And boy am I excited! Baltimore Restaurant Week (January 20-29) is here again and as always, serves as an opportunity to either experiment at new places or check out ones that are out of the budget otherwise.

This year I think I’ll opting for the former and going somewhere new and exciting to Charm City! One serious frontrunner is a new, charmingly elegant and quirky spot in Hampden, hon. Alchemy offers a wide array of gourmet cuisine that has an innate sense of comfort food cooked into the dish. 

Right on the Avenue of Hampden, Alchemy offers a great option for those looking for a bit more upscale than Cafe Hon and not quite as white table cloth as some. It’s effortlessly sophisticated environment is as welcoming as it is warm-think animal print chairs for dining (it would be remiss to exclude that in Hampden).

For starters, their crab bisque is one to try. Always a connoisseur of the crab, it was loaded with chunks of meat, a tiny touch of sherry, and fresh thyme decorating the dish. 

For a cold January day or night, this is a great starter to showcase Alchemy’s ability to take something that can be interpreted dozens of ways but done perfectly here. 

With a great selection of starters and lite fare, their flatbread choices mix together only the freshest and most creative combos that make for a fun way to kick off the meal.

Their flatbread chock full of Farmers Chevre, filled with caramelized onion, avocado, basil, and aged balsamic glaze was a healthy and tasty beginning. Only having a square (I at least made an attempt to save room for the main meal), the bread was crispy, the avocado perfectly ripe, and the onion a nice, sweet touch to a well rounded appetizer.

How fun is the presentation? Colorful and a nice balance of summer and winter in my opinion, it really resonated how Alchemy can take great food and combine them to make the perfect creation of the season. 

As for main meals, I had been told that one of the best burgers was found here. The bar was high and expectations were above and beyond exceeded. 

The Alchemy Burger has ground sirloin, tobacco onions (which I requested to hold), baby arugula, tomato, roasted garlic and red pepper aioli, all on a toasted Brioche with my choice of cheese (cheddar). 

I don’t know if it was the bun, the fresh sirloin, the sharp Cheddar, or the delicate flavors of the aioli that made this burger hit a home run in my book. I can’t tell you how challenging it is to decide what to get at Alchemy (from beautiful sounding salads, to fresh chicken and pork dishes to crab cakes)-but one can never go wrong with the Alchemy Burger.

As for dishes had by others, their Crab Mac & Cheese is the most delicate, subtle and delicious side dish one can have!

Rich flavors of baked mascarpone, jumbo ( I believe Colossal is the word they use) crab meat, and white cheddar mornay make it a great little dish to be split. I don’t think this could be a better comfort food to have in the cold winter months. Everything in it works well against each other and the crab takes what would otherwise be a rich and hearty mac & cheese and turns it into a delicacy.

Another dish ordered was their Scallops Provencal on Olive Toasty. While this is an appetizer, it easily makes for a filling lunch. Sea scallops, vine ripe tomatoes, olive relish, capers, cream and sweet vermouth make this dish.

Finally, another great Alchemy touch is the home made potato chips that accompany the burger.

Normally, I would just push aside any potato chips that come with my lunch in efforts to save calories. However, these were amazingly fresh and tasty and light enough that a few could never hurt!

Alchemy is a hidden Hampden gem with a fun menu, a dining room that is filled with charm and class, and prices that are extremely on par with the exceptional dishes coming out of the kitchen.

Run, do not walk, to Alchemy for Restaurant Week and try something new and different on for size! The menu has something for everyone and a standard price of $30 for 3 courses which serves as the ideal opportunity to come in for crab soup, a delicious burger or prime rib, and let’s not even begin to discuss their dessert options on the table. Alchemy is making all kinds of magic on the Avenue-and I’m fairly certain it’s the good kind!

For certain reasons, I tend to frequent Lancaster, PA quite a bit. OK, it’s one reason and it’s of the male persuasion. Having a boyfriend live out of town-especially in a town known for its homemade goodies and down-home cooking-I’ve gotten to try lots of new cuisines and dishes found outside of the Baltimore perimeters. While I hate to leave all things crab and Old Bay, I found myself pleasantly surprised this past summer weekend at a local Lancaster restaurant named after the town high school mascot, The Black Knights Tavern and Grill. 

Tucked away behind high white fencing and Americana flags draped around the wraparound porch, one can easily mistake this local grill as a piece of history. The brick, historic building hides an outside patio eating area where we opted to eat on this breezy but warm summer night. 

While the menu boasted of various pizzas, burgers, salads, and very impressive entrees, my date and I couldn’t help but be swayed by the current summer price fixe menu. For only $30 per couple, the meal included one appetizer to be split, an entree, and dessert. Scanning over the appetizer and entree selections, my mind did a question mark thought bubble as I realized this kind of deal would easily have been $50-60 in Baltimore. It was a no brainer. 

Staying true to my Baltimore roots, we decided to split the crab dip. A creamy mixture of crab, onion, and celery, the dip hit the spot (but let’s be honest, it was no Maryland crab dip) along side with the crusty baguette for dipping. Realizing we still had entrees and dessert ahead of us, we tried to be good and save half for home. A disciplined task at this point.

The entrees came steaming hot and impressively garnished. While I’m not a duck fan, my date enjoyed the sweet taste of the meat and the fruit based sauce it was served with. The corn was a nice summer touch, especially with the added fun of eating it right off of the cob.

The filet was tender and served in a thin slice, accompanied with corn and fries. The cut was full of flavor and not overwhelmingly heavy like some can be with juices. Somehow room was left for dessert after this whole meal, although I felt like I should have been going into hibernation soon thereafter.

With options including sweets such as creme brulee, strawberry shortcake, and chocolate cake, we opted for vanilla ice cream and chocolate creme brulee. Light and sweet, it made for the perfect ending to the three-course dinner.

While I’m still a Baltimore loyalist, it was nice visiting the land of the Amish and finding home cooked food that was of four star quality in a family friendly, laid back environment. Although, the Lanc will be hard pressed to ever touch crab the way we do in Baltimore.

For anyone looking for a fun day trip, don’t discount Lancaster with its small town full of history, horses, and hearty eats.