I'm not sure why it took me so long to get there, but I'm so glad I made it.It was a beautiful sunny fall day and neither J nor I had work. So what did we do? Headed up to Mt. Vernon for a three course Italian lunch, duh! Was it the best Italian food in Baltimore- it very well could be!
THE STORY
Allora opened in a little storefront in Mt. Vernon in the Fall of 2021 and is an amazing hidden gem. Allora is a "typical Roman dining experience". The owners, Brendan and David, are trained chefs and brought their desire for an authentic Italian cafe to Baltimore.
Their mission?
We want you to feel like you are walking into a loved ones home; their living room specifically
The entire experience should be something interesting, and feel tailored to you.
Memory and the ideas of them are a core belief to our group, and creating memories here is our priority. While good food helps, that comes and goes. Memories last forever.
After reading that on their website how could you NOT be excited to go!? One of the owner's Chef Brendon came over to our table and after chatting we learned that his great grandfather opened the FIRST Italian restaurant in Little Italy here in Baltimore, Vallegias, in 1937. That's SO COOL. Even cooler? Brendon and co-owner/chef David are soon opening Vallegias' next iteration in Federal Hill. It's exactly three blocks away from my house which makes me very happy.
THE EXPERIENCE
The restaurant is small, sun filled and smells amazing. We ordered at the counter after struggling over what to order- we could hardly narrow it down! We started with a beautiful orange salad with capers, microgreens and shaved parmesan. It was a perfect way to start the meal. Next up was the Burro e Alici which is one of my absolute favorite dishes. J doesn't like anchovies so I knew this one would just be for me:) For my main course I had the Cacio e Pepe and it was to die for. So simple and so delicious. Jeff had his go-to, the Porchetta Romana. It was right up there with the best we've ever had at the Termini Train Station in Rome itself! To finish the meal they brought over single macarons- a perfect touch. It's not every day we treat ourselves to a three course lunch with wine but this was the perfect place to do it. Speaking of wine, it's BYOB! There's a fantastic little wine shop just down the street called Spirits of Mt. Vernon, so pick up a bottle on your way!
