This wasn't as easy as it looks. What I didn't tell you in advance, because I wasn't sure I could pull it off, was that I wasn't going to include the popular chains that people don't even think of as hotel restaurants. That would be too easy.
For instance, Pier 5 Hotel has off its lobby both a Ruth's Chris and a McCormick Schmick's . Shula's is in the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel, while the Sheraton motels or hotels modesto california Inner Harbor is the home of a Morton's .
In fact, I think I've discovered a trend here, although I don't know if it's national or not. Not only has the grand old hotel dining room all but disappeared, but many hotels have simply thrown in the towel and brought in sure-fire winners so travelers will feel right at home.
1) Sherwood's motels or hotels modesto california Landing in the Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michael's. I know I said I wasn't going to do boutique inns, but Perry Cabin is a large hotel in spite of its name. Chef Mark Salter's elaborate continental menu includes dishes like hazelnut- and herb-crusted wild rockfish with Italian lentils, wild mushrooms and a clam-maderia cream. Eat here on your honeymoon. Very expensive. (The vegetarian entree costs $30.)
2) Watertable in the Renaissance Harborplace motels or hotels modesto california Hotel downtown has been revamped to the tune of $3 million, so that the decor is now contemporary but still comfortable. The emphasis is on fresh, seasonal and local, and the food is quite good. The service wasn't perfect when I ate there recently, but the wait staff was so good-natured I didn't mind. I love the fact that every seat in the house has a great view of the Inner Harbor. Expensive.
3) Pisces in the Hyatt Regency downtown has a view every bit as spectacular as Watertable's. I like the fact that it's unabashedly a seafood retaurant, and I like the somewhat limited menu -- what the kitchen does, it does well. But unless you're on an expense account, you may well balk at the prices ($40 for crab cakes). It has a pricey but excellent champagne brunch. Very expensive.
4) Grille 700 in the Marriott Waterfront, Harbor motels or hotels modesto california East. Its dark wood and swooping curves suggest a luxury ocean liner, and the large windows open out to a watery view. There are brick oven pizzas, but most of the dishes are serious food: elaborately presented creations with a nouvelle Mediterranean sensibility. Moderate to expensive.
5) Spice Company in the Inn at the Colonnade in Homewood breaks the mold for hotel restaurants. The menu has dishes that acknowledge the global quality of today's American cuisine, like a grilled tuna with a spicy bok choy salad; but in general the well-executed food isn't too fiery in spite of the name. It hopes to attract neighborhood diners, so you will find dishes under $20. Moderate.
6) Azure in the new Westin Annapolis Hotel is a water-themed restaurant, in keeping with its Annapolis location, with lots of seafood and lots of watery blues in its contemporary decor. motels or hotels modesto california The 68-seat dining room and 150-seat outside patio both have fireplaces. The cuisine is American fusion. Moderate to expensive.
7) Brightons motels or hotels modesto california (pictured) in the InterContinental Harbor Court Hotel downtown -- with the closing of Hampton's, now the hotel's main dining room -- was uneven in both the food and service departments when I ate there this spring; but the romantic setting is so charming, even luxurious, it has to be on this list. The highlight of our meal was our appetizers, so maybe the way to go is small plates. Expensive.
8) Petticoat Tea Room in the Admiral Fell Inn is the hotel's only dining room now that True has closed. OK, pink walls and lace tableclothes may not be your idea of fine dining; but you can get a charming afternoon tea here as well as sandwiches, salads, homemade soups and homemade desserts. If you want more, go to Ruth's Chris in another of the chain's hotels, Pier 5. Inexpensive.
9) Cinnamon Tree in the Baltimore Marriott Hunt Valley Inn in Hunt Valley isn't exactly an undiscovered gem, but it's more likeable that you would expect. There isn't much in the way of dining outside of chains up this way once you get past the Oregon Grille and Milton Inn. It's a good place to take the visiting in-laws if you're in that area and want something safe but with a bit of flair. motels or hotels modesto california Moderate to expensive.
10) Crossroads in the Radisson in Cross Keys was once the Village Roost, the place to power breakfast in Baltimore. In its new incarnation it isn't as cozy, but it's still convenient to the JFX and everything it connects. I'm not sure why the place has lost its lock on the breakfast meeting set. I had excellent eggs with all the fixings last time I ate there, and my friend was happy with her Belgian waffle. Moderate.
Gone, indeed, are the days of the elegant hotel dining room. I can remember my parents driving to York to have supper in the hotel there. And Miller Brothers when the no-longer- new Hilton opened years ago.
We have always liked the Marco Polo in the Pikesville Hilton. The room is well-appointed: the staff is attentive without being overbearing or too familiar: and the food has always been good. In addition, motels or hotels modesto california we have never found the restaurant crowded at either motels or hotels modesto california lunch or dinner time.
FYI, several weeks ago a friend and I lunched at the bistro restaurant in the Peabody Court Hotel--the name escapes me. We had the place to ourselves, motels or hotels modesto california which I thought odd for such a busy part of town. Our lunch salads were delicious, with high-quality ingredients. Probably a tad overpriced, but then, it IS the Peabody Court.
I know it seems sort of arbitrary, motels or hotels modesto california but I've always limited myself to Maryland restaurants in my reviewing. I have to draw the line somewhere. If I didn't, all the places in DC, not to mention Virginia, would be on the table. That's why the Inn at Little Washiington didn't motels or hotels modesto california make it into Restaurants Worth the Gas Money, which it clearly deserved, either. However, I count on readers like you to point out that it deserves to be -- although it is more of a boutique inn than a hotel, isn't it?
Good point. I was going by number of rooms -- I think one has about 80, which makes it more hotel-ish, and the other 15 or so. And you're right about the distance; like I said, the state borders are a pretty arbitrary limit.
Location-wise, you can't beat the Azure in the new Westin Annapolis Hotel. Your (under motels or hotels modesto california 40 lb.) Doggie motels or hotels modesto california is welcome, too. morton's, the world-famous steak house chain, is right in the hotel. And the water-themed restaurant, the most unique I've ever seen.
Lissa -- while dogs are welcome at the Westin Annapolis, the hotel's website states: "Dogs are not permitted in food and beverage areas." I guess that Sujan was too busy trying to sell us hotel rooms in Thailand to notice the ambiguity in his/her post. ;-)
I want to know how NYC gets around the dog thing. They are everywhere. Hotels, Bloomingdales, Macy's, Tiffany's, even alot of restaurants, everywhere. If it is a generic US health code law, how do they do it?
Bucky -- actually, since the Westin chain features The Heavenly Bed®, The Heavenly Rollaway Bed, The Heavenly Crib (SM), and The Heavenly Shower/Bath®, the Westin Annapolis website proudly notes that "The Westin Heavenly Dog Bed [Is] Available".
(BTW, we don't say "thank you" often enough to hmpstd, who always does a great job of providing us real facts when we just go off, making up things that sound like they might be facts. He enhances the credibility motels or hotels modesto california of the comments section of this blog.)
Bucky -- thanks motels or hotels modesto california for the kind words. As for "flee-ridden", I will confess that I just copied your mutt description, pasted it into my comment, and then inserted the italicized words, without bothering to check for typos. I wonder whether language evolved more smoothly before the invention of the PC copy-and-paste function?
Dahlink, I've had cats who loved to play with dripping faucets. I had one cat who refused to drink out of a bowl. He wanted a tap run, not too hard but not dripping, either. He did not understand why I was not willing to provide his preferred format of water 24-7.
Every cat I've ever owned has avoided water until one of the current motels or hotels modesto california pair. He either likes to drink from the bathtub drip or enjoys jumping out at me from behind the shower curtain. It's like having a bratty adolescent male in the house.
Richard Gorelick was appointed The Baltimore Sun's restaurant critic in September 2010. Before joining the paper staff fulltime, he contributed freelance criticism and features articles about food to area and regional motels or hotels modesto california publications. Along the way, he dispatched for short-distance trucking companies, shilled for cultural motels or hotels modesto california non-profits, and assisted in cognitive neurology research – never the subject, always the control.
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