If there’s one place in Baltimore that I know is consistently good, delicious, and can go from casual dinner to fancy dining it’s Little Italy. I’ve made a point this past year to try more Little Italy hotspots (somehow I always would wind up at Sabatino’s-not a bad thing, trust me!) and branch out a bit. From Rocco’s to Chiaparellis to now Caesar’s Den, I’ve been loving all the menus and wine options!

This past Friday night, it was time to hit Caesar’s Den! Perfect timing for me it was the night before the Little Italy Festival-the streets were awash in red and green and you could feel the community excitement over the hopping festival. I highly recommend anyone to check it out-there’s another in August-from great deals on anything from garlic bread to meatballs and vendors selling funky art pieces to watching older couples dancing in the street, it’s truly a magical experience! 

Upon arriving at Caesar’s, I placed my obligatory order for garlic bread. Of course you get regular bread on the table with butter but what Italian restaurant experience is complete without garlic bread?! 

Warm, buttery, rich in oils and spices, the garlic bread was one of the best I had in a while! I think I can easily say here and Rocco’s are the two places I’ve found quality garlic bread! My date and I easily ate two pieces ( I made sure to eat light for lunch in preparation for this dinner) which is probably best so that neither of us can detect garlic on the other! As a super huge garlic fan, whether it’s in my guac or bread, this had the perfect amount!

We decided to split their prosciutto di parma, mozzarella e peperoni. Absolutely amazing! The peppers were sweet and had a hint of both garlic and oil while the mozzarella was cold and fresh and the proscitto had that great flavor with a touch of salt and sweet. 

I would absolutely order this again as way to whet the palate while sampling some true Little Italy staples. Great for a light summer app (and it went wonderfully with my glass of Riunite Banfi, a super sweet rose that was akin to juice) and is a great display of how good Caesar’s is with staples! 

Filling up quickly on starters, I opted for one of my favorite Italian/summer salads-the caprese. Their mozzarella caprese was fresh and not overly saturated with EVOO but instead carried a light flavor of it. The tomatoes were hearty and sweet while the mozzarella was wholesome and hearty! 

My date ordered their fettucinni al salmone. A huge dish came out laden with fresh salmon, a portion big enough for the hungriest of men. The salmon was fresh and flaky, a perfect touch against their creamy and cheesy pasta. The light cream, capers, onions and smoked salmon was one of the more beautiful presentations I had seen-and the flavor far exceeded expectations!

To cap off our delicious dinner, I indulged in a tiny demitasse of espresso. A great way to slow down and enjoy the meal, the espresso came with various sugars (but honestly, it may not even need it) and was truly enjoyable on that rainy night.

Caesar’s was delightful and I’m looking forward to returning and trying more of their pastas and chicken dishes. The generous portions, huge flavor, and fresh Italian fare, along with a very knowledgeable staff, made for a very upscale dining experience that will leave me returning very soon! Great parking options and valet also add to the downtown dining experience!

Be sure to add Caesar’s for your next date night or family outing and enjoy quality dishes at very reasonable pricing-a great Little Italy must-stop!

I always use Baltimore Restaurant Week as the perfect excuse to test out new restaurants I wouldn’t otherwise venture into. While I’ve already dined at Ruth’s Chris, Don’t Know, and several other fabulous BRW options, I decided to return to the one part of town I know always has my heart-Little Italy. 

A loyalist to Sabatino’s in Little Italy (don’t get my started on their Bookmaker salad, among others), I couldn’t help but swoon over Roccos’ menu. To me, a good BRW menu carries a variety of options, not just one fish, one meat, and one poultry dish. 

Gleaning the menu, I was overwhelmed with chicken dishes filled with cheeses or tomato sauces, meats blended with, well, more meats, veal creations I had never heard of, and pasta bowls chock full of seafood and sauces. It was time to leave the comfort zone and travel into new parts of downtown’s Little Italy scene.

Tucked on a corner across from Chiapperelli’s, you walk into Roccos and are greeted by the man himself. You have to love the real family style setting and personal greeting you get at a true Italian restaurant-pictures of family members, Italian knick knacks and memorabilia, and rich, instrumental music from the 1940’s  really carry you into a whole other time and place.

While garlic bread wasn’t on the BRW menu, how can one go to an Italian restaurant without just that? I know it’s hard to really mess up garlic bread, this one really knocked it out of the part. With the perfect amount of garlic and butter (warning: definitely not for the faint of heart garlic lovers-but then again, an Italian restaurant is probably not your best option), the bread quickly disappeared on the table, along with our minty fresh breath.

For first course, appetizers came out quickly and in great portions. While I ordered a personal favorite, tomato and mozzarella, others ordered the melon wrapped prosciutto balls, caesar salad, and a smoked salmon dish. 

Fresh, red tomatoes sat atop a bed of leaves, all covered by hearty mozzarella chunks. Definitely the best way to slowly break myself into the pending Italian meal!

Main meals came out in just the perfect amount of time, allowing for some digestion of the first course. 

Diving right into my Pollo Florentina, a thin chicken patty covered with prosciutto and mozzarella, the combo of salty and savory was outstanding. So much so, that I ate the whole dish without feeling too dry of a mouth or weighed down by all the cheese. The secret was in the thin cuts and light hand sprinkling of both meat and cheese.

While I’m not a veal fan, my date ordered the stuffed veal, a dish that’s apparently a signature and house dish.  Similar to the chicken, the veal was thinly cut and filled with prosciutto, as well as asiago and gorgonzola cheese. Coated in bread crumbs and served atop a mushroom sauce, the dish was a true Italian delicacy.

Lastly, the Fettucine di Mamma, fettucine pasta mixed with copious amounts of scallops and shrimp, covered with a cream sauce and a touch of tomato, was decadent and an excellent blend of seafood and pasta.

Even in our Italian carb comas, we had to end the meal on a sweet note-the tiramisu. A light buttery, rum cake with a thin layer of icing, the tiramisu wasn’t heavy or overly creamy. Any Italian granny would be happy with this recipe!

I think Roccos truly gives all other Little Italy restaurants a run for their money with its authentic family feel, hearty and rich fare, and numerous menu options to chose from.

Anyone looking for a little Old Country nostalgia and traditional cooking should look no further than this Baltimore Italian gem.

For $35.10, Baltimore Restaurant Week did not disappoint this gal at Roccos!