| Ze Mean Bean Café |
| Baltimore, MD |
| Price:$$$ |
Decor: Hip Cafe |
| Summary: See Decor |
 (4 crabs out of 5) |
Karen-You don't go there because you are
looking for good old reliable American fare, and you certainly
don't go there because you are craving a nice juicy burger. The
clientele of Ze Mean Bean Café go because of the beatnik
finger-snapping atmosphere, the slightly exotic mixture of tastes-for
the cool way the name starts with a Z! When I walked into the
place, I knew my hip-ness quotient had reached a new high. And
fortunately, unlike other alternative-type restaurants, the décor
is comparatively classy. While tables colored in big bright swatches
of unfinished paint have their place in the world (and particularly
in Fell's Point), Ze Mean Bean manages to pull off a more upscale
feel-this probably derives from its ethnic, Slavic, bent. Of course,
when we ordered, we realized immediately that this is the type
of place where the customers might turn faint at the sight of
a steak medium-rare. I decided to just go with the flow and get
a portabella mushroom sandwich with roasted red pepper on foccacia.
Now it's that last bit that cinched it for me. Portabella mushroom
sandwiches, while shamefully en vogue, are a tasty beef alternative
(not replacement, of course)-especially when paired with a nice
fatty herbal mayo. With the delightfully thick herbal zing of
foccacia it was indeed, very good! I came out with my tastebuds
fully reconditioned in hip sophistication.
Paul-All I had was a turkey sandwich. I was going to order
the perogies but they ran out. Now I don't see how a place that
specializes in eastern European food does that but so goes it.
The sandwich was a tad pricey but tasty and big. But it was nothing
special, They tried to foo-foo shee shee it up some but it didn't
have much of an effect on me. I ordered it in a last second panicked
choice after I heard my first choice want available. I don't know
how much a turkey sandwich can say about a hip place like this
I had been here one time before on the weekend a few years back.
It's much more of a happening place at night. They usually have
some kind of performer and it is totally packed. We ended up leaving
since we couldn't get a seat. I think the place was pretty good.
Not usually my kind of scene on the weekend but nice for a hip
lunch date with a cute companion.
reviewed January 31, 2001
| $$$$$-over 20 dollars |
| $$$$-15 to 20 dollars |
| $$$-11 to 15 dollars |
| $$-5 to 11 dollars |
| $-Below 5 |