Babalu Grill
32 Market Pl
Baltimore, MD
After two sub-par meals, I was looking forward to redeem myself and choose a good restaurant. Again, using Urbanspoon as a resource, I desperately wanted something different, walking a lot farther if necessary. That’s how, eventually, Babalu Grill caught my attention…
No, this is not Babalu Grill, rather of the area called Restaurant Row.
If it is called with such name, it better be good, right?
A lot of people complain about service in restaurants in Vancouver. If they only had to deal with what I went through in Baltimore… The previous night I had to spend several minutes waiting at the front area and, alas, something similar happened, though with its own twist. This time, the dining area was quite busy, so I though, hey, service should not be a problem right? Well, no. Instead, I had to again stand there waiting to be seated for almost five minutes. In the end, somebody noticed and told me the dining area was closed for a private party (which explains why it was so hectic on a Tuesday). At that point I was fuming. If you have a private party, why don’t leave a sign outside? That way, I won’t have even bothered to wait. In the end, I was told I could go to the bar instead, which I did…
Now, I did notice something: the restaurant was not completely full. Hmmmmmm… Not good, not good… Some of you might be wondering, if service so far has been so crappy, why stay and not just walk out? For one, I usually don’t care about service; however, in this case, it was the service (or lack of) that almost prevented me from having my meal, hence my additional notes about it. Also, in this particular restaurant, I had a small reason to be so obstinate: its cuisine is Latin American (and non-Mexican on top of it!).
So, first, the drink, Miller draft:
No particular reason why I chose this as a drink, other than the fact it was the special of the day. Yes, it was bubbly enough.
I switch temporarily to the 18-55mm, the 50mm lens to the top right.
I apologize for the following pictures. As you should have noticed on the picture above, the light conditions would make taking the pictures somewhat difficult. Sure, I could have used the flash but I stubbornly refused to do so. I hope the pictures provide a good idea of my meal… First, the appetizer:
Seafood ceviche on a bed of mashed potato with plantain chips. Any seafood lover will love this dish. Pieces of seafood marinated in an acid solution (usually lemon juice) with other condiments and ingredients (depending on the place, in Panama, it was usually onions). The seafood used here included pieces of shrimp, fish (most probably cod) and I think squid. Though the size was small, I brought a lot of memories. Something similar with the fried plantain (a more starch-y version of a banana), which was quite crunchy.
For entree, I had Lechón Asado, or rotisserie pork, with yuca (aka cassava roots) and rice and beans (similar to rice and peas).
First, the sides, yuca, aka, cassava roots. This root vegetable is not something you usually find in North America, since potatoes reign supreme. Except, of course, in ethnic restaurants… As for the yuca itself, the best way to describe it is a more fibrous, starchier version of potato wedges.
The rice and beans is something I grew up with. In this case, they have it mixed, which does not bother me at all, as one of the Panamanian versions of the dish (arroz con guandú, or rice with pigeon pea) is exactly like that. The only comment I can provide is that I could not taste coconut, as arroz con guandú uses coconut milk. But, then again, this is due to where I grew, not that it is bad in any way!
Finally, the pork itself… Well, I think it is a bit difficult for me to describe it. The best comparison I can make would be Chinese style roasted pork, yet, it is different at the same time. For one, there was no pork rind; also, it had a sweet taste… As if orange juice was used to baste it. It was REALLY good.
Overall, despite the crappy start of the dinner, the food managed to redeem the night. Probably this is due to personal bias but I am sure anybody would appreciate this food. Having said that, based on this single experience, I will highly recommend it.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I am completely with you on that dislike for having to wait for attention at entrances of restaurants, it happened to me recently at an Italian place in Vancouver that I’ve written about already too. It just ruins the whole meal, getting off to a poor start like that in terms of customer service. I suppose we could lighten up a little bit, but I guess we both don’t have much patience for this kind of thing…
Restaurants with low lighting create great ambience, but they’re not so great for food bloggers. You’ve managed to take clear pictures though, and they show what the food is like, so that’s the main goal achieved!
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