SoHo Eatery

The Best Sushi in Federal Hill?

5 Stars – Federal Hill - $$

Weeknight-Out or Dinner Date

SoHo Eatery is a fantastic little sushi place where Light St hits Fort Ave. I first started visiting this restaurant as a place to quench my need for Korean Food, but then discovered that their Sushi was just as good and at a very fair price.

The restaurant has a similar layout to many other mom and pop restaurants in the area and only takes up the main floor of a single townhouse. The inside is surprisingly inviting and certainly not cramped; this is primarily because there are only three or four tables. However, when I have eaten here at peak hours, I have always been able to get a seat. Their primary revenue must be take-out, as there is a slow but steady stream of people coming in and out, and they will have your food ready in less than 15 minutes.

The food is well prices, and if you are willing to take the predetermined combos, you can really get a deal. As I mentioned earlier, I first started going to SOHO eatery for their Korean food. Their Bulgogi ($9.95, and comes with a salad and white rice) is by far the best I have tasted in this country. It is a great, and very healthy alternative to Chinese food. The portion is on the medium to smaller side, but it is filling and very good. The sauce is tasty and not heavy, just like it is supposed to be. If you are more in the mood for sushi, they certainly have you covered. There are five pre-determined combo rolls, which combine three different types of sushi at a discounted price ranging from $8.95-12.95. My favorite is the spicy combo with a California roll, spicy tuna roll, and spicy salmon roll for $12.95. While I have tried a number of their specialty rolls, the shrimp tempura rolls is still definitely the best. It is twice as large as a normal roll, and is topped with two different sauces that make it especially tasty. At $7.25 it is pretty accurately priced, however, getting a combination platter and the Shrimp Tempura roll is a perfect dinner for two, for about twenty dollars.

The only two small nit-picky problems with SoHo Eatery are that they sell soda by the can, and do not have a liquor license. So, be prepared with your own alcohol.

I really like SoHo Eatery and as it stands is probably the best one in Federal hill. However, once I have visit the other sushi places in Federal Hill for a second tasting I will write up a Battle Royal to identify which Sushi Places is truly worthy of your time and money.

The Federal Foodie

The Hull Street Blue’s Café

Who knew there was food on the other side of Key Highway?

4 Stars - Federal Hill/ Locust Point - $$$

Weeknight Out, Dinner-Date, and Upscale Dining

I had heard of HSB Café from someone who normally does business in Locust Point, but was never really drawn to check it out until I saw a restaurant.com coupon for it. (I will eventually do a post on the beauty of Restaurant.com ). I was a bit hesitant because entrees were a little more expensive than I would like to spend on a Wednesday – 17.95-26.95. However, the medium size menu did offer twelve entrees, and included every major category of meat.

Upon arrival, you no longer feel like you are in Federal Hill. The clientele is a little older and more blue-collar, with a couple yuppies sitting at the bar – and by the time we left surprisingly busy for a Wednesday. There are three options for seating - Bar, Bar/Dining area in an adjacent room, and the Dining Room (which actually looked quite elegant, and is separated by a closed glass door). We elected to sit in the Bar/Dining area which was a little bit on the noisy side.

We started with the Crab-Dip appetizer, which was a little disappointing. Small for 10.95, it came with sesame seed crackers to dip with, which tended to overpower the dip. We ended up using the bread basket for most of it. I had the Lime Chipotle BBQ Pork Loin ($16.95), and my friend had the Tokyo Tuna ($17.95). I really enjoyed the Pork, but it was definitely more aptly described as pork chops. The menu did not specify what would occupancy the pork – and it was served with mashed potatoes with bacon on top, and asparagus. The asparagus was the weakest part of my meal and tasted like it was made with a little Crisco. My comrade in eating had the Tokyo Tuna. I am no fan of fish unless it is bought from a store, covered in bread crumbs, and is 1-inch by 3-inches covered in tartar sauce. However, I was very impressed by the fish and the side of rice with sun-dried tomatoes and basil. His asparagus was much better tasting, but the rice and fish were extremely salty. I liked his meal more, however as he pointed out “I could have made this at home”.

Overall, HSB Café is a nice bridge for weeknight dinner out and upscale dining. The food was good, not great, but I really enjoyed the selection. The restaurant.com coupon for $25 helped to offset the above average weeknight dinner price – and they were not fussy about accepting it which is always a plus. An after dinner walk to Silo-Point and Latrobe park is a must, as Locust Point has a very different feel from federal hill, even though we share the peninsula.

On Tuesday's there is a slightly abridged Menu for 12.99. It is not yet known if you can use a restaurant.com coupon for this special.

This was a bit longer than I expected, and hope to be more precise in the future. Let me know if you have been to this restaurant and what you thought!

The Federal Foodie

So what's the plan? Maybe write it down.

Alright, so before I begin discussing the first restaurant, let's lay out what is going to happen. I have now been to all but one of the restaurants in Federal Hill South/ Riverside. Most places I have been to more than once, and as a big believer in second chances, I will normally visit a place more than once before I talk about it. Along with a general description of the food, service, and atmosphere: I want to discuss the more practical side of things - is it worth our money, your time to travel there, and what kind of event constitutes a visit (carry-out, quick bite, dinner-date, nice meal, etc.).

The plan is to have a brief paragraph synopsis of each restaurant, along with a rating. Then I will go into the juicy details of my experience. Furthermore, everyone once in a while, I will do a Battle Royal, comparing all of specific type of Restaurant - i.e. Which Chinese Carry-out place is the best?

Well that is Game Plan. Blogger was not very conducive to making a long list of restaurants that I be showcasing over the next couple of weeks. However, on tap this week are Hull Street Blues Cafe and SOHO Eatery.

The FedFoodie