G&A Restaurant

G & A Restaurant
3802 Eastern Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21224
(410) 276-9422
http://www.gandarestaurant.com/
Mon - Sat: 7 am - 7 pm ~ Sun: Closed
BEST HOTDOGS IN BALTIMORE

This came to us by way of the suggestion box once it was learned that Dave loves hotdogs. LOVES hotdogs. Apparently this place is said to have the best hotdogs around.

Apparently that is correct. They also have the best everythingwetasted around.

This place has been around since 1927 and has remained family owned the entire time. You walk into to this narrow little, easy to miss place and you're greeted by a friendly staff. Once seated, we began to pour over the laminated menus (ah, true diner style) that never leave the booths. We ordered a couple of cokes, and got down to business with the food.

I ordered a G&A club which came with turkey, ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo on three crispy toasted slices of white bread with a side of coleslaw. Dave ordered two dogs, mustard and relish, and a slider platter which had three cheeseburger sliders with ketchup and mustard and pickle and a side of fries.

The sliders hit the table first and we dug in. Holy delicious. You can tell right away these were made FRESH mere minutes before we started shoving them into our mouths. The bun was soft and the fries were fresh cut. We got a side of gravy for dippin' (something Dave was skeptical about but being from one of the fattest states in this great U.S. of A. I knew was delicious and after some coaxing from myself and our waitress he agreed to try it). I am happy to report that the gravy was salty, gooey and perfect. The combo of fry and gravy was unbelievable. Dave is now a convert.

So, now for the club sandwich. I went with an easy dish I suppose, but it looked good. It's really really hard to mess up a club sandwich. This one was great. The bread toasty and perfect (except for the one burnt slice but it was hardly noticeable and I only took note of it when the club fell apart in my hands and I saw it, then had a good laugh). The coleslaw was also pretty good, definitely carrying that "homey" taste with it.

Dave LOVED the dogs. He loved them. The look on his face when he bit into them was priceless. It was like he'd never tasted a hotdog before.

Now, I will say that this diner isn't pretty, but it's clean, and it's well broken in and that is exactly how diners should be. It's been standing for about 90 years so it has stood the test of time.

The owner himself, Andy was working the register, cooking, greeting people which was amazing to see. He took so much pride in this place you could just feel it. Our waitress apologized several times and thanked us for being "patient", even though the wait for the food was under 15 minutes and everything was so incredibly good we would have waited longer for it.

This place TOTALLY gets 5 noms. The food was amazing, the service was amazing, and we were completely and totally happy with the entire experience.

Dave's 2cents:

So as you heard, after a reader saw my bad review of Stuggys, he/she suggested G&A. When I google mapped it, I wasn't impressed with the area, the southeast area past Patterson Park, aka Little Havana.

But as I have been told MANY TIMES, if I want to live in Baltimore I got to get over these bad areas.

Walking into this place was nostalgic. I grew up in West NJ, with a diner names Geets, and my wife in Michigan named Tony's. We both sat down and looked around and felt like we were home.

The customer service was outstanding, from the BOSS, Andy greeting us at the door, to the waitress making sure we were ok every few minutes.

The food was heavenly. Yes the sliders were good, but the hotdogs were perfect. (I realize that I cannot tell you about this without you pervs giggling because I sound phallic, so here it goes...)

The hotdog's crisp skin just pops as you bit into it, as the warm hotdog innards explode in your mouth. Leaving its eater with closed eyes and a wide smile. nommmmmmmmm

ok, seriously. stop giggling.

Silver Moon II

This place came to us via the suggestion page from one of our fabulous readers and it being so close to our house, we ran right over there to check it out. Now, I will warn you right off, my emotions are interfering with my ability to properly review this place and so, we will be revisiting it at a later date when I am less emotional.

Here's some background. I'm originally from Mid-Michigan and back home we have a diner chain called Tony's (not to be confused with that brand who makes frozen pizzas and such) where the food is huge, insanely cheap, bad for you, and delicious. One of their specialties is the Hot Turkey Sandwich, which is something I must eat whenever I visit my hometown. Theirs is made with a thick slice of Italian white bread, huge pile of instant potatoes, generous portion of chunks of turkey breast, and then all smothered with yellowish poultry gravy.

Since moving away from Michigan in 2006, I've always kept an eye out for things that are "like home", like this turkey sandwich. When we first visited Baltimore when we were still living in Florida, my husband and I found a diner called TT's that has a sandwich that comes pretty close to what I'm looking for, however I think they use real potatoes which alters the flavor just enough to act as a band-aid when I get homesick, but doesn't quite satisfy the hunger.

I've been especially homesick recently having just been diagnosed with a digestive disorder which is likely to alter my eating lifestyle for the rest of my life and has caused two family members of mine to require surgery. I'm still pretty much like a little kid when I get sick, I just want to lay on my parents couch and eat this sandwich. Dave's been doing a great job taking care of me and taking me to all of my doctor's appointments but that little kid in me still wants my mom, and therefore, home.

So we headed to Silver Moon II and on their menu is a Hot Turkey Sandwich and I got really excited and hopeful. They definitely had that short order diner thing going on, and once we learned they don't use deli turkey they use real turkey I ordered it. Dave got the Blackened Chicken Sandwich and then we learned they are a cash only restaurant. Fail.

I sat down at one of the tables and Dave headed out to find an ATM. I snapped a few pictures and waited for him to come back. He finally did, we paid the bill and waited about another 10 minutes for the food to be done. I was watching them box it up and then, to my horror, helplessly watched as my Hot Turkey Sandwich, my personal Holy Grail was smothered in BROWN GRAVY. The big Styrofoam box was slid sideways into the bag and Dave's sandwich placed on top and we were set to go. Dave picked up the bag and we headed back to the car where he set the bag on my lap causing gravy and potato to explode onto me. He'd tipped it right side up, causing my box to be sitting on its side. The box not being airtight started to leak gravy and potato all over me. Devastation deepens.

It was going to be a couple hours before we could eat as we were taking the foster kittens to get their booster shots in Reisterstown. Dave let me have a bite of his sandwich and I must say, it was pretty tasty. It was a little spicy so I could only have a tiny bite, but it was quite good. Good enough to leave a sauce splatter on my face. I didn't eat my dinner.

Two days later it is lunchtime on Friday and I'm staring a bowl of brown gravy covered turkey sandwich. I had expressed my emotional reaction to the whole gravy thing to Dave, knowing how childish and petty I sound when I say it, but he understood. I'm sick, I wanted a piece of home and I didn't get it. So I had what I did get for lunch today.

I will say, despite it not being what I'd hoped for, it's still pretty good. I think it would be better if it had the right gravy on it. The turkey used is deli turkey but it's good deli turkey and not lunch meat style turkey. The bread is good ole American white sandwich bread (two slices) and the potatoes are instant, just like I like them. I did not dislike this sandwich, and Dave's sandwich was really good. The next time we go I'm going to order one of their specialties like the seafood salad or something like that so that I can give this place a proper review.

I will say the restaurant is clean, the staff is friendly and your food comes fast. You get nice, generous portions and it's really inexpensive. It's definitely worth a go. We'll be heading back there in a couple weeks, once things settle down.

Dave's 2cents:

So by now, if you've been following us, you can tell I suffer from what I've coined, Food Rage. Which is just me getting so pissed at servers, that I am no longer hungry.

I had high hopes for this place. When I entered I was greeted within moments, when I asked what was good, food selections were suggested to me, and I was happy.

Until they said cash only. I checked my cellphone to make sure it wasn't 1999, and I asked where the closest ATM was. Seeing as I am SURE this question gets asked 100x a day, I was SURE she had an answer. What I got was, "I think its like 2 blocks, somewhere that way."

I left my wife there so the food we ordered would actually get cooked, I went on a hunt. After 15 minutes searching for an ATM, I just went to one that I KNEW in Little Italy, and returned.

Now I'm a little bit angry. Food's still cooking, and I wait. Once finished I was handed a bag and we left.

Once in the car, and as you read above, the box exploded, I then found out from my wife they don't have forks!

What carryout place doesn't provide utensils!?!?

As my wife said, we're dealing with some stuff right now, the food was good enough to give them a 2nd chance. Lets hope they don't blow it this time, and I remember to have cash on me.

Suggestion Box

Are you a fan of a Restaurant/Pub/Diner and would like for us to check it out? Do you own an establishment and would like to setup a time for us to visit?

You can respond to this post with your suggestion or email us by clicking on the "Email Us" button at the top left of the page.

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