Tio Pepe

The Spirit of Restaurant Week

Tio Pepe

10 East Franklin Street

Baltimore, MD 21202

410-549-5675

www.restauranttiopepe.com

Some restaurants must dread Restaurant Week; it’s as if they are forced to participate and they serve up the blandest, skimpiest menu they can just to get by. That’s the way I find things for most of the restaurants in Carroll County – they haven’t a clue what it’s really about and just participate in hopes it boosts their business during a traditionally slow month.

Successful restaurants like Tio Pepe surely like to increase sales anytime they can but go all out and use the occasion as an opportunity to show off what they can do and get diners to return in the future. It's called building a regular clientele and that concept is totally lost on the majority of eateries in Carroll County. Tio Pepe is an excellent example of a place that really gets it – they put some of the best foods from their regular menu on their Restaurant Week menu and don’t slash the portions as if to tell diners that the $30.00 special price isn’t enough to cover the cost of the meal. Savvy restaurants serve foods that they can make a profit on. I’d sooner not see a steak on a Restaurant Week menu than have the restaurant serve up a miniature 4 oz. filet mignon.

Tio Pepe has been a fixture in Baltimore for decades and some things have not changed since its early days – the Paella, the Sangria, good service, and a reliably noisy, crowded house. Of all the appetizer choices I decided on one I’d not tried before but I know is a popular favorite on the regular menu, the shrimp in garlic sauce. This dish is far better than it sounds and is actually a small bowl filled with very large steamed shrimp in a mild garlic sauce. I was amazed at how many shrimp came with the preparation and very glad that we had ample bread at the table for me to sop up all the sauce. The bread alone is wonderful at Tio Pepe, reminiscent of a good loaf of Italian bread with a hard crust and super soft interior to the loaf – and you are served darn near a whole loaf instead of a meager, non-descript roll found at most restaurants.

They do offer “steak” on the special menu at Tio Pepe but it is actually steaks plural as they serve the regular menu tournedos of beef in a browned sherry sauce with sides of green beans and squash. I believe most people take home left overs. I was amazed to get the regular size, large portion of Paella a la Valenciana. There was no reduction is the amount of clams, mussels, chicken, veal, shrimp and chorizo sausage over ample saffron flavored rice. I suppose this dish is for those who want the whole smorgasbord or can’t make up their mind just what they want but it is an amazing concoction that is anything but boring. We usually get the house Sangria here but I noticed a bottle of Madrigal Petite Syrah on the wine list and went thataway. The Sangria at Tio Pepe comes iced in large pitchers with loads of fruit and costs around $25 and is well worth it. It's a party in a pitcher.

Our desserts were a slice of their rather famous light and airy chocolate roll with a whipped cream filling and a perfectly wonderful caramel flan.

Tio Pepe is about 35 non rush-hour minutes from Finksburg and easily reached by taking the JFX to St. Paul Street and making a right onto Franklin – the restaurant is immediately on the right and identified by its bright red canopy. There is on-street parking or you can use the mega lot directly across the street for $7.00.

The web site for Tio Pepe is pretty awful. The menu is huge and amazingly varied. Service is very prompt but not rushed. Prices are moderate. Dress is casual. I do believe you’ll like it. Again and again. 

Restaurant Week Baltimore is winding down to its end. We have to make a trip to Little Italy before the bell tolls.