Marie Louise Bistro

Marie Louise Bistro recently opened its doors in Mount Vernon. The restaurant serves simple French bistro fare and tempts its patrons with pastries on display in a refrigerated glass case just to the right of the front door.
I was pleasantly surprised by the decor of the bistro, which included what I think of as traditional bistro chairs as well as a tiled floor that was reminiscent what I remember from my travels in Europe. I was pleasantly surprised that the owners of Marie Louise actually made an effort to make the restaurant look like a bistro. So many Baltimore restaurants clean up a space, offer a new and inventive concept, but don't bother to make their restaurant have the look and feel of the food they are trying to sell - not so with Marie Louise.
I ordered the duck confit, which was deliciously hot and juicy. It was crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and over all very well prepared. The duck came with assorted vegetables (which appeared to be steamed) and couscous. As with the main dish, both sides were simple and very well prepared. Both sides were well-seasoned, well cooked , and tasted naturally flavorful.
I unfortunately couldn't save room for dessert, but I wanted to kick myself for not having done so. The pastries in the front of the store (which are available for take out) looked fabulous.
On the upside, Marie Louise offers well prepared classics in a traditional French setting; on the downside the place was a little slower than I would have liked to have seen it

Elevation Burger

The concept behind Elevation Burger sounds like a great idea.The establishment promises organic burgers and offers an upscale casual atmosphere with reasonable prices.
The restaurant attempts to draw in its patrons with a clean and modern design. The burger maker in Harbor East has sleek counter tops and retro-slick aluminum serving trays, but the atmosphere lacks a character that seems necessary in a place serving comfort food. If you saw a picture of Elevation Burger, you wouldn't know the interior from any strip mall chain in America. In fact, Elevation Burger seems a lot like Five Guys. It offers a limited menu with the promise of preparing well the few dishes it does prepare. Although the burger I had was tasty, it was less flavorful than other burgers I have had (including other popular chain burger joints). Elevation's fries were delicious however and are highly recommended.
I was hoping to find some specialty burgers that would separate Elevation from Five Guys or other chain burger joints in the area. Unfortunately, I found most of the same offerings and not a whole lot new to peak my interest.
On the upside, Elevation offered good fries and environmentally friendly food; on the downside, it lacked a certain zest and failed to offer a concept that strayed far from the alternative patrons are already offered here in Baltimore.

About

As an individual who enjoys food and dining out, I thought I would start my own blog about the Baltimore dining scene. I know there are other blogs devoted to the same subject with a similar intensity and passion for good dining, but let's face it, good food means different things to different people. I therefore will tell you why my blog is a little different and why you should read it (even if it's in addition to some of the other wonderful Baltimore food blogs). I tend to prefer chefs/restauranteurs who show creativity in their cooking and creativity which carries throughout the dining experience. This means I enjoy dining when I know that those in the restaurant treat creating food and the creating the dining experience in general as an art form. This means that I enjoy when a chef prepares food in an effort to balance the food's flavors, show a concern for portion size, demonstrate an appreciation for texture, and prsent food that isn't either too showy or too modest. This makes my blog different because I look for these qualities while I dine.
Another hobby of mine, besides dining, is traveling. I thought I would make this blog a little more unique by adding my dining experiences when traveling to nearby locales around Maryland and nearby states. I travel to the beach, mountains, city, and country during much of my free time. I haven't yet found a Baltimore blog that devotes a significant portion of its content toward dining in nearby locations and even if such a blog does exist, let's face it, there are so many dining options within a 2 or 3 hour drive of Baltimore that my blog is bound to discuss different restaurants. I will discuss how I choose which restaurant I dine while on day trips and why I have chosen to review each restaurant I review. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy as this blog gets started over the next few months.