Cinghiale in Harbor East (Baltimore, MD)

So last night, I went to dinner with Carron and Mara to Cinghiale in the revived Harbor East area of Baltimore. It is really nice down there now! I am also proud to say that i got over being nervous to take pictures of each course. I was thinking that they might think i am a food critic or something and treat us better than normal! ha. So a little side note, for all you foodies out there. Check out the book, Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl. I promise anyone who loves food will enjoy it.

So, there are two sections of Cinghiale. One is fancier and the other is more of a wine bar with more relaxed, but cool dining. Here is the web site's definition of the each side:

The Osteria (Oh-stir-EE-ah) is adjacent to the Enoteca and is a dressier space. This section of the restaurant has the feel of an elegant tavern with white table cloths and mahogany and leather banquettes. It also features a large farm table for a special family style dining experience.
The Enoteca (E-no-TECH-ah), which means collection of wines in Italian, is the playful section of the restaurant for tasting, drinking and discussing wine and will offer 40+ wines by the glass in half and full pours and wine flights as well.

We ate on the Enoteca side and the menu immediately impressed and excited me, especially because they had a prixe fixed for $27 where you get an appetizer (Primi), main dish (Secondi) and a dessert (Il Dolce) that was prepared by the pastry chef. I started out with a glass of pinot grigio that was delish. I wasnt going to have wine because of my run in the morning, but i couldnt resist. I was in a wine bar!

They brought us fresh, warm foccacia and regular italian bread, and then asked if we would like some olive oil for dipping. We, of course, said yes and the server went around and made this pretty little half moon on each of our plates. I swear, it is all about the presentation to win me over! For my primi I decided on I Marubini which was Local Red Pepper Soup with Ricotta Stuffed Pasta. It was so freakin amazing, I savored every bite. The small bites of ravioli type pasta were so fresh and i felt like there were a ton in the soup, even though the picture doesnt show it. They also drizzled a little olive oil on top of the soup and it looked and tasted awesome.
For my secondi, I chose the Gli Spaghetti which was House Made Spaghetti “Alla Chitarra” with Tomato & Basil Sauce. When the plate came out, i was worried because it looked like NOTHING. Since I was trying to get a good carb load for my run, I felt like it wouldnt be enough. But, of course, it was plenty and i couldnt even finish it all. Also, i think the bowl they put it in was TOO big. We had to ask for parmesan, but they brought over this huge piece of fresh parm with a huge grater, which made us forget we had to ask.
For my il dolce, the pastry chef had prepared a small pound cake with fresh sliced peaches and peach ice cream. The cake or shortbread was not overly sweet which made me like it better. It was perfect with the peaches and peach ice cream and a great, smaller size.
So overall, the atmosphere of this place was very inviting and just plain COOL. The couple next to us had done a wine sampling of like 5 different wines, which is something i want to do next time. The food was great and I want to go back to try the sandwiches (on housemade ciabatta) and some of the other appetizers. Check out the menu, if you enjoy reading them as much as I do. Does anyone else like to read cookbooks? I sometimes grab a cookbook to read while i am watching tv. It gives me ideas and inspires me.

Will be back post-nap to tell you about the 18 mile training run this morning. I am exhausted!