The Desert Cafe

 

3

24

Thea C.

Baltimore, MD

I worked in Mt. Washington for a bit and I frequented the Desert Cafe to fulfill any sugar pangs that comes after a hard day's work. I've probably tried almost everything on the dessert menu and they're all fabulous though my personal favorite has to be the effin' flourless chocolate cake (tip: this goes great with a nice raspberry coulis or any form of raspberry sauce--simply heat it up a bit and pour over the cake or if you're lazy microwave the cake with raspberry sauce on top for 20 seconds. SO GOOD). Blake the owner makes all the desserts and he's always been such a sweetheart--even bringing us hummus to our work when he has extras (his hummus is also fabulous). As with most places that specialize in baked goods, go early (especially in the weekends) to make sure you actually get a slice of what you want. I can't remember what their baking schedule was (yes, I memorized their baking schedule) but more often than not they'd be nearly out of everything towards closing time on the weekends.  

Haven't personally done a full-on dinner there and since the staff knew me, they were always great with the service, etc. Hence the 4 stars--it's merely based on the desserts.

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5

46

Caitlin S.

Baltimore, MD

Let me start by saying this place has very delicious food.  I had salmon and feta cheese baked in phyllo dough.  This isn't the kind of thing you find on menus all over the city.  My sister had falafel and grape leaves.  We shared appetizers of hummus and olives.  She drank hot tea, I had coke.  

I say all this only to shock you with the total of our bill-$65!  The fish was priced at a little more than $20, which is fair.  But the vegetarian items should have been much, much cheaper.  If we had known the cost of the food, we would not have gotten the appetizers.  The menu didn't contain prices!  We could have asked, of course, but I get a feeling in a place that doesn't list prices on their menus, they expect their patrons to be the kind of people who don't care about cost.  We were in Mt. Washington, after all, a very shabby yet chic neighborhood in town.  

Obviously, $65 plus tip isn't going to kill a pair of people.  Often times, we go out expecting to spend that much, but are prepared for it before the bill arrives.  Also, we didn't have any alcohol or desserts.

Just to make a quick note on the ambiance, which in my opinion should be as good as the food in a "spendy" restaurant-
My sister said she felt like someone was going to toss her a pillow after dinner and tell her to grab a couch upstairs.  You really feel like you are in someone's house.  There is a bench with pillows attached to the long wall of the dining area.  Maybe 5 or 6 two top tables sit along the bench and can be pulled together to accommodate larger parties.  There is maybe one other table off to the side.  The decor isn't very interesting, the music sounds like satellite generated global lounge.  The service was odd, vacillating from overly attentive to abandonment.  

I might end up trying this place again, for lunch, once I find out the prices.  The falafel is very good, and this is one city where a great falafel sandwich is hard to find.

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6

26

JO' G.

Baltimore, MD

The music was a little trippy and the tables a little cramped, but overall the Desert Cafe was pretty cool and laid back. I had a delightful plate of tender falafel (with some kick!), juicy tomatoes, cukes, warm pita and cool tsaziki. The best part of the evening, though, was the dessert, all of which is made fresh in-house. The carrot cake kicked ass, as did the peanut butter cup cheesecake.

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0

15

SavvyTraveler H.

Forest Hill, MD

Great little restaurant in Mt. Washington.  Small quirky little place, but the food is great and the desserts are outta this world.

Never been for dinner but I here it's BYOB.

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