A Love/Hate Relationship with SoBo Cafe

by Xani

Last week, in between trips, I actually had time to go to one of my favorite local restaurants in Baltimore. Erin, my friend Kim and I headed over to Sobo Cafe for a casual weeknight dinner. Now, SoBo cafe is a place I discovered about a year ago, in Federal Hill, just about a block from the Cross Street market. It's a funky little joint, which specializes in "comfort food" and has an ever-changing menu. It has delicious food and fun atmosphere, and it's one of my go-to places. So, why the hate?

In truth, SoBo itself has very little to with my feelings of hate. Through no fault of its own, I tend to end up at Sobo either right before, or right after, really awful/annoying things happen! This includes: the night after poor Erin was mugged, immediately before breaking up with a psycho ex-boyfriend, right after I got locked out of my house and I had to kick down the front door, etc. I've also had a bad date or two there. But even with all these negatives, I keep going back...

The day of this most recent visit I made it to dinner unscathed-- thats a good start. We sat down and I ordered and Ozzy, which is one of the famed Brewer's Art beers. Its good and strong!

It was a warm evening, and along with the cold beer we ordered a bowl of Gazpacho. Sobo's version is rich, thick and has a great spice to it. Its garnished with cucumbers and homemade croutons.

Next, main dishes. I opted for a chicken burrito-- I find that anytime I order a southwest or latin american style preparation at SoBo, I am happy. This time was no exception. The burrito was huge and stuffed with tender, moist chicken. It had lots of flavor but was even better with a few spoonfuls of the fiery red sauce that came along side. The beans on the side were a great compliment-- creamy and mild. It was way too much food, and I graciously donated the leftovers to Erin (it was that or pack them in my suitcase!).

Kim chose these gorgeous stuffed peppers:


They also had a southwest flavor, and were stuffed with rice, veggies, cheese, and probably a lot of other stuff I can't remember (descriptions of dishes at SoBo routinely run 2-3 lines long!). We all tasted them and they were awesome-- a great meatless option.

Erin got the awesome crabcake platter. 'Tis the season for all things crab! These were two large, tasty specimens, with great flavor and very little filler. They appeared to be broiled or pan-fried, which gave them a bit of a crunchy exterior which yielded to big lumps inside. A delicious dish, including the decadent mashed potatoes and vegetable medley (at least 4 different veggies!).

So as you can see we had an absolutely beautiful (and delicious) meal. I am also happy to report that I got through the night completely without incident (other than the fact that, upon getting home from dinner, I still had to pack and get up at 4am to catch my flight to Louisiana!). Thus it seems no matter how much bad luck befalls me before/after visits to SoBo, I'm likely to keep going back for more.

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