Milan

Milan
1000 Eastern Ave
Baltimore, MD 21202
http://www.onemilan.com/

I decided to check out Milan for “Milan Mondays” to see exactly what “Food meets Fashion” entails. The contemporary upscale urban chic décor and extremely stylish clientele proved that they have the fashion part down to a tee. However, the food and service are sub-par at best. There are simply too many rules involved with dining at Milan. When I arrived at 8pm the place was half-full but very lively and for a brief second I thought I had lucked up and would get a seat on the patio. WRONG! The very friendly hostess informed me that reservations are required for patio and indoor seating with the exception of the sushi dinning area (second level was not offered). She went on to tell me that if I decided to sit in the sushi area I could only order dinner. Seeing as how I came to partake in the happy hour specials and environment, I decided to wait for something to become available at the bar. After about a 10min wait, I was seated at a table adjacent to the bar only to be informed by my waiter that I could only take advantage of the specials if I sat at the bar. Sooooo I took a couple of deep breaths, did a silent ten count, and asked for the drink menu ASAP!

My Strawberry Mojito, which only added insult to injury, tasted more like a gin and tonic with a splash of grenadine for color. I decided to have the Risotto Capasanta (Scallop and wild mushroom Risotto) for my entrée. The presentation was very nice and the scallops and risotto were well cooked however, the entire dish was under seasoned and the wild mushrooms gave the meal some kind of funky zesty after taste. After an extremely disappointing meal, I lost my usual social butterfly spirit and decided to call it a night. “Everything that glitters aint gold”, and while Milan might be the new place to be seen among the urban chic, it’s definitely not where the party’s at.

Star Rating: 2½

Parking: Limited Street and Valet ($10)

Price Range: $15-$35

Biggest Disappointment: Use of space and the food

Good for: Small groups (3 or less), imitate dinners, drinks with the girls or guys, and networking

Bad for: Large groups (4 or more), birthday parties ($25 cake cutting fee), and walk in dinning

Randomness: The prices on the menu are in Euros and Dollars. I’m not sure if this is to solidify the whole “upscale” experience but it seemed kind of pointless since they only accept American currency. What I like to call a “Who the hell cares” feature.

Suggestions for Management: Since the space is large enough to be upscale but still small enough to be intimate/personal, you may want to consider engaging your guests. I mean if the manager at TGI Friday’s can greet his/her customers then it would stand to reason that an upscale establishment can offer the same level of customer interaction.