Marta Fine Food and Spirits — Restaurant in Baltimore

My friend and I had an absolutely lovely meal seated at the bar. The decor and ambience was great. And the bartenders (Holly especially) were very attentive and helpful when trying to make decisions.

Cocktails were great. I had the Alpine spritz which was crisp and lovely. And the Bronco Run, which was a bit more my speed with the Sagarmore whiskey and a little bit more sweetness from the apple.

We got a variety of items off the menu to share.

We started with the bar snack of Ricotta with truffle honey, pistachio, and grilled ciabatta; HOLY MOLY. Way to swing for the fences right out of the gate! I honestly think this may have been my favorite thing of the night, if not one of several favorites.

The tuna cannoli was very good. I'm not sure if it was done with a wonton wrapper, but it was crispy, and yet a little too greasy. I was very intrigued by this Italian mixed with Asian dish. I think I would've preferred if it was a bit more Italian influenced, though. Perhaps a thicker more traditional Italian cannoli shell, but less sweet? Maybe using sesame flower to make it a bit more savory in that way? Unfortunately, I couldn't really taste the garlic chips in this, which is a shame because I LOVE garlic; the more the better, for me. I also think there was a bit too much of the avocado puree when it was plated, so I think it may have overwhelmed the other flavors a bit.

The beef tartare was also very good. We loved the sunchoke chips incorporated into the dish. The beef was fresh and flavorful. Again, was very excited by the preserved truffle dressing, but couldn't really taste it in the mix of everything. I think the beets are a very strong earthy flavor, and I would be really interested to try this dish sans beets.

We had really wanted to try the Tortellini en brodo, but sadly they were out of that evening. Not to worry, we'll be coming back to try it, for sure!

The Panzotti stuffed with duck and foie gras and roasted sunchoke, arugula, cherries and sunchoke chips was great. It had a lovely sauce, the panzotti were pillowy and amply filled. The cherries were a very interesting and welcome accompaniment to the dish. This dish did come to us a bit lukewarm, since I think perhaps delivery was delayed due the other pasta dish we ordered, which came out piping hot.

The Tagliatelle, said piping hot dish, was amazing! The truffle butter, mushrooms, and parmesan zabiglione triumphantly came together. The creamy, cheesy sauce was a dream, but the truffle flavor still shone through. Definitely will have again!

We ended our meal with the bombolini which were served with four different fillings. I am by no means an expert on bombolini, but will say, I would've preferred if they were filled a bit more. I'm not sure if they're normally served with minimal filling, but ultimately they seemed very dry since there was just a bit of filling towards the top of each. Once that bit was gone, you were left with a very dry donut. I think there either needs to be some more filling inside of each one, or perhaps a little side cup of a dipping sauce for the remaining naked bites.

Overall, this was a fantastic meal, especially for a restaurant just getting into the groove of only being open for a few weeks. I can't wait to come back!

Things I saw other patrons eating that I was jealous of and will be ordering next time...

• Lamb rack over creamy whipped polenta • Meatballs with black pepper tuille in cacio e pepe sauce • Yellowtail in apple hibiscus sauce

And of course, Tortellini en brodo, I'm...

Let’s get one this straight! This is the SPOT!

Tuna cannoli = Foodie heaven! Octopus cacciatore = Fresh ocean vibes, right? Truffle chicken = Chef's kiss! Dover sole virgin? Fix that! Crab surprise in carbonara? Mind = blown! Modest place, major flavor explosion—don't miss out! Matthew and chefs, you're the real MVPs!

The experience began with me running behind for my reservation because I-95 traffic is a..well we all know..so in calling the restaurant to alert them my first taste of Marta was Nick, who answered the phone in such a warm and friendly manner I felt welcomed even before my arrival!

Now I will say parking is a challenge..but rise up to this challenge..be persistent..because once you’re safely parked you will reap amazing culinary rewards.

The space itself..it beautifully done..muted colors and comfortable seating seem to say “ sit..get comfortable and get ready for a great time”

Our server Michael was a JOY. Just as important as the food, is the service, Michael made sure that we were comfortable, answering all questions and providing excellent recommendations when they were asked for. No one could have asked for a better tour guide to lead our Marta experience..when making reservations..request him..I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Appetizers!

Tuna Cannoli..if you think you know tuna..I’m here to say NAW! This dish was whimsical and full of flavor. The tuna was fresh and prefect encased in a light cannoli shell..the sesame seeds tied the whole dish together for me perfectly.

Beef tartare(my personal favorite) vibrant color and palate pleasing flavors! I like the addition of beets in place of the traditional capers. Even my one friend who hates beets agrees that it brought a great element to this dish.

Oysters! Perfectly briny and chilled expertly the pink peppercorn granita was Everything!

Entrees:

I enjoyed the Agnolotti which was a fall themed plate of warm comfort food! The spiced squash and apple stuffed pasta was so flavorful..but just when you thought it couldn’t get better, BOOM! Brown butter sage sauce! Please do yourself a favor..make your reservation to enjoy this dish before it goes away..you won’t regret it.

The risotto my friend enjoyed with the meatballs from the antipasti menu was creamy and honestly had me making my next reservation in my head so I could enjoy it all by myself! Saffron Brodo, Aged Parmesan, bring this dish home! He couldn’t stop raving about the meatballs and I know they must have been great because he didn’t share..lol

My dear friend ordered the Panzotti featuring stuffed Duck and Foie Gras! All components of this dish worked together to create perfection!

Wine list..well thought out and composed. When our initial choice was temporarily unavailable, cue Nick with a perfect recommendation for an alternative bottle!

Desserts..we ordered them all..don’t judge..lol..we couldn’t decided..lol..and you only live once! In addition to ordering them all..you bet the 3 of us finished them all too! So no further details required..I just suggest you make sure to save room for at least one of these sweet temptations..really any one..you won’t regret it!

So this concludes my most epic review..of a most epic experience!

Thank you Marta..it was...

The excellent Italian inspired food is clearly the star of the show at this vibrant updated space. Kudos to the bartenders who altered one of their signature cocktails for one of our group, and the others were executed perfectly.

We started with the Beef Tartar - melt in our mouth deliciousness paired with the crisp of garlic, the crunch of pistachio and the umami of cheese and served with grilled bread. The Beet Carpaccio was also outstanding with delicately shaved beet topped with the perfect complements. Very good, but not one of my favorites, was the Arancini - mostly because I’m not a tomato sauce fan. The Tuna Cannoli was also a unique balance of crisp “shell” and fresh tuna inside.

Our mains were all wonderful, the exception being the skirt steak - not that it wasn’t delicious, but it was not cooked to order (because we weren’t asked how to cook it).

So why 4 stars? The strange service, missed orders, and inconsistent and staggered arrival of dishes.

On arrival, the server told us (3 times, because we all sat within 10 minutes of each other) about the special of “fine Italian wines”. Then, on hearing it was our first time, proceeded to “tell” us how “most” others ordered from the menu, including suggesting 3-4 starters, mentioning the 2 most expensive starters and that we should split pasta in addition to getting main courses. We ordered 2 to start; for the second (Tuna Cannoli) immediately we were told “for 4 people 2 orders of this are good”. Good To Know. We will start with 1. And here is where things devolved. That very first order of the Tuna, got to us just before our mains were served. We were served Beet Carpaccio when one of the party specifically said Beef Tartare (one of the server’s suggestions).

When one of the main entrees did get to us (they all came out, but within 3-4 minutes, not all at the same time) one of the orders was too undercooked for one of us, and the salsa verde was too oily - a little heavy handed….the manager did take care of that immediately, and to make things faster, we ordered a pasta dish.

Remember the server’s original push? Order a pasta to share? This “entree” sized portion was literally a single layer of pasta on a 5” diameter plate - looked beautiful, tasted amazing….but not an entree. It was probably 1/2 cup total. As I hear many of this place were formally at Cinghale - they should take a page from their pasta course and offer 1/2 or full portions, and then price accordingly.

Dessert was very good, we ordered cappuccino and tea. Again, the cappuccino came out staggered and the tea (hot water) actually was served last.

The vibe we got was mixed “do what others do so I can build your ticket to a high dollar amount” with inconsistent arrival from the kitchen - (maybe they didn’t place the order when we told them) to pleasant kindness. Just a little odd.

I would give it a 4.5 if I could - just know what may happen and roll with it. In the end, we will return in a few months to see how...