Soigne
Baltimore (Riverside Park), MD
 Price:$$$$$ Decor: Casual to fancy
 Summary: Asian Fusion
(4 crabs out of 5)

Karen- Soigne looks like it might have gotten lost. Under the shadow of streets of rowhomes and just adjacent to a pizza joint and dry cleaners, the sleek, chic fusion eatery seems to glance longingly a few blocks down towards the dining scene of Federal Hill.
But those diners that pack its reservations list have found a reason to brave the adventure of parking in the Locust Point neighborhood.
Paul- I would just like to add that the pizza joint is the best in the world and I think the dry cleaners is also one of the best. So this place had a lot to live up to in my book.
Karen-The place oozes the feel of fusion-the trend of mixing American favorites with the relatively exotic realm of Asian spices, resulting in a hip experience just new enough to be cool but familiar enough to be dependable.
You'll find your tuna steak, your lamb, even your basic Baltimore crab cake, but comfortable means no part of boring when they are dabbled with mango-fig salsa or soaked in teriyaki.
Delve into the happening milieu with spiffy square plates, sushi-wrapper-style placemats and napkins wrapped in a straw-type bow. The looks of the stacked, squiggled food was impressive as well, at least what we could see of it. The flickering candlelight, though romantic, leaves little spare energy for illumination of menu or meal.

Paul- Also it is dark as Darth Vaders underwear in there. That's the only real problem with the ambiance. I loved the old-fashioned tile ceilings. It gave the place an old rowhome feel in the middle of a super cool restaurant.

Karen-The words "fondue," "goat cheese," and "asparagus" snagged my attention from the appetizer menu, and what my $7 bought was indeed cheese and asparagus, a green-fresh, tart taste that filled ravioli slathered in bright tomato sauce. Just how that wraps into my definition of the word fondue I may never know, but it was both light and flavorful.

Paul- I had some tasty steamed muscles with Cajun sausage, calamari, and some mixed veggies. It was served more in a soup form rather than on a plate but since the sauce was very rich and tasty I was more that happy to eat it up with a spoon.

Karen-I'm not sure I could say the real color of the soup ($6), or indeed what my spoon was scooping up, since it fell beyond the 2 inch radius of the candle. But that made for an adventure of detecting bursts of fresh corn kernels and soft melting bits of blue cheese in turn, both swimming in sweet, garlicky cream.

Paul- I had the same and I agree, great soup though I would have loved to see some crab in it. Corn and crab are magic together.

Karen-Intrigued by the prospect of a fusion crab cake, I checked out Soigne's as an entrée. The definitive texture, feel, and taste of a good crab cake was recognizable in the two twin patties, but they cowered under a tower of tangy slaw fused with Asian spice. Piped aioli-type sauce and a fruity relish made sure no series of crab cake bites was monotonous.

Paul- I went with the very expensive ($32) special of New Zealand rack of lamb with potatoes au gratin and lightly creamed spinach. The lamb was cooked to medium rare an matched perfectly with the sweet wine and fig reduction sauce. The potatoes we nice but they were combined with some blue cheese instead of something less tangy like cheddar. I could see how someone could love it but I thought it wasn't the greatest pairing. The spinach was spinach. Prepared well but nothing too fancy.

Karen - Though the prospect of checking out Soigne's cardamom ice cream was an intriguing one, if only to discover at last the secret to cold fusion, we passed, having hit the $100 mark. Yet again, we found a way to sink a fistful of dollars in one night's full stomach--but this time, in a way that fused not only culinary decadence with the hip, but also with a genuine and unassuming Baltimore locale.

 

Reviewed-May 2003

$$$$$-over 20 dollars
$$$$-15 to 20 dollars
$$$-11 to 15 dollars
$$-5 to 11 dollars
 $-Below 5