Diablita's - Blackball (Last reviewed Apr 2010)

Strange how this place is connected to Lemongrass, on my list of fun restaurants, and I walked away with the opposite opinion. We held a work function at this place and to a person, no one liked their food -- ranging from not tasty to nasty. The dining crowd, as you know a good leading indicator of success, was sparse. There really was nothing to write home about -- food, menu, atmosphere, anything. Given its challenging location on Central Ave just a couple blocks too far away from Harbor East, Nostradorkus predicts this place is headed for closure by the end of 2010.

The Grilled Cheese & Company - so so (Last reviewed Apr 2010)

Well, I liked the concept of a brand new place that serves up gourmet grilled cheese and a cup of tomato soup. The novelty of the idea may not carry the day as there are a few issues here. Where do I start? Firstly, it's located on gangster alley -- Edmonson Ave right near 695 interchanges. So, I'd suggest lighting up the parking lot like an O.R. and not so dimly lit. The menu was interesting but I botched it ... ordered a veggie grilled cheese which included olive spread. The cook went a little crazy on the olive spread so it was more like an olive sandwich, not my favorite. The tomato soup was good but was too thick and had too much cheese, kind of like eating a jar of warmed up Prego. Had the presentation been a little better, I might not have had that same impression. Everything was served to go and to me, that just doesn't cut it when dining in as I expect a real plate, silverware, etc. I think we filled up one trashcan alone on the excess stuff. The pricing is on the high end of what I would expect. While a great place for kids to get a grilled cheese sandwich and a drink, it will set you back about $10 per kid and x3, I'll just go to Deusenberg's. I want to see this place do well but I'm afraid its days are numbered.

Deusenberg's (5 star) -- Last reviewed Apr 2010

As an old bschool professor used to say, that place is too busy so no one goes there anymore. That is the only problem with Duesenberg's (and also I don't know how to spell the name). The restaurant has a seating capacity of about 25 and on nice days, they have outdoor seating for another 15 or so. Catonsville's best kept secret is out and it is not uncommon to have a 30 minute wait for two. The food is reasonably priced and is my favorite spot for breakfast and lunch -- it's only open until 3PM daily and closed on Sunday. I'd suggest starving yourself for a late afternoon lunch around 2 so you have half a chance of finishing the meal and can avoid most of the crowd. Favorite picks include Route 66 Chicken sandwich with avocado and side of green bean fries, lobster roll with sweet potato fries, and really anything off their breakfast menu. Portions are huge, service is great, and selection is unusually wide for a small diner style resaurant. Note that this place is one of the select few 5 star rated restaurants. I understand that the owner will be expanding soon so that is great news.

El Nayar-- So so (last reviwed Feb 2010)

Located in downtown Catonsville, I was hoping for a better experience at the only Mexican restaurant in town but it doesn't do anything special worthy of a highly coveted "good" rating. Although the place was crowded and we were dilly-dallying while waiting for the rest of our party to join, the waiter demonstrated Ghandi like patience. They brought out frosty mugs for our BYOB and didn't seem to mind while our kids dumped drinks and other things on the floor, each other, etc. I had the 4 'especial' enchilladas and it was very well prepared, good portions and price. Also, the guac and chips were excellent which is a disqualifier if not up to par. I didn't like the atmosphere -- too barren, seating uncomfortable, not musico, cold (especially following the blizzard), and lacked anything to give it a personality. Beef up the menu and give the interior a make-over -- both easy fixes and I'll give you a good.

La Tasca - Blackball (last reviewed Jan 2010)

So it was restaurant week and we thought it would be a good idea to check out this tapas restaurant in the Light Stree Pavillion. We made reservations but painfully, the place was completely empty so I felt both silly and like bolting for the door (per my previously established critieria). Let me start with something rather obscure -- the bathroom. It was both about 80F and a boy/girl restroom. Both things confused me and it just got uglier. The waiter was very attentive (no one else there) and ordered our appetizer for us (say what) at this all you can eat but one order at a time. This authentic Spanish restaurant had a caliente unisex bathroom both no spice, in fact, rather bland food. To be fair, there were a number of tasty plates -- fried eggplant, primerib, calamari -- but the rest was forgetable and holy crap, we were in there for 2 hr. I'm thinking of blackballing the entire Light Street Pavillion based on this experience.

Indian Delight - Great! (last reviewed Jan 2010)

Indian Delight, located in 'downtown' Catonsville, has really picked up in popularity in the last few months with a busy take-out business and a steady dining room crowd. The two guys that comprise the waitstaff, one Pakistani and one furreal Indian, are very accomodating and always deliver friendly and fast service when doing the 'needful'. This place meets all of the criteria -- selection, price, clean, service, yum factor -- and you can even bring your own wine or beer. This restaurant was also the scene of one of the more recent embarrassing moments. The garlic and cheese naan was placed on the table in basket with a paper napkin. And you guessed it, the candle hit the paper napkin and whoosh! (For those that have seen Steve Martin in the Pink Panther, I thought we were going to have 'La Plata Nada' redux). It was hilarious for about 10 seconds until we realized the naan could not be saved and would not be returning without placing a second order. The garlic and cheese naan (flambe) with a side of raita (spicy yogurt) and an order of Chicken Tikka Masala with rice is my usual and is awesome. Other easy picks are Chicken Vindaloo and Aloo Gobi (vegetarian). Ok a few digs, the rice that comes with the entrees needs to be a couple scoops bigger and provide sauces for the naan (they will do this only once they realize hey it's me and I've been here a million times).