Daniela's - Authentic Italian in Hampden

---UPDATE!  5/22/2016: Daniela has expanded and moved to 822-824 W. 36th Street, Baltimore, MD 21211 (down the street from the original location) ---

When one thinks of the culinary aspects of Hampden, a wide array of things come to mind: cheap burritos, vegan food, or maybe an unlikeable restaurateur who makes an fool out of herself on national television. But historically, nobody really thought about authentic Italian food. That started to change a few years ago when Grano opened its two locations in the heart of the neighborhood, but one of the locations stuck to pasta while the other kept it pretty high-end.

But now, Hampdenites have a wider variety of authentic Italian food available to them, and best of all, it’s pretty cheap! This is thanks to the 2011 opening of Daniela’s Pasta & Pastries, located on The Avenue.

In case you don’t know, Daniela herself had already built up a reputation in town for being a great pasta maker. She has made pasta for Grano and has acted as a guest chef at Sotto Sopra.

We made our first visit last week, looking for a quick carry-out dinner after an exhausting day.

The restaurant is very small, located in a former eyeglass shop, and is based mainly on a carry-out format. However there are a few small tables inside, and the gentleman working the counter informed us that when the weather warms up they are hoping to add some outdoor seating.

Everything is made fresh daily, and is presented in a small display counter. And everything looks delicious. We grabbed an order of Lasagna Bolognaise and an order of the culingionis. And for just $3 more they threw in a house salad and homemade garlic bruchetta. The lasagna we chose was conceptually similar to the lasagna we Americans are used to, with cheese, meat and a red sauce. However there were 5 or 6 different types of lasagna available that particular night. It was apparent that the noodles were homemade, as they were tender and thick. The meat, sauce, and cheese were all delicious, complementing each other well but none individually stealing the show. Undeniably the best lasagna I’ve experienced. The culingionis, which were essentially potato ravioli (or for my Polish readers, like Italian pierogi), were exceptional. Again, it was apparent that the pasta was hand made that day. The pastas are served in a light sauce seasoned with mint, saffron, and basil.

The portions were not overwhelming, but were generous.

Most importantly, we took home two banana chocolate turnovers for dessert, which were perhaps the highlight of the meal! The flakey pastry was mild but tasty, very fresh, and the rich chocolate and fresh bananas were a perfect match for one another. I would frown upon anyone leaving Daniela’s without one of these in hand.

All in all, an excellent addition to the Hampden dining scene. We’re sorry we didn’t try it out sooner!

Note: they are also BYOB

Daniela’s Pasta and Pastries
900 W 36th St Ave  (SEE UPDATE ABOVE)
Baltimore, MD 21211
443-759-9320

5-Star Rating
Food: *****
Service: N/A
Ambiance: ***
Price: $$ ($10-20)

Best Sunday Brunch in B'more - Rocket To Venus

This weekend, a large group of us had the pleasure of getting together for Sunday brunch at Rocket to Venus. And by the time we were done drinking, we felt like we were on a rocket to Venus!

Named in honor of an old Hampden urban legend, Rocket to Venus is a relatively new bar/restaurant located in Hampden, adjacent to the block responsible for the famous Christmas light display. It is a trendy looking establishment with retro look that is a popular spot for the local "Hipster" crowd, although we generally see a pretty eclectic mix of people when we visit. The opening of this restaurant several years ago was seen by many as one of the first visible signs of Hampden's gentrification, and is a lot less "rough around the edges" than some of other neighborhood joints.

R2V offers a short yet unique menu, with a price-range of about $8-15 per plate, and the food is usually quite good. However, the best deal on the menu is only offered on Sunday, and is the topic of today's post. Of course, I am referring to their Sunday Brunch (or as they call it, the Blitz).

The first great benefit of their brunch is that you can sleep in and still make it - it's from 2PM to 5PM each Sunday. Here's the deal: a handful of items on the menu are asterisked, items such as French Toast, Breakfast Burrito, Burger, and even Green Eggs and Ham. These are the items on special, and for $12.95 you get one of these dishes, with ALL YOU CAN DRINK Bloody Marys, Mimosas, and Sangria. That's right - ALL YOU CAN DRINK. How could we pass that up???

We couldn't! So, here's our review:

Unfortunately, the experience didn't start out as well as we were hoping. We had a large party - about 10 of us - and they were unusually busy due to the holiday weekend. So, we were told we would have a 1 hour wait (usually when we go, half the restaurant is empty, so we didn't think to make reservations). That was understandable; however, we were hungry. So, we told the hostess that we would gladly split up into 2 smaller parties and take the first 2 tables that become available. She didn't acknowledge our request, and when the first table (a booth) became available, she gave it to a party of 2. TWO!!! We could have fit at least half of us there. This was disappointing.

However, everything after that just kept getting better! When we were finally seated, we were given a nice large table that allowed us to socialize effectively. Our waitress (I forget her name, as I was a bit tipsy when I asked her - but she is there every Sunday) was very nice and accommodating. She started out by bringing us several pitchers of the drinks, so that we didn't have to wait on the bar as much. We realized very quickly that despite the "all you can drink" special, they were not skimpy on the alcohol.

We ordered a variety of food - Bob Ganoosh and I got the Breakfast Burrito, but there were a few French Toasts and some Apple Pancakes ordered too. Overall, everyone LOVED the food. The portions were decent - they were not huge, but were reasonable. It looks like the most filling was the pancakes, which were the size of the plate. Bob Ganoosh also found the garnishing "interesting" - the plates are garnished with just a couple pieces of fruit.

As far as the drinks are concerned, everyone loved them as well! The Mimosas were great, as was the Sangria, which is different each week. The Bloody Marys are good but very spicy (tons of Old Bay!), so if you're not an experienced Bloody Mary drinker, I wouldn't bother.

So overall, the experience earned a "thumbs up" from the Bob Ganoosh team. We'll say, 4 out of 5 stars, for a Sunday Brunch. We just recommend that, if you have a large party, call ahead! And speak slowly and clearly to the host(ess). Otherwise, you are guaranteed to have a great time and get a lot of bang for your buck!

Rocket to Venus

Chestnut Avenue at 34th Street

Baltimore, MD 21211

410-235-7887

http://www.rockettovenus.com/