Beef Tenderloin

Dining at Ciao on West Street is sort of like meeting an intelligent, handsome and unbelievably wealthy man, then finding out that he steps on ants, lies compulsively or has some other horrendous flaw.The ambience is wonderful. With its windows in the style of an old English apothecary, warm, pastel walls and sturdy wood tables draped with table cloths so freshly pressed you can almost smell the steam, the 2-year-old restaurant feels like a secret hideaway from the hubbub of West Street.There is, however, a big negative to the place -- its food was merely above average and spotty in quality.

When a good friend called to say she would be in town to visit her son, who attends college nearby, I invited her to stay with us. I planned meals for the entire weekend, but as it turned out, her offspring, unenthusiastic about his dorm food, had his heart set on dining out in several area restaurants. His mother willingly complied, but it meant that my husband and I were able to share only one meal -- Sunday lunch -- with her.Our friend indulged in all manner of ethnic foods, including Italian, Mexican and French, during her brief visit with her son, but mentioned that what she longed for most was meat and potatoes.

Perhaps you can remember the moment. Maybe it was recent. The moment you discovered that tuna does not always come in a can.You may have been at a trendy restaurant where great fish takes center stage. When the tuna came to the table, it might have been rolled in crushed black pepper, then fanned out in slices, each flashing its rosy center. And when you took a bite, it was as soft and tender and red as a piece of rare tenderloin.No wonder the American appetite for fish has grown bigger than Moby Dick.

Christmas dinner can be the highlight of the holiday season. Have a roasted beef tenderloin as your star,and frame it like art -- with colorful vegetables. Lead into the main course with a simple green salad, and end with a spectacular dessert.Ida Farrington's beef tender with mustard-horseradish creamMakes 8 to 10 servings1 beef tenderloin, 5 to 7 pounds, trimmed (see note)3 tablespoons olive oil1 tablespoon garlic powder1 tablespoon Lawry's seasoned salt1/2 cup liquid smokecracked pepper1/4 cup melted margarine optional)

It happens to the best-laid plans -- and often on New Year's Eve.The sitter you booked two months ago can't make it at the last minute. No matter what the excuse, the result is the same: You'll greet 1994 at home with the kids instead of out on the town.The question is, how to turn the disappointment into a memorable evening?Patrick and Deborah O'Toole have a singular solution to New Year's Eve at home with the kids (Katie Rose, 4, and Patrick, 2)."We call friends in the same situation, tell them to load up the kids and sleeping bags, and have a potluck house party," Mrs. O'Toole says.

Bean Cuisine it's a naturalSalt and pepper, sugar and spice, turkey and stuffing, basi and tomatoes -- the culinary world is full of natural pairings. Grains with legumes is a pair increasingly popular, as people learn the tenets of healthful eating. A new product that makes it easy to enjoy this carbohydrate-rich combination is Bean Cuisine Pasta & Beans. There are four mixes: Mediterranean Black Beans With Fusilli; Barcelona Red Beans With Radiatore; Country French Beans With Gemelli; and Florentine Beans With Bow Ties.

"Great Food Without Fuss" (Holt, $25) is a compilation of favorite recipes culled from the kitchens of 70 great cooks, such as Diana Kennedy and Julia Child.The book focuses on dishes that can be made quickly with minimum effort. Authors Frances McCullough, a cookbook editor, and Barbara Witt, a food consultant and former restaurateur, include their own recipes, plus general cooking tips.The structure of the book allows the reader to use it strictly as a recipe collection, or to take suggestions to improvise.

Because the word "pavilion" is related to the French word "papillon," for "butterfly," it is in the nature of pavilions to be, like butterflies' wings, light, open and airy. Knights' tents were pavilions. Nowadays, the name gets used for summerhouses, or subsidiary structures like the Pavilion at the Walters, which occupies the back garden area of the Hackerman House at the Walters Art Gallery.Entrance to the Pavilion is either through the gallery or -- for those in a mood to eat but not to look at objects -- through a door on Charles Street.

Everyone knows that baseball and hot dogs go together, but what about baseball and grilled swordfish with fresh vegetable salsa, saffron potatoes and cilantro butter?Or how about watching nine innings as you dine on roast beef tenderloin with vegetable turnovers and natural Cabernet sauvignon glace, or a plate of fresh mozzarella with Italian herb pesto, ripe tomatoes and roasted sweet peppers?Welcome to the gourmet restaurant in the ballpark at Camden Yards.Starting next April, the baseball stadium designed to recall an era of old-fashioned innocence will offer a menu that is modern nouvelle cuisine.

The St. James luxury condominium homes and Baltimore-area celebrities joined forces recently to share summer entertaining secrets while raising money for charity. "A Perfect Setting" which takes place throughout the St. James decorated models, located at 3704 N. Charles St., runs through June 10.The event, open to the public and free of charge, features seasonal tabletops and patio set-ups designed by local celebrities. The St. James will make a donation to the charity of each participating celebrity's choice, such as Animal Rescue, The Baltimore School for the Arts and House of Ruth-Baltimore Inc. For more information call 467-3704.

Meat in the middle. Soul on the edge. Pork belly inspires thoughts like that for me. Maybe it's just the fat rushing to my brain. But when I introduce someone to pork belly - to soft meat surrounded by fat that is meltingly tender on the inside and crisp on the outside - what I usually hear (through the moans) is, "That is to die for." "Yes," I reply cheerfully. "And with that in your arteries, it won't be long." Pork belly, of all things, has become a food-world darling. Wait - isn't pork belly the stuff that's traded as a commodity on Wall Street?

I love New Year's Eve celebrations, and during the 1990s my husband and I hosted a small dinner each year. Then for several years on Dec. 31 we were on the other side of the Atlantic in Paris, where we dined out or accepted invitations from Parisians who shared splendid meals with us. This year we'll be on American shores, staying with friends in Washington, D.C. Although our hosts proposed eating out, I suggested that a simple meal we could prepare together...

There's a new Inner Harbor restaurant. And you could say it's located between a rock and a hard place. Or, more accurately, between the Hard Rock Cafe and a place known as the National Aquarium. Pier 4 opens its doors tomorrow in a brand new building, where the old Chart House restaurant used to be on - you guessed it -Pier 4 in the Inner Harbor. Pier 4 is the farthest foray East for Chicago restaurateur Roger Greenfield, best known for his chain of Bar Louie eateries located throughout the Windy City and the midsection of the United States.

Do you have a soft spot in your heart for funky little restaurants? Do you wish there were more places that serve intriguing food for under $15? And do you have a forgiving nature? Then Genevieve's, the full-service Fells Point restaurant that Margaret's Cafe Open has metamorphosed into, may be just the place for you. But if you're the kind of person who'll be bothered that the miniature bathroom sink is in the hallway, not the bathroom, then read no further. This is not the place for you. If you order your beef tenderloin medium rare and then expect it to arrive at the table medium rare, this may not be the place for you either.

If you're a meat lover, you know that a dinner at a steak restaurant is a rare treat. You'll be seduced by steak cuts with a quality that you probably won't see in your supermarket. Prime meat is usually reserved for food service. But what are you to do when you crave a hunk of meat in the comfort of your kitchen? My solution is opt for beef tenderloin. It doesn't have to be prime to be tender. I ask the butcher for 1-inch-thick slices. A balsamic-vinegar marinade and blast of heat are the secrets for getting the best flavor from this meat.

When a good friend called to say she would be in town to visit her son, who attends college nearby, I invited her to stay with us. I planned meals for the entire weekend, but as it turned out, her offspring, unenthusiastic about his dorm food, had his heart set on dining out in several area restaurants. His mother willingly complied, but it meant that my husband and I were able to share only one meal -- Sunday lunch -- with her.Our friend indulged in all manner of ethnic foods, including Italian, Mexican and French, during her brief visit with her son, but mentioned that what she longed for most was meat and potatoes.

Dining at Ciao on West Street is sort of like meeting an intelligent, handsome and unbelievably wealthy man, then finding out that he steps on ants, lies compulsively or has some other horrendous flaw.The ambience is wonderful. With its windows in the style of an old English apothecary, warm, pastel walls and sturdy wood tables draped with table cloths so freshly pressed you can almost smell the steam, the 2-year-old restaurant feels like a secret hideaway from the hubbub of West Street.There is, however, a big negative to the place -- its food was merely above average and spotty in quality.

Perhaps you can remember the moment. Maybe it was recent. The moment you discovered that tuna does not always come in a can.You may have been at a trendy restaurant where great fish takes center stage. When the tuna came to the table, it might have been rolled in crushed black pepper, then fanned out in slices, each flashing its rosy center. And when you took a bite, it was as soft and tender and red as a piece of rare tenderloin.No wonder the American appetite for fish has grown bigger than Moby Dick.

Christmas dinner can be the highlight of the holiday season. Have a roasted beef tenderloin as your star,and frame it like art -- with colorful vegetables. Lead into the main course with a simple green salad, and end with a spectacular dessert.Ida Farrington's beef tender with mustard-horseradish creamMakes 8 to 10 servings1 beef tenderloin, 5 to 7 pounds, trimmed (see note)3 tablespoons olive oil1 tablespoon garlic powder1 tablespoon Lawry's seasoned salt1/2 cup liquid smokecracked pepper1/4 cup melted margarine optional)

It happens to the best-laid plans -- and often on New Year's Eve.The sitter you booked two months ago can't make it at the last minute. No matter what the excuse, the result is the same: You'll greet 1994 at home with the kids instead of out on the town.The question is, how to turn the disappointment into a memorable evening?Patrick and Deborah O'Toole have a singular solution to New Year's Eve at home with the kids (Katie Rose, 4, and Patrick, 2)."We call friends in the same situation, tell them to load up the kids and sleeping bags, and have a potluck house party," Mrs. O'Toole says.