Marie Louise Bistro, the new restaurant in the building that once housed Gampy's, is the Greta Garbo of Baltimore restaurants.
I'm not saying its owner literally shuns publicity, but I did leave messages for her several times at Marie Louise Catering before the bistro opened, and was always told that only she could talk about the new place. I never heard back.
There is also remarkably little information about the place on the Internet. Usually the local food blogs and message boards are abuzz about a new restaurant, but not this one. When I asked some people I know who live in the area, they told me that whenever they passed by, Marie Louise had been empty.
Some places hate getting positive publicity when they're new because they feel they aren't ready to deal with crowds, but Marie Louise Bistro is having the soft opening to end all soft openings. When I looked on the Net last week, a takeout review in City Paper was about the only thing I could find.
All this is by way of explaining why I gave the place more time than usual before I went. The dead of winter in this economy isn't the best time to be opening a restaurant; but when I finally got around to eating there, I realized Marie Louise Bistro has found its niche. It has already established itself as a neighborhood restaurant. Other people who came in - and it was moderately busy - seemed to know the hostess and other diners. If you live around there and can walk to it, all the better, because the parking situation can be grim.
The newly renovated space (lots of blond wood grounded with period appointments like the pressed-tin ceiling) has a seductive pastry case up front, a dining room in back and a bar upstairs on the mezzanine. The space, with its tile floor, is pleasant-looking but not particularly cozy. There are no fabrics, and it must be hard to heat. Anyway, we were chilly the night we were there. Upstairs is warmer, but except for a table for large parties, there are only high-tops near the bar.
I'm never sure what "bistro" means these days. In Marie Louise's case, I would say good, French-influenced food with a Mediterranean accent. (The duck confit comes with couscous, for instance.) The service was friendly and casual, but our waitress turned out to be more professional than she seemed at first.
