The Palmer House

The Palmer House, 108 N. Eutaw St., 410-752-8969. Tired of homogenized, cookie-cutter restaurants? Then head on over to Eutaw Street, two doors south of Lexington Market and five blocks north of Oriole Park to "The Original Palmer House." The walls are jammed with photos: Everyone from Babe Ruth to Blair Lee and then some. There's a card reader in residence, should you want a look into the future while you wait for dinner. The menu offers pasta, plenty of seafood, sandwiches and an interesting array of vegetables, such as kale and cooked cabbage. The Caesar salad was particularly tasty; the tomato sauce rich and homemade. $$ - moderate (Last visited 3/92). Hunan Wok, 2835 J Smith Ave., Greenspring Shopping Center, (410) 486-3267. Not quite a restaurant, not quite a carryout, the Hunan Wok combines the best elements of both when you want a decent fast meal that isn't a hamburger. The menu is as extensive as any Chinese restaurant's, including Peking duck and a puu-puu platter; but there are only eight tables and the food is served in carryout containers and plastic. When you've eaten as much as you can, what's left is already ready to go. Is that efficient or what? $-$$ -- inexpensive to moderate. (Last reviewed 4/92.)

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ELIZABETH LARGE Zorba's, 4710 Eastern Ave., (410) 276-4485. Zorba's offers something a little different than other Greek places in the area: charcoal grilled specialties that are worth the trip to Greektown. Tender baby lamb chops arrived charred crusty outside, just pink inside. Quail (!) were worth the trouble it took to pick the succulent meat off the little bones. And if you crave the Greek standards like moussaka, spanakopita and stuffed grape leaves, Zorba's does them well, too. $ to $$ -- inexpensive to moderate. (Last reviewed 4/92.)

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ELIZABETH LARGE