pie at Barracudas Tavern
Barracudas is the perfect place for any type of meal, whether you are looking for appetizers, sandwiches, salads, entrées, or even pizza (…I always find it to be a tough decision to choose when I am there.)
Opting for one of their thin, crispy crust pizzas on our last visit, we got an Adelina’s Pie, and boy was it good. The pizza was topped with rosemary chicken, homemade potato chips, garlic, mozzarella, reggiano and extra virgin olive oil. The combination of toppings and flavors really hit the spot, and had me really looking forward to the left over slices for lunch the next day.
The Don’t Know at Shoyou Sushi
I’m always torn between trying to keep Shoyou Sushi a secret and telling everyone I know how good it is, but I always lean toward the latter because of how nice (and talented) the owner and chef Bruce is. So many of Shoyou’s rolls are delicious – I personally always try to get something with their signature spicy tuna.
On a recent trip we ordered The Don’t Know, which is named after their neighbors on the next block. The Don’t Know includes seared tuna, crunchy tempura onion, crunchy garlic, Shoyou’s house sauce and, like most dishes, a side salad. The huge plate of high-quality seared tuna was just $12.99. It was a delicious plate that we can’t wait to try again, but that goes for most things we’ve had there.
Pollo Mole Poblano Enchiladas at Blue Agave
I’m a big fan of enchiladas and Blue Agave has four varieties to choose from. On a recent visit, I went with the Pollo Mole Poblano, which has pulled chicken with Mexican cheeses in a house-made mole poblano sauce, which had a hint of chocolate. The enchilada, as well as the accompanying side of rice and beans, was super flavorful and tasty.
Peruvian Chicken at Primo Chicken
Pollo a la Brassa, or Peruvian chicken, is a growing-in-popularity style of rotisserie chicken from South America. When I found out it would be coming to Union Square/Hollins Market via Primo Chicken, I couldn’t wait until they opened. Let me just say, it did not disappoint.
I got the 1/4 chicken with two sides and sauces for $5.75, including a $.50 upgrade for white meat. The chicken had all the right flavors and went great with my sides of cilantro lime rice and black beans. It was a great meal that will be on my lunch rotation for sure.