Magdalena (Baltimore, MD)

There are so many restaurants that I’d like to visit, but because I haven’t hit the lottery yet, it’s going to take some time to get to them all.  However, there is one that I wanted to get to sooner rather than later.  That restaurant is Magdalena.  The menu changes often so I literally went on the website each week for the past two months to see what they were offering for the day.  I’ve seen everything from Duck to Escargot to Lobster being offered, but it seems as though my pockets didn’t align with my aspirations of being spontaneous.

Magdalena, which is located off of Biddle St. in Baltimore, MD, is a French-influenced inspired restaurant with a beautiful interior.  The service at this restaurant is so detailed that I have to mention it.  I usually don’t mention service in my reviews of restaurants because I believe service should be a standard at each restaurant, but when it goes above and beyond I like to give praise where it’s due.

During my visit I was able to indulge in three dishes that I knew I would enjoy.  Venison tenderloin, Squab, and Jumbo Shrimp.  The Venison Tenderloin was the first course.  It consisted of House-Cured Maple Bacon, Charred Pumpkin, Date Puree, Huckleberry Jus,  & Spruce.  A beautiful piece of Venison prepared medium was nothing short of spectacular.  This was a true “fall dish”.  The Charred Pumpkin to go along with the Huckleberry provided the earthy and sweet flavors needed to go along with the gamey flavor of the Venison.  The Maple Bacon really stood out with this dish because of its smokiness and overall flavor it provided.  I thoroughly enjoyed this dish as it was flavors that’s not really in my repertoire.

The second course was the Roasted Squab & Ravioli “Rossini”.  It consisted of Foie Gras Crouton and Truffle Jus.  The Squab to go along with Foie Gras worked well.  The Ravioli was quite the surprise.  I thought it was going to have a creamy texture to it, but to my surprise it was packed with more Squab.  The Truffle Jus was sweet and had a smooth texture to it.  The Squab, which was pan seared,  had a meaty flavor to it which usually Squab is known for not having as much meat in it.

The final course was the Grilled Jumbo Shrimp and Baby Squid.  It consisted of Green Tomato Butter Sauce, Chili Arbol, Beech Mushrooms and Sea Beans.  You ever curse after you eat something?  Well, the chef who made this was everything but a child of God.  This was one of the most flavorful, light, delightful dish I’ve ever tasted.  Three Grilled Jumbo Shrimp were surrounded with Baby Squid only to be topped with Green Tomato Butter Sauce which was a sauce that I would literally pay someone to make me by itself.  The Beech Mushrooms helped balance the entire meal with its earthiness and the Sea Beans added the starch that was needed.  The Chili Arbol wasn’t too spicy, but it did help give the dish a bit of a bite with each chew.  There’s not enough I can say about this dish, so as long as this dish is on the menu, make sure you make it a priority to get there and try it.

Overall, this restaurant is a make sure you have discretionary money in your bank account.  The menu changes often, so when a menu looks interesting to you, you don’t want to have to “save up” like I did to go, you want to be able to go as soon as possible.

OVERALL : FIRST CLASS EXPERIENCE