Chameleon Cafe

 

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Kathryn E.

Dallas, TX

True foodie find.  The menu changes constantly to keep up with the freshest and best they have to offer.  Good wine list and very reasonably priced.  Though the decor is nice, and the wait staff efficient, it is really all about the food here - perfecto!!!  I just regret that it took us so long to discover this place!

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Carleigh C.

Baltimore, MD

Chameleon Caf is the poster child of creative, sophisticated cuisine for remarkedly reasonable prices. Just down 33rd street, past the reservoir, lies this Northeast Baltimore institution on an unassuming street in Lauraville.

Despite raving reviews from the Baltimore Sun, City Paper, Style Baltimore, Baltimore Magazine and Zagat Survey, which gave the quaint eatery a 26-food rating (one of the top five highest scores in the city), the caf is still under the radar to most of the public. Why is this? Perhaps Chameleon Caf's name is all too fitting. The restaurant's modest exterior blends so naturally with its low-key neighborhood surroundings, that this gastronomic dreamland is relatively hidden, left only found by knowledgeable foodies and enjoyed by informed insiders.

Husband-and-wife team Jeffrey Smith and Brenda Wolf Smith's French-inspired cuisine is as delicious as it is innovative. With the weather getting cooler and corn being in season,
- the corn chowder ($5.75) is a perfect start to your meal. This basic soup is kicked up a notch with top-shelf ingredients such as George's silverqueen corn, Krakus kabanosy sausauge blended with onions simmered in corn stock.
-If you prefer greens before delving into a hearty dinner, try the tomato aspic, a refreshing combination of chilled Maryland steamed shrimp with lump crabmeat served with cucumber salad, tomato aspic, smoked bluefish, and deviled egg ($9.95).
-Everyone is sure to find an entre that is suitable for his or her taste with the caf's few but deliciously diverse options.

Whether your dinner companions are avid fish eaters, devoted vegetarians, or meat enthusiasts, they will be undoubtedly satisfied and impressed by chef Steve Francis' exceptionally original creations. -Don't miss the baked bluefish with lemon mayonnaise and shrimp mousse served with sauted zucchini and a perfectly crisp corn fritter ($21.95),
-or the grilled duck breast served with Solferino sauce complimented with a smoked pork succotash ($21.95).  

These aren't the only standouts on the menu, and with entrees averaging around $20, weekly specials such as 20-50% off wine Wednesdays and some of the most pleasant servers in town, you won't feel guilty succumbing to the temptation to taste the fine life.

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June H.

MD

I've been waiting to try this place with the recommendation of quite a few others, and finally, my supper club and I ventured up Harford Rd to give it a try and had a fabulous experience.

Decor and atmosphere are absolutely charming....it's cozy and comfortable. The wine list was much more impressive than the majority of Baltimore's restaurants and the menu was varied and impossible to choose from! I ended up going with the Hawaiian fish (whose name escapes me at this moment) that came with a quinoa.

The fish was tasty - firm, but still slightly flaky, flavorful and the quinoa was the perfect accompaniment. A couple of others got the spring vegetable ragout and that, by far, was my favorite of our table's choices. Dessert was equally as impressive - we had the flourless chocolate cake and a strawberry & rhubarb crumble. YUM.

I'll definitely go again..and again and again...This is exactly the kind of place that baltimore needs more of!

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Anna b.

San Francisco, CA

I managed to get a great bottle of wine, and my duck was done really well. Nice calming decor, good food, nice people. Great little spot in Baltimore!

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SavvyTraveler H.

Forest Hill, MD

I've lived in the Baltimore area for about 5 years - and I've noticed that a lot of great recommendations start with the phrase - "There's this great place on Harford Road...."  

This little restaurant is REALLY, REALLY GOOD!  It's a small, unassuming place.  When you walk in, you go right past the cooks and get a view of the kitchen.  

I had the veal - and it was probably one of the best meals I've had in Bal'mer.  The Chamleon ranks right up there with the best restaurants in the city.

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