Little Donna’ s
When Robbie Tutlewski saw his restaurant featured in the New York Times almost two years ago, the last thing he expected to be praised for was his pizza, which the publication named one of the best in the country. After all, the quaint and cozy Little Donna’ s in Upper Fell’ s Point flaunts a largely Polish menu of pierogies, sauerkraut and sausage, crispy cabbage pancakes and kielbasa-stuffed pork schnitzel. Still, it only takes one bite of the restaurant’ s buttery, savory Midwestern-style“ tavern pie” to understand why it earned national praise. In addition to pizza and his signature pierogies, which are often served beneath a dreamy lobster sauce, Tutlewski recommends selecting one of any number of fresh veggies in rotation, plus the schnitzel.“ It’ s our version of a steak,” he says. 1812 Bank St.
TASTE
Marta Fine Food and Spirits
Nestled in an unassuming rowhome, this intimate, deliciously creative slice of Italy elicits drool. The upscale restaurant in scenic Butcher’ s Hill— where Chef Matthew Oetting was named one of this year’ s James Beard Award semifinalists for“ Best Chef: Mid- Atlantic”— offers elevated classics, like spaghetti alla chitarra carbonara with blue crab meat and a burst of miso egg yolk. Even standard bread and butter, served with dollops of bright basil oil, micro greens and sea salt, gets a makeover at Marta. 2127 E. Pratt St.
28 BALTIMORE. ORG