30 January 2010

Our first encounter with the Baltimore Foodies

I've been a member of the Baltimore Foodies for a while but for one reason or another hadn't been able to attend a gathering until this past week. The event? The 6th season kick-off cocktail party at Alexander's Tavern.


Upon entering and asking the bartender where we were supposed to be, we met Lars the founder of the Baltimore Foodies. He was very approachable and easy to talk to and we immediately warmed up to him. He was like a big teddy bear who enjoys vodka. Lots of vodka. Since it was our first time out he offered to buy us our first round of drinks from the downstairs bar (the event was all-you-can-drink but that was at the upstairs bar). I asked the bartender if she had any scotch and selected a Glenfiddich 15 year single malt, neat. Ice is for pansies. Lars turned to me and blurted out "That's an old man's drink, I like you!!" Along with our mutual love for potato vodka we were like peas in a pod. I could tell right away these were good people.

After a while of getting to know some of the other patrons we finally made our way upstairs to our own private bar and buffet which as I mentioned before was all-you-can-eat/drink. The menu was very intriguing. It featured...

International Cheese Assortment and Crudite Platter


Turkey Tacos
Roasted turkey, potato stuffing, sundried cranberries and Havarti cheese all rolled in flour tortillas served with gravy for dipping


Pig Wings
Pork shanks char-grilled then tossed in cajun spices and served with carrots, celery & bleu cheese


Veggie Wings
Potato & cheddar pierogis tossed in your choice of Buffalo, BBQ, Cajun, Old Bay, Thai Peanut or just naked served with carrots, celery and ranch


AT's Tuna
Raw sushi grade tuna tossed with an orange laced soy sauce and sesame seeds served with wasabi aioli and crispy chips


And here's a few pictures of my plates:



Look at the super tender pork shanks that literally fell off the bone:


My personal favorites of the night were the cheese paired with the perfectly spicy mustard, the tuna which was super-addicting, and the pork shank. The burritos could've been great had the turkey been more of the 'off the bone' variety as opposed to the 'from the deli counter' variety. It didn't help that they skimped on the cranberries either. I could've eaten the tuna by the truckload. I practically did. I think I went back for fourths.

I'm told the events are usually much more communal and the food is typically served family-style but we didn't mind being segregated at our own little tables. We made great conversation with our dining companion (Julie...? I'm so bad with names!) and the upstairs bartender, the blonde with curly hair, was really accommodating and definitely knew her beer.

I'm thrilled to be a member of this group and as long as the price is reasonable I plan on attending every event. Thank you Lars for starting this fantastic group and we look forward to your future endeavors!

Alexander's Tavern on Urbanspoon

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