Oh My, Monsieur

Marie Louise Bistro

904 N. Charles Street

Baltimore, MD 21201

410-385-9946

www.marielouisebistrocatering.com

Magnificent food and terrific service!

I am a Baltimore native. I must also live in a cave because until visiting this wonderful restaurant during Restaurant Week Baltimore I had not been there before and hardly heard of it. Shame on me.

On a weeknight, it took only 35 minutes from Finksburg to arrive at the parking lot adjoining this Mount Vernon restaurant. The whole way home I blamed myself for not having eaten at this very fine restaurant years ago. Places like the Prime Rib and McCormick Schmucks get all the fanfare in Baltimore, some of it deserved, but here this French bistro with its incredible dessert pastry display at the entrance has evaded me and others I have spoken to about it since our meal there. The prices are downright reasonable compared to those big-name restaurants too.

Restaurant Week offers fixed price, limited menu fare at many good restaurants in the Monumental City. Its success has been copied in Howard County and now I see restaurants in Carroll County is jumping on the bandwagon during the week of August 21^st.  Washington ,DC has one as I'm sure many other areas outside my cave must too. Multiple course dinners are all $35.11 at every restaurant on the list, including even some of the most expensive eateries like Fogo de Chow. Lunches are also available at reduced prices so check out that web site http://www.baltimorerestaurantweek.com/

I admit that a review of Marie Louise Bistro in the Baltimore Sun  many moons ago piqued my interest, although there are so many restaurants on my list of eateries to explore that I could have chosen another during Restaurant Week and missed this gem. We hit it rich in Mount Vernon with this one.

It is not an ostentatious place and many of the diners the weeknight we stopped in were dressed very casually. Dumb me with my wear a jacket to a nice dinner philosophy! After absorbing the atmosphere and menu I can see why people were dressed down – this place has a huge neighborhood following. Many people came by just for a jumbo martini and one of the incredible pastries available until 10 PM. (11 on Friday & Saturday). The sidewalks outside the Bistro were buzzing with people as the neighborhood is just loaded with bars and restaurants of all sorts. Double recession be damned, drink up!

Our excellent server, Kirsten, was attentive throughout the meal and more helpful than most in her business when dumb questions about the food and the restaurant itself.

I momentarily excused myself from the pre fixe menu when I saw an appetizer for two that I could not resist – the Charcuterie Plate. Not wanting to dwell on how pate’ is made, I am a lush for it.  Unfortunately, my wife is not as crazy about pureed and cured meats so I was obligated to eat most of this large portion myself. I hope other diners are able to share more of the Plate than me but hey, I’m not complaining. Along with the basket of fresh baguette bread, the plate consists of slices of a rough, pepper-coated salami, a delightful house pate, larger still slices of a house fois gras torchon and cured / dried slices of prosciutto all accompanied by cured olives, some cornichons and a homemade, coarse Dijon mustard. In all fairness, this plate alone could make an entrée for most people and then you’d not have to share it with anyone. I thought the meal would surely go downhill from that point because the meats were just extraordinary. The picture above is an internet capture - the actual Charcuterie at the Bistro is much nicer.

Back onto the Restaurant Week special menu my wife had the cold Butternut Squash soup. There are very few cold soups that I like, save those made with berries. She loved the large, and I do mean large, bowl of the soup. I forced myself to try the Mushroom and Leek tart without regret.

Once again, we both chose the same dinner entree. I was not about to forgo the Trio of Lamb Chops just because my spouse insisted on having it. Three nice, small lamb chops accompanied as many incredible Merguez lamb sausages and two B’Steeya, a lamb compote in a fluffy pastry, all over delightful baked potato wedges with lamb jus and accompanied with pickled red onion (hey, it works!). We asked to have the tzasiki sauce on the side and were glad we did. This thick white sauce had a sharp dill flavor and I thought it unnecessary and overpowering. Had it not been served aside I think it could have ruined a marvelous entrée for both of us.

We only had dessert because it came with the package meal. Yeah, right. Wifey had the chocolate hazelnut dome and took no prisoners home. I had an incredibly light crepe with a heavenly crème filling and peaches in a glaze sauce. I would not normally order a dessert (honest), particularly after a large meal like this BUT before leaving we asked Kirsten to box up two pastries to go for the next evening’s delight. The next evening I enjoyed a coconut tart with a moist cake interior and fresh fruit topping. The Chocolate Purse that my wife took home was a visual wonder and delicious (she says, as she refused to share). This incredible dessert is made of a hard but thin chocolate exterior that you would swear is a small leather purse, complete with marks from the strings being pulled to close it at the top. It was filled with chocolate mousse. Now that is decadence at its visual best and a huge compliment to the pastry chef.

Wines are available by the bottle or glass. Bottles range from $29 to almost $100. If you are into the martini thing they have an impressive list as well as other liqueurs and ports. I have to make a comment here that no matter where we dine, the after dinner drink list never (so far at least) includes Absinthe and that is just a shame. This anise - like gift of the Green Fairies has been legal in the US since 2007 after getting a bad rap a century ago by tea toddlers who believed the wormwood in it brought out the demons in those who drank it. More nonsense from those so hypocritically pure of spirit themselves in that era accompanying Prohibition. I say put Absinthe on the menus and be dammed ye of demon spirit. Let the Green Fairies it is supposed to induce on imbibers dance into the night. Few would want to drink it straight and even diluted with the typical sugar cube and ice cold water it may be an acquired taste but I have seen the younger generation drink far more bitter chartreuse-colored spirits.

So, I will certainly be going back to Marie Louise Bistro, if only to have the Bouillabaisse. There are so many delicious items on their menu; check out the web site. And thanks to our server Kristin for making a very good meal a great one.