Kitchen at Peter's Inn

I went to pick my boyfriend, JF, up from BWI today, and I figured we'd be hungry by the time he arrived, so I looked for "off-the-beaten-path" restaurants in Baltimore. In this research, I found that there's an adorable neighborhood called Fell's Point with lots of small restaurants and stores amongst cute row-houses. We got to the Kitchen at Peter's Inn and instantly I got a very friendly vibe. People were hanging out on the sidewalks with their puppies and friends and right outside the restaurant, they had set up a few tables for al fresco dining. As it was quite warm and humid today, we chose to sit inside - which turned out to be just as hot and humid since they didn't have air-conditioning on and they had the door open. The place was packed, but luckily they had one table open. JF looked around skeptically and said "this looks like a pub." I felt the same way- the dining area was quite tiny compared to the roomy and long bar- which was lovely, but the vibe of the place was of a neighborhood bar rather than a restaurant with fabulous food. The menu was handwritten (they change weekly) and there was a copy of it written on a blackboard on a wall. There was a pretty comprehensive wine list - French, Australian, American, and Italian. The menu was diverse from duck confit to bay scallops to filet mignon. I picked the bouillabaisse and he chose the new york strip steak. The bouillabaisse was amazing with clams, mussels, calamari and jumbo prawns. The broth and rouille were fantastic with the toasted french bread. So good in fact, JF ate most of it. The steak was juicy and tender and the mashed potatoes were smooth and creamy. Throughout the dinner we discussed how deceiving Peter's Inn was - our expectations were low, despite great ratings it received on zagat.com, but the food pleasantly surprised us. The decor is pretty fun - vintage hub caps, Christmas lights, nifty framed photos and paintings. The bar stools are all wood with back rests and look really nice and roomy. If I go back, I'd like to sit at the bar and hang out a while. If you haven't been, I suggest you stop in. By the way, they don't take reservations and the server told us that it's ALWAYS busy, and I believe him. Tasty tasty!!!

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www.petersinn.com