Cocktails and Cupcakes

Dessert with your cocktail is the new menu that Pazo’s in Baltimore is implementing. 

The menu on Thursdays.

I was following up a story that Sam Sessa did for his Midnight Sun blog.

When you order a cocktail at Pazo a cupcake is paired with it.  I like dessert and I like to drink, so how about I do it too. It was Wednesday night when I went and sadly their deal is only on Thursdays. 

Being the social butterfly I am, the manager from Pazo, Robin Braniger, recognized me and brought out a cupcake that they were going to save until Thursday. 

Braniger also may be one of the most helpful and personable people I’ve met in the business.

My girlfriend paired her mojito with a Rum Baba cupcake that had a delicious passion fruit and coconut cream on top. We split the cupcake. 

I washed half it down with a vespa, you know, the James Bond drink from Casino Royale. I never had it before, I just wanted to order it. 

The cupcake that is no more. Wednesday night at Pazo's.

The bartenders were very cool and did not judge me.  At least not to my face about a 6’3″, 210 pound dude eating a fancy cupcake while stealing swigs of his girlfriend’s mojito. 

Braniger also suggested the Blue Velvet martini.  It comes with a $14 price tag, but is made exclusively from violets. 

“You won’t find this anywhere else…it’s like nothing you’ve ever had,” Braniger said.

I would of liked to try it, but my vespa was all I needed.  Plus, it was a school night.

Aside from the bar area, the restaurant is very diverse.  A large, mellow lounge area near the bar, a spacious dining area and a great mezzanine section for those busy nights on the weekends.

 

Here fishy, fishy…

 

Courtesy of The Examiner

Seafood in Baltimore is a staple.  What about raw seafood, or should I say RA seafood?

That is no Boston accent, it is the name of the sushi bar in Harbor East.  If sushi is what you’re looking for, drop a line in this restaurant.  Hot sake on tap, big Japanese beers and sushi rolls.

If you want to go on the cheap, then Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! You’ll find happy hour from 3 p.m to 7 p.m.  Release the tension from a long day of work with half priced appetizers, drinks and sushi.

It is always high energy, music, a great dining setting and fancy decor.

 

Cha-Cinghiale

A never-ending wine list, hard to find scotches, custom cocktails and did I mention the food! 

Courtesy of The Baltimore Sun

Cinghiale(ching-GYAH-lay) in Harbor East is an Italian restaurant with its own identity.  The name translates to “wild boar,” and that is their major focus.

 It comfortably strays from the norms of large pasta dishes, stuffed shells and lasagna. Instead, the menu tailors around cured meat, seafood, and my favorite, duck.

The menu is liberal to the point that you can prix fixe your three-courses for $52.  Another option is a $29 prix fixe menu, but many choices are lost.

The portions are modest, and the service is great. Four employees helped out my table. It was nice not having to rely on just one server that may get tied up with multiple tables.

The wine list is a small novel, and the prices vary which allows everyone to find a bottle.

My girlfriend sipped her Bellini which is a house cocktail made with real peaches, and I took the route to cure me from the cold weather, and sipped a Dalwhinnie 15 yr scotch until our bottle of wine arrived.

With delicious food and impeccable service, it won’t take long to get your check upwards of $300 for two people.  I recommend visiting Cinghiale during special occasions.