Go for Gourmet at Gertrude's

Gertrudes

10 Art Museum Drive

Phone: (410) - 889 - 3399

Price: $10-$15

Location: Inside the BMA off of Art Museum Drive.

Hours: Tue.-Fri.: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

Sat.: 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (brunch),

5 p.m.-9 p.m. (dinner)

Sun.: 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (brunch)

5 p.m.-8 p.m. (dinner)

Where to take that special someone? Fly to Paris for the weekend ... go to the top of the Empire State Building ... or Gertrude's. That's right, Baltimore's very own Gertrude's. Located right next to campus in the Baltimore Museum of Art, you can easily walk there right after class and grab a meal amid a beautiful sculpture garden inside a museum that houses one of the largest Matisse collections in the world.

Serving traditional Chesapeake cuisine prepared by head celebrity chef John Shields, Gertrude's is one of the most underappreciated restaurants within walking distance to campus and in Baltimore in general. They have an excellent seafood bar which is within budget for the average college student (about $14 with tip and tax) offering entrees Terrace doesn't serve very often such as littleneck clams, mussels caponata and oysters.

If you want traditional Maryland food (a.k.a. crabs) they do that well too. There are a variety of preparations for Maryland's flagship cuisine. There are two types of crab soups, one cream based and one tomato based, spicy crab cakes,portobella crabs or my personal favorite the build your own crab cakes. This is a little more pricey, but well worth it. Too bad parents weekend is over and you can't make your parents take you here and put it on there charge card.

It begins with your choice of crab cake: traditional, one with horseradish and mustard, and/or the special crab cake recipe of the day. Then you chose from a long list of sauces from salsa to mango chutney. Finally it's rounded out with your choice of traditional sides like mashed potatoes, french fries or sautZed spinach.

But if fresh fish prepared by the leading authority on Chesapeake Bay cuisine with his own television show and book isn't your thing, there is more on the menu! Burgers galore are available, lots of pulled pork dishes and hot and cold sandwiches. For the vegetarians, there are special vegetarian crab cakes, humus and couscous platters, and a vegetable curry.

If you're too busy during the week, brunch is served on both Saturday and Sunday. There are traditional brunch foods, eggs, pastries, sandwiches, lots of fish and of course, the build your own crab cakes. If you're not a big eater or you have a little sibling with you they also have a kids menu available for brunch.

Although the food at Gertrude's is very good and the prices reasonable, the real reason to go there is for the picturesque setting you never realized was possible in good ole' Bmore.