Atmosphere

Capsules of recent reviews in the LIVE! section. Maiwand Kabob 5467 Harpers Farm Road, Columbia, 410-992-7754 Lunch, dinner daily Appetizers $3-$3.75; Entrees $6.99-$11.95 (MC, V) Behind the counter at this small Afghani restaurant, customers can watch skewers of lamb and chicken sizzle over an open flame and see the bread being kneaded, shaped and cooked in a tandoori oven. The result is beautifully tender and flavorful meat, and bread that is warm and addictive. Save some bread for sopping up the sauces of the complex appetizers.

Pushing the Hubble Space Telescope to its limits, astronomers say they have made the first discovery of the organic molecule methane in the atmosphere of a planet circling a sun-like star. Although methane can be generated by cows and rotting garbage, scientists say there's little chance that they've stumbled on signs of life on the planet, about 63 light-years from Earth. The Jupiter-size world's atmosphere sizzles at 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit. But their apparent success in detecting the gas so far away gives them confidence that they'll be able to find it again someday on a smaller, cooler planet circling a different star.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Bob Swap is a big athletic-looking guy. As a walk-on football player for the University of Virginia Cavaliers, he went to the Peach Bowl in 1984. An offensive guard and center, he learned the value of teamwork for achieving success. Today, Swap is a team-building environmental scientist with a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. Recently NASA appointed him as the U.S. coordinator for the Southern Africa Regional Science Initiative 2000, an extensive international effort to study the atmosphere over southern Africa.

Food **1/2 (2 1/2 stars) Service *** (3 stars) Atmosphere *** (3 stars) When I last ate at Jasmine Asian Bistro three years ago, it was in Towson. With the move to the new Shops at Quarry Lake, the place has upgraded itself. Jasmine is a prettier restaurant now. The contemporary dining room is filled with lots of warm wood, big windows and well-spaced, white-clothed tables. The biggest difference is probably that Jasmine now has a liquor license, not to mention endless free parking in the shopping center's lot. It also doesn't have the competition from other Asian restaurants that it did in Towson.

Food ** 1/2 (2 1/2 stars) Service *** (3 stars) Atmosphere ** 1/2 (2 1/2 stars) When I learned that Todd Conner's had opened in the location where the sports bar Slammers and the Tex-Mex cafe Armadillo's were previously, I saw it as another sign that Fells Point is indeed becoming more gentrified. But then I ate there, and I'm not so sure. Owners Nikki Popovich and her partner, Michael "Reds" Cassidy, have done their best to create a warm, friendly neighborhood dining room with a hip vibe.

Food *** (3 stars) Service *** (3 stars) Atmosphere *** (3 stars) Howard County, which, for whatever reason, is long on franchise eating places and short on fine dining, has had one notable exception since the 1960s: the Kings Contrivance. It was one of the first restaurants in the area to offer Continental dining, and now is one of the last. There's a sense of a different era about this place, even though the 1890s mansion has just gone through a major renovation to make it seem as fresh as a shiny new penny.

Food *** (3 STARS) Service *** (3 STARS) Atmosphere *** (3 STARS) In the evening, Baltimore Pho is a bright oasis in the deserted Hollins Market area. During the day, the market may be bustling; but at night the neighborhood is quiet, and you notice the empty sidewalks and boarded-up storefronts. (No parking worries here.) Then suddenly you spot the colorful facade of the city's newest Vietnamese restaurant. The owners took their time to renovate what was Mencken's Cultured Pearl. They did a good job of it, creating a serene space in red, black and white.

Food *** (3 stars) Service *** (3 stars) Atmosphere *** (3 stars) When Stone Mill Bakery expanded its territory (both literally and figuratively) last spring, it got plenty of press for its new Gourmet to Go space. What had been a bakery best known for its artisan breads and wicked desserts started turning out many more soups, salads and sandwiches. It also added pizzas and entrees to its menu. What you may not have heard about is that this spring, Stone Mill is serving dinner from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. every evening.

Food **1/2 (2 1/2 stars) Service *** (3 stars) Atmosphere **** (4 stars) The best way to approach Cinghiale in Harbor East is as a wine bar. A very ritzy wine bar, to be sure. But wine is where its strengths lie; and while the food certainly isn't an afterthought, it almost feels as if it's there to support the wine, not the other way around. At best, they are equal partners. By now does anyone interested in restaurants in Baltimore not know that Tony Foreman and Cindy Wolf have opened what they call an enoteca (Italian wine bar)

Food ***1/2 (3 1/2 stars) Service ***1/2 (3 1/2 stars) Atmosphere *** (3 stars) Before he left, chef/owner Sonny Sweetman had turned Abacrombie into one of Baltimore's premier restaurants. Although it wasn't for everyone (one friend of mine called it "precious") and you could end up spending a small fortune there, I always enjoyed it. So I wasn't happy when I heard the place was being sold and Sweetman was leaving for a cushy job in Austria. It turns out he didn't abandon us completely.