The other day we celebrated my friend Sue’s birthday a chic trendy restaurant called Pazo in Baltimore, MD. I had never heard of this restaurant or even been to the new and upcoming Harbor East where it was located. Upon walking into the restaurant I was blown away. It had huge soaring ceilings with a second level that went around the perimeter of the restaurant. The bottom floor was filled with large plush couches and wooden tables with oversized center pieces, a lounge, and an open kitchen. It was definitely modern and trendy, but had hints of Tradition Spanish decor mixed with Indian decor…or maybe Italian?
We sat around a very large table and started with a crisp glass of white wine. They have a huge wine selection with bottles starting at $17. And much to our surprise, wine bottles are half price on Monday nights!
The restaurant is a combination of tapas and small plates along with grand plates and main menu items including some brick oven pizzas. The dishes are inspired from the Spanish coast and the Italian isles. It was a pretty seafood heavy menu, which I enjoyed, but not all my friends felt the same way. For the most part I really enjoyed the food, but I didn’t think it was anything special or extraordinary.
Oh, and the sunflower seed crackers at the beginning were awesome.
Here is just a sampling of some of the dishes we ordered…
Trio of Ceviche-tuna, shrimp, and scallop
Goat Cheese Empanadas
Sea Scallops a la Planxa with a fennel purée
Crab Buñuelos with roasted corn and salsa brava
Pizza Napoletana Cristina: buffalo mozzarella, tomato, and basil
Eggplant Bruschetta
The atmosphere of this restaurant is fabulous, and its definitely a place I would want to go for drinks with friends. I loved the feel and ambiance of Pazo, and we really enjoyed our time there.
