Restaurants in Baltimore

At Sizzling Bombay, the vibrant orange walls and glimmering chandeliers are nearly as bold as the spices that infuse each of the dishes leaving the kitchen and leave their stamp on diners’ tongues. Kebabs skewer pieces of chicken, shrimp, and lamb as curry clings to bite-sized morsels with the grip of a great-aunt’s cheek pinch. An Indo-Chinese menu section parades around with pad thai selections, and desserts end meals on sugary notes, filling plates with rice pudding or milk balls soaked in rose-flavored sugar syrup—instead of a heap of sugar cubes begging to be turned into a fort.

Lenny's menu (click here for St. Louis and here for Webster Groves) is a favorite for its premium deli meats, chicken and tuna salad made from scratch, signature hot pepper relish, and hearty portions. A regular-sized Lenny's club, which costs about $6 (prices vary by location), is 7.5 inches long and has about half a pound of meat and cheese. The large versions (around $9–$10) are 15 inches long and have a pound of proteins. These humongous hoagies are heavy enough to keep your body on the ground during one of St. Louis's many gravity outages.

The chefs at India Palace embrace traditional Indian recipes and cooking techniques, customizing the spice of each entree to meet diners’ preferences. In the kitchen, an imported tandoor uses smoldering mesquite charcoal to raise temperatures within its clay walls up to 550 degrees, roasting marinated servings of chicken, lamb, or shrimp as thoroughly as a deep-fryer full of magma. For their vegetarian options, the chefs can toss vegetables with house-made cottage cheese or aromatic basmati rice.

According to Patch, India Palace also features a small market next door to the restaurant, which emphasizes fresh produce, assorted varieties of rice, and traditional spices from India and South Asia.

Adam Greenberg refers to himself as “the world's pickiest eater,” which may explain Bagels 'n Grinds’ distinctive take on the celebrated baked good. Greenberg’s self-professed culinary perfectionism led him to create a secret 10-step bagel recipe that involves a colossal water-purification system, visible to patrons through a glass wall. With scientific precision and occasional mad-scientist cackles, the newly opened shop's staffers create 16 types of bagels that manage the tricky balance of crisp surfaces and soft insides.

Patrons can smear their bagels with low-fat, housemade cream cheeses infused with ingredients such as strawberries or lox, or opt for one of the café’s other creations, such as Bagnini sandwiches topped with piles of meat or marinated portobello mushrooms. Water from the café's purification system also goes into free-trade organic coffees, three different iced-coffee brews, and the ceiling sprinklers to shower patrons on sweltering days. Custom salads incorporate gourmet ingredients such as hormone-free chicken, candied walnuts, or toasted-parmesan crisps, while six distinctive soups are served in cups or bagel bowls. Non-edible amenities inside the new shop include free Internet access, a semi-private conference area, an 18-foot coffee bar, outdoor patio, and flat-screen TVs.

A fire snaps fingers of flame behind the brick storefront as alarmed figures run to and fro, cradling and dragging valuable objects through the doors and into the daylight. These altruists weren't carrying gold, or silver, or fine statues, but photographs signed by Johnny Unitas. Patrick's Restaurant has recovered since this disaster, keeping intact a collection of artwork and sports memorabilia carried over from the Golden Arm, a restaurant opened by the Colts football legend. Framed photographs and Tiffany lamps hanging over the bar bear the Johnny Unitas label, and Golden Arm’s recently restored mural gazes from the wall out over chattering visitors.

The main dining room provides a foil to the bustling bar area, surrounding visitors with a calm sea of white-clothed tables, chandeliers, and glass windows etched with pairs of courting sweethearts. From the foyer, interior studio windows grant glimpses into the restaurant’s wine cellar, filled with towering racks that hold up to 2,500 bottles, exactly enough for one person to learn to juggle wine bottles. Strains of Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra warble throughout the space, launching smoky harmonies through tendrils of steam rising from varied dishes.

Head chef Carole Brosso lets an education at the Culinary Institute of America and certification from the American Chefs Association shine through in simmering pasta sauces and reductions destined to cloak plates. Carole takes diners’ palates on European tours through a menu of italian pastas, French-inspired seafood, and Spanish recipes, drawing upon local meats, and fish and shellfish brought in daily from an area fishery, and seasonal veggies still laced with notes of a scarecrow’s perfume.

There is more to chef Mohammad Rahman’s menu than the staples that diners have come to expect from an Indian restaurant, although crowd favorites do have reserved places. Rahman and his wife, Salma Khanam—who is the restaurant’s maitre d’—incorporate flavors from their homeland of Bangladesh, including fish fry combos and shak bhaji (made with custom-spiced spinach). Halal meats such as fish, lamb, goat, and chicken star in rich curry dishes, nicely accompanied by warm naan fresh from the tandoor oven. The eatery's lunch buffet pits stomachs against a bounty of dishes, piled high with delectables to reward diners who wore their nicest stilettos. Kitchen of India’s environment is warm and romantic, with white tablecloths serving as elegant yet neutral complements to colorful paintings and carved sculptures.