I would give this place 4-5 stars but the food was extremely slow in coming out. We arrived at 11am and waited for 40 minutes to get our food. Good thing we had time to spare. I liked the ambience, lots of mahogany wood, darker colors. I wish they served warm bread/butter to start, especially considering the long wait. I ordered the grilled romaine salad with crab cake. I was not sure about grilled romaine but it was delicious with the chimichurri sauce on top. I enjoyed it. The crabcake was just right with chunks of lump meat still intact. My colleagues enjoyed their meals as well.
(3)
Dave A.
The veneer on this place is that you are walking into a classic fancy restaurant. But once you peel that back, it's like eating at a conference (not a surprise given that it's located inside a Doubletree). During Restaurant Week, had the fixed price menu: First Course: Over dressed balsamic salad Second Course: Bland rosemary chicken with soggy fingerlings Dessert: Chocolate cake... definitely from Costco/Sam's Club/BJ's At least I only paid $20.
(2)
Meirav S.
We stayed at the hotel. Super friendly the food was great. The restaurant is located in the double tree hotel. Will definitely eat there again.
(5)
Bill N.
One of the best places to go for a wonderful experience. The food and staff are the best. Atmosphere is fine. Everything we ordered was to our liking.
(5)
El C.
Come here for the happy hour drinks. Excellent deal in a pretty nice setting at the bar. Otherwise the positive aspects end right there. Avoid the food regardless of time of day. If you're stuck at the hotel, walk 10 minutes down the street. This place is an overpriced ripoff.
(2)
Kelsey H.
Although the service wasn't absolutely stellar, I still had a great night out here with one of my girlfriends. Note: You HAVE to sit at the bar to get the happy hour specials!! Happy hour has some GREAT drink specials (ex. $7 martinis.... hehehehe) but the food seemed just okay. I think they were $5 dishes but stuff like calamari, mozzarella sticks, buffalo wings and food like that. If I'm splurging on drink calories, I'll try to go easy on the food. BUT we had some quite tasty salads there. I tried the portobello mushroom salad which had sundried tomatoes, goat cheese, pine nuts, and a balsamic vinaigrette... YUMMYY!!! You can also order chicken or some other extras for extra $$$ If you don't see a drink you want on the menu but want to get the happy hour price, see if they'll make it for you at the same price. For example, I just wanted a regular dry dirty vodka martini instead of one of their fancy options (like their raspberry lemon drop martini), and I got it for the same $7 even though it wasn't an option on the menu. VERY GENEROUS drink portions!! Definitely sipped slowly and responsibly :o)
(4)
Heather J.
2.5 stars. I came here for lunch yesterday and the whole experience was just average, bordering on mediocre. I should note that the only reason we came here was that we had a $25 gift certificate. Based on the Yelp ratings, I wouldn't have chosen it. So I didn't expect much. The service was very attentive and friendly, but the food was not great. It was mostly edible, but not worth what they charge. We were literally the only ones in the restaurant for most of the time we were there, which was kind of awkward. We had looked at the menu before going and saw that there were some things we were interested in. I planned to order the club sandwich, but when we looked at the menu in the restaurant, it wasn't listed anymore. We asked about it, and the waitress said the menu had changed and they no longer offered it. She came back a few minutes later to take our order, and said that the chefs had offered to make the club sandwich if I wanted it, which I thought was nice of them. I ended up getting the grilled chicken sandwich because I had already moved on from the idea of getting the club. The sandwich was good - the chicken was cooked nicely and I liked the honey mustard sauce on it. The chips were kind of a joke, though. I'm almost positive they came from a bag. When a restaurant charging the prices this place does, I expect the things on my plate to be house-made. My friend got the turkey-portabella burger, which I was expecting to be a turkey burger with a portabella on top. It wasn't even close to that. There were a few little chunks of diced mushrooms inside the turkey burger, and that was it. And both the burger and the feta cheese on top had off-putting flavors. The fries that came with it were good, however. We joked that if we put my chicken sandwich and the fries on one plate, we'd at least have one good meal. I think they also use some off-brand of soda, because the "diet coke" we ordered didn't taste like diet coke or diet pepsi. They even brought us another one and it still tasted weird. Again, the service was really friendly and they did try to be helpful and accommodating. But neither of us has any desire to go back to Alizee.
(2)
Rick S.
Just got back from having dinner at Alizee. There's good and bad. The Good: The atmosphere and staff were great. A=Our server was very attentive. Our food came as we ordered, and come out in a very reasonable amount of time. The Bad: The food, in my opinion, was mediocre at best. I had the Rib Eye Steak. The steak was ok. Didn't have much flavor, even though it supposedly came with a garlic butter. The mashed potatoes tasted like they came from Applebees. And the vegetables were over cooked. The New England Crab Chowder had only 2 small pieces of crab meat in mine, and it tasted like canned soup where they added some frozen vegetables to it. My wife had the Chicken Chesapeake. I tasted it, and I do admit. It was cooked very well, and the sauce was good. She certainly enjoyed it. I guess, for a restaurant with the great service and beautiful decor it has, it's kind of a shame that the food doesn't live up.
(2)
Jessica L.
So I actually don't normally post reviews on Yelp. This is only my second review ever, actually, but I felt compelled based on my experience here from last night. The first few mistakes were forgivable. First of all, our waiter did not come over to our table for probably about 15 minutes after we sat down. Thankfully the hostess brought us bread and water to snack on but we were certainly ready to order once the waiter arrived. We ordered two appetizers and two salads. We only got one appetizer but no big deal. Like I said, forgivable. Then it got interesting. We had purchased a TravelZoo deal for Alizee for $50 worth of food and drink. When we pulled it out, the manager of the restaurant came over to our table and told us that he had nothing to do with the voucher and that they didn't even know they had a voucher until the first person came in with it. Apparently, it was set up by a third party and we weren't able to use the voucher until verifying it with the third party. The best he could tell us was "you can try to call him". Then he walked away and did not come back. Of course, we ended up not using the deal and paying normally. To add insult to injury, it took the waiter at least 20 more minutes to come back to get the check. I have never, ever thought about walking out of a restaurant without paying. But I seriously thought about it last night. There are so many places to go in Baltimore and in Hampden alone. I would go somewhere else instead.
(1)
Michelle J.
Located inside The Inn at the Colonade hotel, it's on the right as you walk in. Once you enter the small iron gates at the entrance of the boutique bistro and wine bar, you'll feel the "romantic" yet chic atmosphere of the restaurant and I thought the piano and wine bar at the entrance was a nice touch of elegance and sophistication. I came here for the prix fixe brunch because the menu seemed to offer everything that I had wanted and I thought it'd be a nice setting for a Valentine's Day brunch. After I sat down, I was reading the menu and it did not match up to the menu offered online. I came in wanting to try the roasted crustacean bisque but had to settle for something else. For my appetizer I ordered cinnamon doughnuts with mixed berries and fresh strawberry compote and my boyfriend ordered the corn chowder bisque. The corn chowder was a little on the salty side but my doughnuts were not edible!! They were cold and somewhat hard to chew - I had expected them to be soft and warm! Onto the main course! We waited a good 15 to 20 minutes after our appetizers for the main course. There was only 1 waiter for the entire restaurant and the hostess was helping bring out entrees as well. I came in wanting the chicken and biscuits (paneed chicken, cream biscuits, white pepper gravy) but had to settle for ordering the steak and eggs - extra $5 (medium rare) and my boyfriend had the Maryland omelette. When the food finally came out, the steak wasn't cooked medium rare but the sauce that came along with it made up for it! The sauce was actually quite tasty but I can't put my taste buds on what was exactly in it. The homefries were cooked perfectly but the bacon was drenched in grease...there was no such thing as dabbing the grease off of it. My boyfriend's omelette was a bit on the small side but it wasn't anything spectacular. And to end the meal with desserts! The desserts were buffet style and we had the tiramisu and mixed berry tart. The tiramisu was average yet tasty. However, the mixed berry tart wasn't what I expected. It was cold as if it had just come out of the refrigerator and plated for display and there were no fresh mixed berries in it - they used compote that was chewy since it was in the refrigerator. I don't think I will come here again and it's not worth it despite the prix fixe being $20 per person. This place might be good for after dinner drinks and casual get-togethers but not for a special occasion.
(2)
Looti H.
I was there during the restaurant week. I ordered a cheese plate which had the worse possible cheese quality you can imagine (look at the picture), Trout which was just OK, and chocolate cake which was definitely from Costco or somewhere similar. I will never ever go there again.
(1)
hkke h.
realized that I left the following review for another restaurant by mistake. trying again ... just wrote the following email to a colleague "Re: dinner. Can we please avoid Alizee? I really do not like the place, and my preferences are strong enough to bother you with this email:)" and having written this email, I feel I should leave a review as well. horrible service: each time I go--not by choice obviously--they mix up something. once it was a broken record that got stuck during lunch that we had to listen to at least 5 minutes. another time it was mixed up food order of somebody in the table. another time we were 4 hosts and a guest, and the guest's food arrived 10 minutes later than everybody else's food. they never cease to amaze me. food is just ok. nothing extraordinary to compensate for the lack of service.
(1)
A F.
DO NOT COME HERE!!! There are mice in the dining area!! Food is not good and staff are CLEARLY not interested in keeping a clean restaurant!!!
(1)
Cindy Z.
This place was amazing. We came here as a group of 6 around 9:30pm to celebrate the visit of a friend's girlfriend. Since it was so late we were one of only two groups there. Service was very attentive and while the meals did take time coming out, I can only image it was because the food needed that long to cook, and that the delay was not the waitstaff's fault. i had the beef oxtail with figs to start and the salmon. Both were soooo delicious! A couple of people refused to try the oxtail because they'd never heard of eating a tail before. It's basically beef, so don't let that scare you. The figs paired perfectly with the creamy oxtail wrapped in phyllo dough. The serving size was perfect; the creaminess turns on the palate after a while. I usually never order fish at restaurants because they tend to mess always cook it too dry. This salmon, however, was perfectly tender and fatty. There was the perfect amount of glaze coupled nicely by vegetables. Others ordered steak and chicken, and not one complaint was heard except for that the steaks had too much gristle. We finished too late for dessert but I'm sure that would have been delicious as well. It's a great place for a fancy date!
(5)
Catherinette S.
On a scale of 1-10, 1 being shitty and 10 being awesome, I give this place a -4. Wow, what a disappointment! I used to have brunch here all the time when it was the Polo Grill and was expecting some fancy like in the good old days. Total let down. $20 fixed price menu for brunch got me stale cinnamon donuts, and over done eggs benedict. My friend got an embarrassing cheese plate and the crab omelet. Pretty sure I could have given her a better presentation by slapping a piece of American cheese, fresh grapes, and Ritz crackers on the plate. Don't bother going. The only good thing I can say about this place is they validate your parking ticket so you can park for free in the parking garage.
(1)
K V.
Only tried Alizee for Happy Hour, so I can't comment on the full dining experience, though I've heard that it is a great spot for a first date. I highly suggest the HH. While it's not a rip-roaring time (it's fairly quiet, probably always unless there's a bunch of conferences in the hotel, wild tourists who didn't want to pay downtown prices, or daring underage JHU kids in the house), which gives credibility to the first date thing. The entire restaurant is covered in rich colors and textures. You feel a bit rich hanging out there. The bar, while not huge, was spacious and comfortable. Ms. Bartender was friendly and talkative. I had Alizee's tasty spin on and sidecar ($9), she had the lemon drop ($6 for HH). We both were pleased.... and a little buzzed (Ms. Bartender was heavy handed). For grub, we munched on the BBQ wings, Chesapeake wings, and chicken quesadillas, and fish tacos. All were good, especially at the $7 each HH price. I only give it 4 stars because I didn't have the full dining experience and the food and drink were just above ok. Good even. But the best part was the carefree banter between us and the staff. Everyone was so friendly. Though the place looked a little fancy, and we had our work suits on, we casually chatted about everything from football to the difference between bourbon and whiskey and rye to things people say that unintentionally draws awkward attention - She's never had a fish taco and I tried to force her to take a bite. All the staff heard her say in response "You're always trying to shove things in my mouth!" She meant that I'm constantly getting her to try "weird" food when she doesn't want to, but it still got a good laugh from the us all, including her.
(4)
Katie R.
It was ok. The basic point is that while we had a lovely dinner, it was too expensive for the result and we're not likely to become regulars. (I had a gift certificate, which made it worth it.) The atmosphere is nice, and I liked the wine list. The by-the-glass list was certainly above average. I loved that I could get a "flight" of wine-- 3 wines for $15. Good deal, as I got three different lovely wines to accompany my courses. The food was good, but not amazing. (We didn't try the seafood, as we weren't in the mood, so that might be different.) We had a steak and "bistro burger", both of which were good enough to finish but not good enough to order again. I found it to be fairly expensive for what you got... I probably won't be back unless the objective is wine first and food second. The service was fine, and the manager was very helpful with my questions and comments. They were interested in the feedback, and quite receptive, which I find to be quite refreshing.
(3)
Andrew M.
Despite the nice decor, this is one of those doomed restaurant locations. Hit and miss food. The chicken was dry, the steak frites were good. The charcuterie was just ok. The service was very slow to greet our table, but fine once they showed up. Not worth a special trip. Go to Petite Louis in the winter or outdoors at Gertrudes in the summer if you are in the negihborhood.
(2)
Kate P.
I really liked Alizee. We had fried oysters which were delicious. The atmosphere was formal but cozy. We went there for our anniversary and it was nice and romantic. We used a Groupon, so I'm not sure I would pay full price for this restaurant, but only because it's out of my budget - not because it's unreasonably priced. I would love to eat here again!
(4)
Josh B.
Don't let the stripper name and hotel location fool you, this is a very good restaurant. Dropped in for lunch during restaurant week due to their great menu (Note: It drives me crazy when restaurants chintz out on their restaurant week menus. Hit us with your best shot so we'll want to come back!). And we were not disappointed. Started off with the French onion soup which, quite simply, was the best French onion soup I've ever had. The broth was rich with just a slight touch of sweetness. My main course was the caramelized sea scallops. They were perfectly cooked and served over a bed of red quinoa. Magnificent! Finished it all off with the chocolate mousse, so delicious with a dark chocolate ganache shell. It would've been a steal of a meal at twice the price. The service was very good and personable and the decor was modern, yet comfortable. It was a little inordinately cold, and the bathroom is kind of weird. But hey, it was clean and the toilet flushes, so I'll forgive almost falling up the steps to get to the toilet.
(4)
Alyson P.
Went there for Restaurant Week yesterday and will never go back! The place looks like it would be a nice fancy restaurant, but we waited 5 minutes for someone to greet us at the door. There was only 1 other table in the place, but there were 6 tables with all their dirty dishes and glasses and food. The server was friendly but had no idea what he was doing! He did not know the soup of the day (it was noon and the place had been open for 5 hours already), took him 5 minutes to locate the menus, another 5 to bring us water and several more to bring us our mimosas. The mimosas we found out were $9 a piece (tiny little flutes) so we opted for the $10 all you can drink option. We finally ordered (corn fritters and potato broccoli soup for apps and salmon and steak for our meals). The food was nothing to rave about at all! The corn fritters were unimpressive and the soup was rather bland and I found not a single potato in it! The fries with our meal were good, but that was about it. We asked the waiter for another mimosa and he never came back with them so we had to flag down the other waiter to get them....still just 1 other table in the place! The only thing our waiter was speedy with was the check! Do not waste your time or money on this place!
(1)
Brian N.
A bunch of clowns work here and the staff is rude plus they canceled or changed my reservations 3 times and come to find out the sit down brunch at Alizee is buffet style. STUPID!!!!!
(1)
Bobby K.
Our waiter never asked us what drinks we wanted and only gave us water. When we ordered, our waiter rushed us and even left without one of us ordering. The food was either overcooked or raw, and the food was way too expensive. I would highly recommend going elsewhere for dinner.
(1)
Erin R.
I wish I could give this place 5 stars just because I liked the Host so much. He was so great, greeted us at the door and did his best to make sure we had a great meal. I only wish our server had been as attentive. Our waiter was def the low point of the night. We asked for bread 3 times and didn't get it until our meal came...which was disappointing since we ordered the clam and mussel appetizer which came in a broth that really needed bread to accompany it. By the time we got the bread we couldn't even complain that it was hard as a rock and cold. Other than the Host, the steaks were the highlight of the night. They were seasoned and cooked perfectly... absolutely delicious. They were a bit overpriced considering the market..and the fact that the baked potato that came with it was as cold and hard as the bread. Had to ask twice to get some butter for it..which you think would be a given. Also I expected more of a baked potato in such a place.. this one was straight out of the microwave. My girlfriend had the mashed potatoes though which were excellent. Bottom line...I don't think we'll be going back there anytime soon...its not worth the money.
(3)
Kirsten H.
I ate here last night and found the food and service to be okay. The dressing on my salad was a bit bland, although the bread and butter was excellent. My lamb shank was very large and wonderful, but my creme brulee was curdled. I pointed this out and had it replaced with tiramisu, which had a freezer burnt taste. I went here alone, and felt a bit ignored. It usually took a while before anyone would check on me. I'd go here again if staying at the Inn, but I wouldn't go out of my way to visit this restaurant again.
(3)
Paula R.
Very disappointing. Mother's day was a pitiful buffet when we were expecting a prix fixe , plus they charged more. The kitchen was not up to speed for a buffet and the options were quite limited. Breads were cold and cream cheese was served in small plastic containers that you had to wait for. Ridiculous.
(1)
R M.
Horrible. No other word for it. The place is embarrassing, and make sure you read the more recent reviews (September and on) before you judge. The start was not auspicious. The service was so slow to begin, and they did not have 4 or 5 items on the menu. The salad was the best of an awful meal. The mandarin oranges were not mandarins (they were regular oranges, which just didn't go and tasted terrible) and asian pear was just ok. The calamari was really oily and deep (vs. flash) fried. Had the meal stopped there, I would have given it 1 star. The main courses took it to about -5 stars. My steak was somehow burnt on the outside and undercooked on the inside. It came with what looked like uncooked onion rings, undercooked asparagus burned on the outside, and the saddest, most wilted, overcooked spinach I have ever seen. All of it was completely flavorless. But that paled in comparison to the disaster that was my wife's meal. She ordered a portabello mushroom with crab stuffing. What showed up was one of the saddest meals I have ever seen. The portabello was somehow burnt on the outside and uncooked on the inside (this was a theme at this restaurant), the crab stuffing was a cheesy mustardy crab mix and tasted absolutely terrible. To top it off, it was all on top of what looked like French's Potato Stix. Itw as inedible, and she left it largely untouched. All this cost $75 before tip. Ridiculous. Will never ever go back again, and recommend you stay away.
(1)
Drayton F.
When a gorgeous woman asks you where you want to go for your Birthday dinner, you better have a good answer. Big gracious thank you to Citypeek.com for suggesting Alizee. It became the perfect answer. I saw the high praise on Citypeek.com for Alizee and suggested it in my return email Birthday invite email. Alizee was a great experience from the Valet parking the whole way thru the 'maybe just one more' at the beautiful, dark wood bar. The entire front of house staff was incredibly nice and knowledgeable, and everyone knew the menu pretty much by heart as well as the extensive and impressive wine list. It's obvious whoever put the wine list together has some experience and a great pallet. Really nice variety of wines. Some easy answers and a great compliment of some lesser-known gems. We got a great romantic corner table with a wonderful view of the restaurant. Some of my favorites included, Duckhorn, Stag's Leap, Jacob's Creek to name a few. We settled on the Stag's Leap (at a great price). We had a killer Calamari App, flash fried and dressed with a sweet Asian sauce and banana peppers. It was really tasty and perfect for sharing. Mains were the Duck perfectly cooked and presented and a perfectly seasoned and incredibly tender sirloin. The cut of meat was better than good, a true sirloin, fork tender and amazingly flavorful. I could have just had that cut of meat and been happy. The plate was beautiful, served with an almost Italian seared rice cake with several generous pieces of lobster. Also adding to the experience, Alizee is laid out and decorated in such a manner that it can be packed and you can still have a quiet conversation, unlike a lot of my favorites in Mt. Vernon, where you need a bullhorn to converse. In addition, the 'maybe one more' glass of wine at the bar was a Jacob's Creek that was lush and the perfect nightcap. The GM, Steve, was an incredible host, stopping by our table to check in our experience. He was incredibly nice and provided some great conversation about the restaurant and the wine list. Alizee also has a retail wine shop with tastings outside the restaurant in the hotel lobby. To me, this is kind of brilliant. You can taste some wines before having dinner and ordering, it creates a whole evening and I can't wait to buy my date a bottle of the wine we both loved when we're done with our next dinner. I'm sorry it took me so long to find this place but thanks to Ciypeek.com for the big Ups.
(5)
Mike D.
The mozarella wrapped in prosciutto was a tantalizing start. We should have taken our check then. Food went up in price as we were steered towards premium entrees. Fair enough, but the mashed polenta with the $26 trout was absolutely turned. Sour milk was the initial smell & taste, but the fish seemed fine so... and the service seemed tired so we didn't send it back. We have to stop doing that. I would never usually order it, but the $28 veal strip was just tough and sinewy with substantial bone. Wines are $7-$10 a glass with a minimalist selection. The bar has a chilling marble-like top. Service was initially (almost overly) attentive... then gone. The manager/ bartender was honest about the menu shortcomings and highlights which we appreciated at first but was called off to assist with another customer problem. Replacement service was nice, respectful & nervous. $150 for dinner, drinks & tip in a hotel-style restaurant is what you can expect and will get. With a coupon. Hopefully you can expense it. The menu may have been good in the planning, but in-practice the execution was sub-par. Desert creme brulee tasted fine but was oddly served in a tall deep ramekin. Had it been a $60-70 tab we might go back. A very large & empty restaurant on a Friday should have been the sign. Stick to the less expensive items, maybe the burger is good. Final note: dinner didn't stay down. We're willing to pay and tip for a good meal but this was really disappointing.
(1)
Steve K.
Alizee is a nice-looking place, but the food doesn't seem to be quite up to the standards of the decor. Enjoyed the salad starter, but the monkfish and risotto that followed were pretty unexceptional - passable, but really lacking in flavor. The decor and the prices would indicate that this is a place where I'd expect more flavorful and original food than what I could make myself at home - but I didn't get that. The waiter was very friendly and helpful but sometimes inattentive (however, he appeared to be handling too many tables). I'd try it again, but I'm not wild about this place.
(3)
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
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Address :Inn at the Colonnade,4 W University Pkwy
Baltimore, MD, 21218
Brenda M.
I would give this place 4-5 stars but the food was extremely slow in coming out. We arrived at 11am and waited for 40 minutes to get our food. Good thing we had time to spare. I liked the ambience, lots of mahogany wood, darker colors. I wish they served warm bread/butter to start, especially considering the long wait. I ordered the grilled romaine salad with crab cake. I was not sure about grilled romaine but it was delicious with the chimichurri sauce on top. I enjoyed it. The crabcake was just right with chunks of lump meat still intact. My colleagues enjoyed their meals as well.
(3)Dave A.
The veneer on this place is that you are walking into a classic fancy restaurant. But once you peel that back, it's like eating at a conference (not a surprise given that it's located inside a Doubletree). During Restaurant Week, had the fixed price menu: First Course: Over dressed balsamic salad Second Course: Bland rosemary chicken with soggy fingerlings Dessert: Chocolate cake... definitely from Costco/Sam's Club/BJ's At least I only paid $20.
(2)Meirav S.
We stayed at the hotel. Super friendly the food was great. The restaurant is located in the double tree hotel. Will definitely eat there again.
(5)Bill N.
One of the best places to go for a wonderful experience. The food and staff are the best. Atmosphere is fine. Everything we ordered was to our liking.
(5)El C.
Come here for the happy hour drinks. Excellent deal in a pretty nice setting at the bar. Otherwise the positive aspects end right there. Avoid the food regardless of time of day. If you're stuck at the hotel, walk 10 minutes down the street. This place is an overpriced ripoff.
(2)Kelsey H.
Although the service wasn't absolutely stellar, I still had a great night out here with one of my girlfriends. Note: You HAVE to sit at the bar to get the happy hour specials!! Happy hour has some GREAT drink specials (ex. $7 martinis.... hehehehe) but the food seemed just okay. I think they were $5 dishes but stuff like calamari, mozzarella sticks, buffalo wings and food like that. If I'm splurging on drink calories, I'll try to go easy on the food. BUT we had some quite tasty salads there. I tried the portobello mushroom salad which had sundried tomatoes, goat cheese, pine nuts, and a balsamic vinaigrette... YUMMYY!!! You can also order chicken or some other extras for extra $$$ If you don't see a drink you want on the menu but want to get the happy hour price, see if they'll make it for you at the same price. For example, I just wanted a regular dry dirty vodka martini instead of one of their fancy options (like their raspberry lemon drop martini), and I got it for the same $7 even though it wasn't an option on the menu. VERY GENEROUS drink portions!! Definitely sipped slowly and responsibly :o)
(4)Heather J.
2.5 stars. I came here for lunch yesterday and the whole experience was just average, bordering on mediocre. I should note that the only reason we came here was that we had a $25 gift certificate. Based on the Yelp ratings, I wouldn't have chosen it. So I didn't expect much. The service was very attentive and friendly, but the food was not great. It was mostly edible, but not worth what they charge. We were literally the only ones in the restaurant for most of the time we were there, which was kind of awkward. We had looked at the menu before going and saw that there were some things we were interested in. I planned to order the club sandwich, but when we looked at the menu in the restaurant, it wasn't listed anymore. We asked about it, and the waitress said the menu had changed and they no longer offered it. She came back a few minutes later to take our order, and said that the chefs had offered to make the club sandwich if I wanted it, which I thought was nice of them. I ended up getting the grilled chicken sandwich because I had already moved on from the idea of getting the club. The sandwich was good - the chicken was cooked nicely and I liked the honey mustard sauce on it. The chips were kind of a joke, though. I'm almost positive they came from a bag. When a restaurant charging the prices this place does, I expect the things on my plate to be house-made. My friend got the turkey-portabella burger, which I was expecting to be a turkey burger with a portabella on top. It wasn't even close to that. There were a few little chunks of diced mushrooms inside the turkey burger, and that was it. And both the burger and the feta cheese on top had off-putting flavors. The fries that came with it were good, however. We joked that if we put my chicken sandwich and the fries on one plate, we'd at least have one good meal. I think they also use some off-brand of soda, because the "diet coke" we ordered didn't taste like diet coke or diet pepsi. They even brought us another one and it still tasted weird. Again, the service was really friendly and they did try to be helpful and accommodating. But neither of us has any desire to go back to Alizee.
(2)Rick S.
Just got back from having dinner at Alizee. There's good and bad. The Good: The atmosphere and staff were great. A=Our server was very attentive. Our food came as we ordered, and come out in a very reasonable amount of time. The Bad: The food, in my opinion, was mediocre at best. I had the Rib Eye Steak. The steak was ok. Didn't have much flavor, even though it supposedly came with a garlic butter. The mashed potatoes tasted like they came from Applebees. And the vegetables were over cooked. The New England Crab Chowder had only 2 small pieces of crab meat in mine, and it tasted like canned soup where they added some frozen vegetables to it. My wife had the Chicken Chesapeake. I tasted it, and I do admit. It was cooked very well, and the sauce was good. She certainly enjoyed it. I guess, for a restaurant with the great service and beautiful decor it has, it's kind of a shame that the food doesn't live up.
(2)Jessica L.
So I actually don't normally post reviews on Yelp. This is only my second review ever, actually, but I felt compelled based on my experience here from last night. The first few mistakes were forgivable. First of all, our waiter did not come over to our table for probably about 15 minutes after we sat down. Thankfully the hostess brought us bread and water to snack on but we were certainly ready to order once the waiter arrived. We ordered two appetizers and two salads. We only got one appetizer but no big deal. Like I said, forgivable. Then it got interesting. We had purchased a TravelZoo deal for Alizee for $50 worth of food and drink. When we pulled it out, the manager of the restaurant came over to our table and told us that he had nothing to do with the voucher and that they didn't even know they had a voucher until the first person came in with it. Apparently, it was set up by a third party and we weren't able to use the voucher until verifying it with the third party. The best he could tell us was "you can try to call him". Then he walked away and did not come back. Of course, we ended up not using the deal and paying normally. To add insult to injury, it took the waiter at least 20 more minutes to come back to get the check. I have never, ever thought about walking out of a restaurant without paying. But I seriously thought about it last night. There are so many places to go in Baltimore and in Hampden alone. I would go somewhere else instead.
(1)Michelle J.
Located inside The Inn at the Colonade hotel, it's on the right as you walk in. Once you enter the small iron gates at the entrance of the boutique bistro and wine bar, you'll feel the "romantic" yet chic atmosphere of the restaurant and I thought the piano and wine bar at the entrance was a nice touch of elegance and sophistication. I came here for the prix fixe brunch because the menu seemed to offer everything that I had wanted and I thought it'd be a nice setting for a Valentine's Day brunch. After I sat down, I was reading the menu and it did not match up to the menu offered online. I came in wanting to try the roasted crustacean bisque but had to settle for something else. For my appetizer I ordered cinnamon doughnuts with mixed berries and fresh strawberry compote and my boyfriend ordered the corn chowder bisque. The corn chowder was a little on the salty side but my doughnuts were not edible!! They were cold and somewhat hard to chew - I had expected them to be soft and warm! Onto the main course! We waited a good 15 to 20 minutes after our appetizers for the main course. There was only 1 waiter for the entire restaurant and the hostess was helping bring out entrees as well. I came in wanting the chicken and biscuits (paneed chicken, cream biscuits, white pepper gravy) but had to settle for ordering the steak and eggs - extra $5 (medium rare) and my boyfriend had the Maryland omelette. When the food finally came out, the steak wasn't cooked medium rare but the sauce that came along with it made up for it! The sauce was actually quite tasty but I can't put my taste buds on what was exactly in it. The homefries were cooked perfectly but the bacon was drenched in grease...there was no such thing as dabbing the grease off of it. My boyfriend's omelette was a bit on the small side but it wasn't anything spectacular. And to end the meal with desserts! The desserts were buffet style and we had the tiramisu and mixed berry tart. The tiramisu was average yet tasty. However, the mixed berry tart wasn't what I expected. It was cold as if it had just come out of the refrigerator and plated for display and there were no fresh mixed berries in it - they used compote that was chewy since it was in the refrigerator. I don't think I will come here again and it's not worth it despite the prix fixe being $20 per person. This place might be good for after dinner drinks and casual get-togethers but not for a special occasion.
(2)Looti H.
I was there during the restaurant week. I ordered a cheese plate which had the worse possible cheese quality you can imagine (look at the picture), Trout which was just OK, and chocolate cake which was definitely from Costco or somewhere similar. I will never ever go there again.
(1)hkke h.
realized that I left the following review for another restaurant by mistake. trying again ... just wrote the following email to a colleague "Re: dinner. Can we please avoid Alizee? I really do not like the place, and my preferences are strong enough to bother you with this email:)" and having written this email, I feel I should leave a review as well. horrible service: each time I go--not by choice obviously--they mix up something. once it was a broken record that got stuck during lunch that we had to listen to at least 5 minutes. another time it was mixed up food order of somebody in the table. another time we were 4 hosts and a guest, and the guest's food arrived 10 minutes later than everybody else's food. they never cease to amaze me. food is just ok. nothing extraordinary to compensate for the lack of service.
(1)A F.
DO NOT COME HERE!!! There are mice in the dining area!! Food is not good and staff are CLEARLY not interested in keeping a clean restaurant!!!
(1)Cindy Z.
This place was amazing. We came here as a group of 6 around 9:30pm to celebrate the visit of a friend's girlfriend. Since it was so late we were one of only two groups there. Service was very attentive and while the meals did take time coming out, I can only image it was because the food needed that long to cook, and that the delay was not the waitstaff's fault. i had the beef oxtail with figs to start and the salmon. Both were soooo delicious! A couple of people refused to try the oxtail because they'd never heard of eating a tail before. It's basically beef, so don't let that scare you. The figs paired perfectly with the creamy oxtail wrapped in phyllo dough. The serving size was perfect; the creaminess turns on the palate after a while. I usually never order fish at restaurants because they tend to mess always cook it too dry. This salmon, however, was perfectly tender and fatty. There was the perfect amount of glaze coupled nicely by vegetables. Others ordered steak and chicken, and not one complaint was heard except for that the steaks had too much gristle. We finished too late for dessert but I'm sure that would have been delicious as well. It's a great place for a fancy date!
(5)Catherinette S.
On a scale of 1-10, 1 being shitty and 10 being awesome, I give this place a -4. Wow, what a disappointment! I used to have brunch here all the time when it was the Polo Grill and was expecting some fancy like in the good old days. Total let down. $20 fixed price menu for brunch got me stale cinnamon donuts, and over done eggs benedict. My friend got an embarrassing cheese plate and the crab omelet. Pretty sure I could have given her a better presentation by slapping a piece of American cheese, fresh grapes, and Ritz crackers on the plate. Don't bother going. The only good thing I can say about this place is they validate your parking ticket so you can park for free in the parking garage.
(1)K V.
Only tried Alizee for Happy Hour, so I can't comment on the full dining experience, though I've heard that it is a great spot for a first date. I highly suggest the HH. While it's not a rip-roaring time (it's fairly quiet, probably always unless there's a bunch of conferences in the hotel, wild tourists who didn't want to pay downtown prices, or daring underage JHU kids in the house), which gives credibility to the first date thing. The entire restaurant is covered in rich colors and textures. You feel a bit rich hanging out there. The bar, while not huge, was spacious and comfortable. Ms. Bartender was friendly and talkative. I had Alizee's tasty spin on and sidecar ($9), she had the lemon drop ($6 for HH). We both were pleased.... and a little buzzed (Ms. Bartender was heavy handed). For grub, we munched on the BBQ wings, Chesapeake wings, and chicken quesadillas, and fish tacos. All were good, especially at the $7 each HH price. I only give it 4 stars because I didn't have the full dining experience and the food and drink were just above ok. Good even. But the best part was the carefree banter between us and the staff. Everyone was so friendly. Though the place looked a little fancy, and we had our work suits on, we casually chatted about everything from football to the difference between bourbon and whiskey and rye to things people say that unintentionally draws awkward attention - She's never had a fish taco and I tried to force her to take a bite. All the staff heard her say in response "You're always trying to shove things in my mouth!" She meant that I'm constantly getting her to try "weird" food when she doesn't want to, but it still got a good laugh from the us all, including her.
(4)Katie R.
It was ok. The basic point is that while we had a lovely dinner, it was too expensive for the result and we're not likely to become regulars. (I had a gift certificate, which made it worth it.) The atmosphere is nice, and I liked the wine list. The by-the-glass list was certainly above average. I loved that I could get a "flight" of wine-- 3 wines for $15. Good deal, as I got three different lovely wines to accompany my courses. The food was good, but not amazing. (We didn't try the seafood, as we weren't in the mood, so that might be different.) We had a steak and "bistro burger", both of which were good enough to finish but not good enough to order again. I found it to be fairly expensive for what you got... I probably won't be back unless the objective is wine first and food second. The service was fine, and the manager was very helpful with my questions and comments. They were interested in the feedback, and quite receptive, which I find to be quite refreshing.
(3)Andrew M.
Despite the nice decor, this is one of those doomed restaurant locations. Hit and miss food. The chicken was dry, the steak frites were good. The charcuterie was just ok. The service was very slow to greet our table, but fine once they showed up. Not worth a special trip. Go to Petite Louis in the winter or outdoors at Gertrudes in the summer if you are in the negihborhood.
(2)Kate P.
I really liked Alizee. We had fried oysters which were delicious. The atmosphere was formal but cozy. We went there for our anniversary and it was nice and romantic. We used a Groupon, so I'm not sure I would pay full price for this restaurant, but only because it's out of my budget - not because it's unreasonably priced. I would love to eat here again!
(4)Josh B.
Don't let the stripper name and hotel location fool you, this is a very good restaurant. Dropped in for lunch during restaurant week due to their great menu (Note: It drives me crazy when restaurants chintz out on their restaurant week menus. Hit us with your best shot so we'll want to come back!). And we were not disappointed. Started off with the French onion soup which, quite simply, was the best French onion soup I've ever had. The broth was rich with just a slight touch of sweetness. My main course was the caramelized sea scallops. They were perfectly cooked and served over a bed of red quinoa. Magnificent! Finished it all off with the chocolate mousse, so delicious with a dark chocolate ganache shell. It would've been a steal of a meal at twice the price. The service was very good and personable and the decor was modern, yet comfortable. It was a little inordinately cold, and the bathroom is kind of weird. But hey, it was clean and the toilet flushes, so I'll forgive almost falling up the steps to get to the toilet.
(4)Alyson P.
Went there for Restaurant Week yesterday and will never go back! The place looks like it would be a nice fancy restaurant, but we waited 5 minutes for someone to greet us at the door. There was only 1 other table in the place, but there were 6 tables with all their dirty dishes and glasses and food. The server was friendly but had no idea what he was doing! He did not know the soup of the day (it was noon and the place had been open for 5 hours already), took him 5 minutes to locate the menus, another 5 to bring us water and several more to bring us our mimosas. The mimosas we found out were $9 a piece (tiny little flutes) so we opted for the $10 all you can drink option. We finally ordered (corn fritters and potato broccoli soup for apps and salmon and steak for our meals). The food was nothing to rave about at all! The corn fritters were unimpressive and the soup was rather bland and I found not a single potato in it! The fries with our meal were good, but that was about it. We asked the waiter for another mimosa and he never came back with them so we had to flag down the other waiter to get them....still just 1 other table in the place! The only thing our waiter was speedy with was the check! Do not waste your time or money on this place!
(1)Brian N.
A bunch of clowns work here and the staff is rude plus they canceled or changed my reservations 3 times and come to find out the sit down brunch at Alizee is buffet style. STUPID!!!!!
(1)Bobby K.
Our waiter never asked us what drinks we wanted and only gave us water. When we ordered, our waiter rushed us and even left without one of us ordering. The food was either overcooked or raw, and the food was way too expensive. I would highly recommend going elsewhere for dinner.
(1)Erin R.
I wish I could give this place 5 stars just because I liked the Host so much. He was so great, greeted us at the door and did his best to make sure we had a great meal. I only wish our server had been as attentive. Our waiter was def the low point of the night. We asked for bread 3 times and didn't get it until our meal came...which was disappointing since we ordered the clam and mussel appetizer which came in a broth that really needed bread to accompany it. By the time we got the bread we couldn't even complain that it was hard as a rock and cold. Other than the Host, the steaks were the highlight of the night. They were seasoned and cooked perfectly... absolutely delicious. They were a bit overpriced considering the market..and the fact that the baked potato that came with it was as cold and hard as the bread. Had to ask twice to get some butter for it..which you think would be a given. Also I expected more of a baked potato in such a place.. this one was straight out of the microwave. My girlfriend had the mashed potatoes though which were excellent. Bottom line...I don't think we'll be going back there anytime soon...its not worth the money.
(3)Kirsten H.
I ate here last night and found the food and service to be okay. The dressing on my salad was a bit bland, although the bread and butter was excellent. My lamb shank was very large and wonderful, but my creme brulee was curdled. I pointed this out and had it replaced with tiramisu, which had a freezer burnt taste. I went here alone, and felt a bit ignored. It usually took a while before anyone would check on me. I'd go here again if staying at the Inn, but I wouldn't go out of my way to visit this restaurant again.
(3)Paula R.
Very disappointing. Mother's day was a pitiful buffet when we were expecting a prix fixe , plus they charged more. The kitchen was not up to speed for a buffet and the options were quite limited. Breads were cold and cream cheese was served in small plastic containers that you had to wait for. Ridiculous.
(1)R M.
Horrible. No other word for it. The place is embarrassing, and make sure you read the more recent reviews (September and on) before you judge. The start was not auspicious. The service was so slow to begin, and they did not have 4 or 5 items on the menu. The salad was the best of an awful meal. The mandarin oranges were not mandarins (they were regular oranges, which just didn't go and tasted terrible) and asian pear was just ok. The calamari was really oily and deep (vs. flash) fried. Had the meal stopped there, I would have given it 1 star. The main courses took it to about -5 stars. My steak was somehow burnt on the outside and undercooked on the inside. It came with what looked like uncooked onion rings, undercooked asparagus burned on the outside, and the saddest, most wilted, overcooked spinach I have ever seen. All of it was completely flavorless. But that paled in comparison to the disaster that was my wife's meal. She ordered a portabello mushroom with crab stuffing. What showed up was one of the saddest meals I have ever seen. The portabello was somehow burnt on the outside and uncooked on the inside (this was a theme at this restaurant), the crab stuffing was a cheesy mustardy crab mix and tasted absolutely terrible. To top it off, it was all on top of what looked like French's Potato Stix. Itw as inedible, and she left it largely untouched. All this cost $75 before tip. Ridiculous. Will never ever go back again, and recommend you stay away.
(1)Drayton F.
When a gorgeous woman asks you where you want to go for your Birthday dinner, you better have a good answer. Big gracious thank you to Citypeek.com for suggesting Alizee. It became the perfect answer. I saw the high praise on Citypeek.com for Alizee and suggested it in my return email Birthday invite email. Alizee was a great experience from the Valet parking the whole way thru the 'maybe just one more' at the beautiful, dark wood bar. The entire front of house staff was incredibly nice and knowledgeable, and everyone knew the menu pretty much by heart as well as the extensive and impressive wine list. It's obvious whoever put the wine list together has some experience and a great pallet. Really nice variety of wines. Some easy answers and a great compliment of some lesser-known gems. We got a great romantic corner table with a wonderful view of the restaurant. Some of my favorites included, Duckhorn, Stag's Leap, Jacob's Creek to name a few. We settled on the Stag's Leap (at a great price). We had a killer Calamari App, flash fried and dressed with a sweet Asian sauce and banana peppers. It was really tasty and perfect for sharing. Mains were the Duck perfectly cooked and presented and a perfectly seasoned and incredibly tender sirloin. The cut of meat was better than good, a true sirloin, fork tender and amazingly flavorful. I could have just had that cut of meat and been happy. The plate was beautiful, served with an almost Italian seared rice cake with several generous pieces of lobster. Also adding to the experience, Alizee is laid out and decorated in such a manner that it can be packed and you can still have a quiet conversation, unlike a lot of my favorites in Mt. Vernon, where you need a bullhorn to converse. In addition, the 'maybe one more' glass of wine at the bar was a Jacob's Creek that was lush and the perfect nightcap. The GM, Steve, was an incredible host, stopping by our table to check in our experience. He was incredibly nice and provided some great conversation about the restaurant and the wine list. Alizee also has a retail wine shop with tastings outside the restaurant in the hotel lobby. To me, this is kind of brilliant. You can taste some wines before having dinner and ordering, it creates a whole evening and I can't wait to buy my date a bottle of the wine we both loved when we're done with our next dinner. I'm sorry it took me so long to find this place but thanks to Ciypeek.com for the big Ups.
(5)Mike D.
The mozarella wrapped in prosciutto was a tantalizing start. We should have taken our check then. Food went up in price as we were steered towards premium entrees. Fair enough, but the mashed polenta with the $26 trout was absolutely turned. Sour milk was the initial smell & taste, but the fish seemed fine so... and the service seemed tired so we didn't send it back. We have to stop doing that. I would never usually order it, but the $28 veal strip was just tough and sinewy with substantial bone. Wines are $7-$10 a glass with a minimalist selection. The bar has a chilling marble-like top. Service was initially (almost overly) attentive... then gone. The manager/ bartender was honest about the menu shortcomings and highlights which we appreciated at first but was called off to assist with another customer problem. Replacement service was nice, respectful & nervous. $150 for dinner, drinks & tip in a hotel-style restaurant is what you can expect and will get. With a coupon. Hopefully you can expense it. The menu may have been good in the planning, but in-practice the execution was sub-par. Desert creme brulee tasted fine but was oddly served in a tall deep ramekin. Had it been a $60-70 tab we might go back. A very large & empty restaurant on a Friday should have been the sign. Stick to the less expensive items, maybe the burger is good. Final note: dinner didn't stay down. We're willing to pay and tip for a good meal but this was really disappointing.
(1)Steve K.
Alizee is a nice-looking place, but the food doesn't seem to be quite up to the standards of the decor. Enjoyed the salad starter, but the monkfish and risotto that followed were pretty unexceptional - passable, but really lacking in flavor. The decor and the prices would indicate that this is a place where I'd expect more flavorful and original food than what I could make myself at home - but I didn't get that. The waiter was very friendly and helpful but sometimes inattentive (however, he appeared to be handling too many tables). I'd try it again, but I'm not wild about this place.
(3)