I have been spending way too much time in Little Italy these days.
But of all Baltimore neighborhoods to frequent, Little Italy has to be one of the best, especially if you are a hardcore foodie such as me. Yesterday for dinner, my mom decided she had a craving for Italian food, so I stepped right up and suggested Sabatino’s, an old family favorite. Baptisms, first holy communions, engagement parties and birthdays in the family have always been celebrated at this old-school Little Italy favorite and it had been a while since we’ve visited.
Sitting on the corner of Fawn Street in the center of Little Italy, Sabatino’s has been owned by the same family and producing the same delicious dishes for over 50 years. Over those years, the restaurant has been consistently voted as having some of the best food in Baltimore with their 100% homemade central and southern Italian food and some of the best and most unique wait staff in town.
The wait staff at Sabatino’s is entirely female. Sure there are male busboys, chefs and hosts but every waiter is, in fact, a waitress. It has been explained that women are more personable, more adept at this “traditional” female occupation and have better memories, but what it all boils down to is tradition. And speaking of great memories, I have never seen a Sabatino’s waitress ever write down an order; they all simply remember who got what and how it is to be prepared and have developed a reputation for this talent amongst locals.
The food is also nothing to sniff about. Imagine you have an Italian aunt who makes delicious, homemade and authentic Italian food that is consistently good every time like only home-style, time-worn recipes can be. That’s how Sabatino’s is. Except it costs money, but not that much especially for the quality. The best dishes are unarguably the Bookmaker Salad and the fettuccine alfredo. The fettuccine is delicious simply because the noodles and the creamy cheese sauce are 100% homemade, deliciously seasoned and there is a lot of it. The Bookmaker, however, is a bit more complex. Start with a huge pile of romaine and iceburg lettuce; add tender peeled shrimp, chopped Genoa salami and provolone cheese, pepperoncini peppers and the famous Sabatino’s house dressing. When asked what is in their dressing, the staff never reveals but I can say that the main ingredients are oil, vinegar and lots of Romano cheese. It is the Italian answer to the chef salad and I still cannot finish a whole one, despite my ability to “put it away.”
Sabatino’s has become such a Baltimore tradition, it is used for parties and occasions daily, it is a local “Best Of” and has become a go-to for tourists. I happened to be sitting next to a group of MLB umpires yesterday at dinner and even overheard them saying this is their favorite restaurant in their favorite city to travel to and eat in. Now that’s a huge compliment, umpires saying they love Baltimore, because they sure don’t have any love for the O’s.
Too full to even move post-Sabatino’s, I figured I’d pick up a veal chop from DaMimmo’s right next door. You know, for later. Kill two blog-birds with one stone.
DaMimmo’s is another highly sought after Italian restaurant in little Italy. Although it is a lot younger and not as ingrained into Baltimore food culture, they do serve an award-winning veal chop. Each chop is tender, butterflied, marinated in garlic, rosemary and sage charbroiled until hot and juicy. The restaurant opened in 1984 and has since developed a reputation for being upscale (limo service from downtown, anyone?) and having a large, diverse menu with dishes from every region in Italy. Accessible? Not as much as other restaurants; it’s pretty pricey. Authentic? Yes, for Italian food. Culturally relevant to Baltimore? Only insofar as their famous veal chop goes. Regardless, the veal chop was delicious with a glass of wine when I split it with my dad as a late night snack.
Veal and wine before bed? Looks like Baltimore’s classy side is starting to come out in me, hon.
References:
http://www.littleitalymaryland.com/little_italy_baltimore_restaurants_sabatinos.htm
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