Polo Grill is convenient and sophisticated

Polo Grill

4 W. University Pkwy

Phone: 410-235-8200

Price: $10-$15

Location: In Charles Village across from the Homewood Field

Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 5 p.m.-10 p.m.

Sat.-Sun.: 5 p.m.-11p.m.

So your parents are in town for the weekend and want to celebrate your recent success in a string of Orgo exams, getting into law/medical school, or just because dammit, you're their deserving child. Where should you go to celebrate these milestones in your life? My answer to this is so important, I figure that the shimmering italics of my word processor will only further entice you: Get them to take you to the Polo Grill ...

Not that the Polo Grill needs to entice you any further than it already does. With the feeling of an Edwardian hunting lodge decorated with oversized magnums of champagne, the Polo Grill hails impeccable service and arguably the best food in Baltimore. Offering up everything from traditional Maryland crab-cakes (one of the only draws for some people to attend JHU) to steaks cooked to perfection, the food is anything but boring.

Wine from their extensive and award-winning wine list is decanted and then served, something hardly seen at restaurants these days. And, with the painstaking efforts of executive chef Michael Rork (formerly of the Harbor Court Hotel), expect a savory meal with attention to detail.

Conveniently located on East University in the lobby of the Inn at the Colonnade (a.k.a. the Doubletree), the restaurant is within walking distance of the Homewood campus, and thus a convenient dining spot for when your parents are visiting you in Baltimore. Because the Doubletree is one of the closest hotels to campus, your folks'll probably be staying there anyway.

For those of you looking for the classy and obviously much more expensive alternative to CVP, for the place you can have your first Martini with your father to a celebratory anniversary toast with your significant other, look no further than the bar at the Polo Grill. If your family is in town on a Sunday, come here if you want to have an early afternoon of gluttony featuring oysters on the half-shell, prime rib, blintzes, bagels and lox, shrimp and Cook's champagne (shudder).

Though the price may be expensive in terms of Baltimore standards, I like to remind my parents before they take me how much money they're saving by my not having gone to college in New York. While appetizers are priced around $13, the main courses range from $20 for the pasta to $43 for the lobster.

The Polo Grill is managed under the caring hands and watchful eyes of Lenny and Gail Kaplan, two of Baltimore's top restaurateurs. Known throughout Baltimore during the heyday of the Pimlico Hotel, the Kaplan's Polo Grill was rated as "extraordinary" in the 2001 Baltimore Zagat Survey.

The restaurant has also picked up numerous awards from the likes of Wine Spectator Magazine, the City Paper, and Baltimore Magazine. Though the Kaplan's run a tight ship, expect a friendly visit to your table welcoming you to Baltimore.

With a warm atmosphere and good food, expect to leave the Polo Grill with a full stomach and an understanding why Baltimore is called Charm City.