Tio Pepe

Baltimore (Mt. Vernon), MD

Price:$$$$$

Decor: Fancy, ties recommended

Summary: Great Spanish food for a romantic evening

(4.5 crabs out of 5)

The Appetizer: Oysters with Crab
The Main Dish: Paella
Dessert: Strawberry Shortcake

Karen- Rrready for Rrrromance?
Descend into Tio Pepe's sub-street level grotto, complete with stucco-brick walls and elegant Spanish knick-knacks, and even the most monolingual American is sure to cry, "Ole! Como ese mueve mi corazon!" The charming intimacy of the decor is enhanced by the Spanish waiters decked out in colored tux's and soft accents. Of course, you get to know that decor and those men really well when you have to wait a half an hour for your table, as we did even with a reservation. Lateness is one element of elegance that I'm not sure I could ever master.

Paul- The wait was a bit of a pain. Thank goodness I had a
snack. We had reservations at 9, seated at 930 and the
main meal came at 1030. I wouldn't say they were slow
just busy. So when they could be the staff was very
polite and attentive. I liked the decor a lot it
combined class (with the fancy patrons and tuxes)
with working class European charm (stucco)

Karen-Still, it was worth it when we finally were sat at a table for two in a cozy stucco hall. We decided to go with a half pitcher of the classic Spanish wine Sangria, which came in a painted ceramic carafe with floating bits of apple. The fruit juice makes this red wine seem more like a ultra-sophisticated wine cooler, but do not be fooled: for those looking to get even a little tipsy, a half-pitcher is PLENTY, especially if one half of the couple is driving.

Paul-Now far be it from me to correct my Spanish speaking
girlfriend (who for some reason never speaks with a
Baltimore accent except when she does speak Spanish)
but I dont think sangria is actually wine, it is wine
with juice and I don't think it will make most that
tipsy. Its just that it was very fruity tasting and
Karen loves fruity flavored stuff and downed a little
too much on an empty stomach.....that and any amount
of alcohol gets Karen tipsy. Admittedly, I did have
only one glass since I was the driver the whole
evening so Karen took out most of the small pitcher so
I might not be the best judge of the tipsy factor.


Karen- Our appetizer of oysters with crab sauce arrived speedily. Now, as a taste, oysters are both acquired and highly influenced by where you are eating them. I would never just eat, say, a bag of oysters instead of popcorn at the movie theater (well, maybe if they were
fried...) But in their shells, surrounded by crab, on a lovely plate in a fancy restaurant, they get high points in sophistication. Crab helped this dish immensely (as it always does) to give the oysters a creamy coating as they go down.

Paul-I generally can eat a ton of raw and fried oysters but
I dont like them steamed very much. These were but
the creamy crab stuff on top made it very tasty.
This item was on special so I don't know if they have
it all the time

Karen-At this point, I have to confess something about our main dish selection.
Yes I've heard great things about Paella. But it wasn't the description of
gobs of mussels, clams, lobster thrown counter-intuitively together with
veal and sausage that tipped the scale. It was the way it is served for
two--eating is so much about sharing with others (that's what I love about
pizza). So we both ate of the same seafood & meat dish served over rice,
and for once I didn't have to steal half of Paul's dinner. :)
I'll give the dish this: it never lacks for variety. Even the best steak,
at the end, is nearly exactly like the bite before it. Not so with Paella:
Now a mussel, then some sausage, mix in some rice and eat a lobster claw.
Close your eyes and you never know what taste will be next. It all mixed
together quite well, and I was surprised to find that I favored the sausage
and rice. Somehow the spices in the two seemed to blend together most
harmoniously, but it was all good.

Paul-I was tempted to get the roast pig. From what I had read that is what you get here. Forget everything else and go straight to hog heaven. But Karen made the right call. It was a Valentines day celebration and sharing this meal was far more romantic. Plus it tasted great, even the roasted peppers and I hate peppers. Mixing all the foods in as many combinations is both the idea and fun way to eat this meal. I didn't have a favorite part but I think my favorite mix was the sausage with a bit of rice lobster and pepper. Excellent stuff.

Karen-After a lot of paella (and sangria), the dessert tray was shown to us by one
of the suave waiters (or was it a pink elephant? Hard to tell... :) ). We
chose a strawberry shortcake that had multiple layers, each one a different
sort of flaky or creamy; all very sweet and blending so well that it really
didn't deserve to be merely an after-thought to the meal.

Paul-Karen and the lady at the next table had a bit too much sangria and when they found out both tables had ordered the same thing they had to repeat it to each other me and the her date a million times in the random and polite conversation we had with them. It was quite funny to watch. But even in that state Karen once again made the right call. Though the chocolate cake was tempting I think it would have been an overpowering end to such a fine meal.

The price was just what you'd think for a very nice restaurant: the
appetizer was around $10 and splitting the paella was a little over $20 per
person. Well worth the price, though, to sample a cuisine that hasn't yet
made it to the common Fast Food level; a classy, romantic, classic Baltimore
restaurants; and some very fine fruity wine.

reviewed February 16, 2001