Two weeks ago, I was invited to a blogger event at Phillips Restaurant in Baltimore! I was excited about attending! I called to RSVP and explained my story. The invitation was quickly extended to include my husband. We found a sitter and headed down to Phillips Restaurant.
We walked hand in hand, around the Inner Harbor, recounting some of our Phillips Crab House days!
When we arrived and told the hostess why we were there, she looked at us blankly. She made a quick call to the manager, Sandy who quickly apologized and explained that the date for the blogger event had been changed to the following week. She asked what she could do for us. I responded, “You invited us, you tell me what we can do for you.” Sandy went quickly into action! She escorted us to a table and excused herself. Within a few minutes she was back with menus, introduced us to our server and told us dinner would be on the house. She had already put in an appetizer specially made by the chef. We each ordered an Evolution Craft beer and before it came, we were greeted by general manager, Michael. Michael quickly became a friend and even pulled up a chair to answer our questions!
We had a great conversation and told him our story! He was not surprised that we had found love at Phillips, as there have been many matches made there over the years! He showed us some of the menu changes that Phillips had recently made, like reducing the size of the menu so it’s not so overwhelming. Devon and I agreed, this was a great change! They also added on some fun specials, like WineDown on Thursday nights where you can get 1/2 price bottle of wine! He told us a little about new chef Arturo Paz. We loved the new wine menu and thought the Bawlmerese pronunciations were perfect! Just in case you’re from out of town, if you want to order a glass of Merlot, here in Baltimore, you order a “Mare low” or if you want a Pinot Noir, order “pee-noe Nawhr”.
We ordered the Baby Spinach and Arugula Salad with red onions, eggs, tomatoes and warm apple smoked bacon dressing. We devoured every bit of this salad. It was a great blend with the bite of the arugula and the sweet/salty bacon dressing!
We also split an order of broiled Shirley Phillips’ Traditional Chesapeake Crab Cakes! These have chunks of back fin crab! They were just like we remembered!
We said our goodbyes! Having thoroughly enjoyed our time at Phillips Restaurant in Baltimore!
I returned the following week to meet some fellow bloggers and sample more of Chef Paz’s food!
This time, I was greeted by Michelle Torres, Phillips Corporate Director of Marketing. I slid into a chair next to Chesapeake Foodie! She quickly moved our first course towards me to sample. The tuna tartare was simple perfection, the King Crab legs are always enjoyed and I seriously can’t get enough of shrimp cocktail.
Being thirsty, I ordered Evolution’s Exile beer (again!) and Chesapeake Foodie began to share how much she loves the guys at Evolution! You can watch her interview with founder here! Lars Rusin introduced himself and I quickly recognized him from his Baltimore Foodie Group!
We were then served the second course of Steamed Mojito Clams.
Let me pause here to share that this was my one disappointment of the evening. While the flavor was great, the clams were gritty. I don’t do gritty, just ask Devon! I tried two, to see if I had just eaten one that was looked over, but they were both laced with sand. I moved back to my beer!
At that point another guest joined the table, news anchor, Donna Hamilton! She had just survived Baltimore rush hour traffic and said it was worth pushing through knowing her good friend from Chesapeake Foodie would be there!
We received our third course, which I have to say is such an improvement on the traditional! We had Mini Lobster Corn Dogs. These were sweet and delightful! I could have polished off a whole plate of these!
These little beauties, along with crab mac and cheese lollipops or crab cakes sliders, can be enjoyed in the lounge where you can relax and listen to live music or watch a game.
I got up and moved to the other end of the table to visit with friend, MinxEats and hubby! Then had the privilege of meeting Breslow Partners mom and daughter team! We shared stories over the final course Chesapeake Crab Cakes. These Crab Cakes are as timeless as Phillips Restaurant!
Phillips holds a special place in my heart (in case you didn’t read about it, click here). But, I think I am still able to be objective! It’s a must go to if you are visiting Baltimore or Ocean City, Maryland to get a taste of what makes our state special. (They also have many other locations!) Phillips Restaurants are affordable and consistent! They staff is friendly and the atmosphere is welcoming and inviting. And who knows, if you are on the hunt for a life partner, you just might find one here!
Thank you Phillips Family for playing such an important part of my life!
~Kip
