Demi

I am so, so SORRRY we lost such a jem!!! Demi is CLOSED: (!
Of course I agree with the last reviewer who warned us to go any chance we get because such a talent as this chef won’t stay in the area that is not appreciative of this quality of food.
Does anybody knows were did Chef Tae Strain go?
I would fallow him even if it would involve some travelling to do.
VERY, VERY SAD!

Go to Demi now! There is no way this chef will stay in Baltimore, he is too good! Baltimore does not have enough people that appreciate well crafted food for this guy to stay here. He could have a restaurant in NYC and kill it.
Demi is on the bottom floor of Crush in Belvadere Square. The place was almost full when we arrived for an 8PM dinner on a Saturday. It is BYOB so bring your own wine or beer. I am pretty sure they serve some alcohol as well, but it may be limited and you can save money if you bring. Dress is casual, although guys would not feel out of place wearing a jacket here. Parking is free and plentiful.
The dishes we had (you should order 2 – 3 per person)…
Beef Ravioli — Delish/​Amazing!
Kobe Beef — Delish/​Amazing!
Shortrib Gnocchi — Delish/​Amazing!
Sous Vide Shrimp — Good not great
Ahi Tuna — Delish
Bill was $ 77 with tax. Considering the food and flavor, I would say it was a value.
Highly recommend this place if you like amazing flavors. In Maryland, I would compare it to Volt in Frederick. Not for people that eat at chain restaurants…

Favorite restaurant in Baltimore, hands down. It’s inventive without being overwrought. Absolutely professionally prepared, down to the last detail. I have eaten there several times, and cannot think of a single regrettable moment, except perhaps the time when I was gesturing so excitedly that I accidentally karate chopped my wine glass in half and flooded the table with prosecco. Luckily it was between the well-​timed waves of plates. This is a place for foodies. If you’re looking for crab cakes, go somewhere, anywhere else.

This is my new favorite place to eat! I had the BEST food here last night! We asked the server for recommendations, and he said to go with three plates per person. We ordered eight plates because one of us was a child and all of us were very happy with the experience.
We tried the following dishes:
— Coconut soup — creamy delish goodness. I could have had ten of them!
— smoked mozzarella ravioli smothered in mushrooms, bacon and spinach
— ahi tuna with a crispy rice cake and subtle vanilla soy broth
— scallops with roasted carrots and cauliflower
— shrimp served on an amazing zucchini fritter
— ricotta gnocci with asparagus, crème freche and balsamic vin.
— kobe steak with a perfectly cheesy crispy potato au gratin cake
— pork tenderloin with diced apples, crispy pork belly and caramelized onions.
As I was writing out the above list, I couldn’t remember which I liked more because they were all melt in your mouth amazing.
For dessert, we had the blueberry almond sponge cake served with toasted coconut ice cream and the upside down pineapple cake served with salted caramel ice cream. The deserts were both so good that I actually considered having someone hold up a napkin so I could lick the plate.
The location is confusing for first timers. Demi is a tapas restaurant in the basement of the restaurant Crush. So, when you call they say «Crush and Demi». When you are on the street, you will only see the name «Crush» on the building.
Our daughter enjoyed the experience because we pre-​sold it to her as «you are now old enough to try fancy exotic food that stars like Selena Gomez eat» I would never bring a younger version of her to this place. She is finally old enough to politely dislike something, which happened a couple times. But she also enjoyed the small bite experience and found a new love of scallops.
The portions are small bites. So, if you are one of those peeps that requires a pound of meat and a bowl of potatoes, go somewhere else! This place is not for you!
I tried a cocktail that was tasty, but definitely as close to a virgin as I like to get. Next time, I will order a glass of wine — the list was long and lovely.
I highly recommend this place and can’t wait to go back!

We so enjoyed our evening at Demi. Each plate is small, so you can order two or three for dinner and experience several different offerings. Each plate was a few little bites of perfection. I so enjoyed the different flavors and textures. Even the drinks were exceptional. Our waiter was fantastic and attentive. Overall it was a real adventure in food– I can’t wait to go back!

The food and service at demi is very very good. As others have said though, if you’re looking to fill up or into big portions this is probably not the place for you. Demi is on the lower level of Crush in Belvedere Square.
We had the fingerling potatoes, gnocchi, corn fritters, diver scallops, bread pudding and pineapple upside down cake. I personally was not a fan of the fritters but my wife liked them. The scallops were well seared and flavorful. The gnocchi had a warm and tasty center and the fingerling potatoes were excellent.
My wife devoured the bread pudding and the ice cream that came with the both desserts was excellent. If you want to try various dishes and get a feel for everything then Demi is a good choice.

This place should be in the Baltimore Magazine Top 50 restaurants. The menu isn’t huge, but each dish is thought out, balanced and reflective of precise technique. In addition to delicious entrees, the chef does awesome desserts. Sometimes I wish the place was little bigger to accommodate more diners, but I understand the chef is trying to maintain quality. If you like food, you need to eat here.

I had a truly amazing dining experience here. Everything I tasted was roll-​your-​eyes-​in-​the-​back-​of-​your-​head amazing.

If you are looking for large portions of food, this is not the place to go BUT, if you are a foodie and enjoy a blending of flavors with that hidden surprise, you will love demi.
The way to enjoy this restaurant is to order a variety of plates and share (typically 2 or 3 plates per person was recommended). My wife and I had the scallops, the wild mushroom ravioli, the ahi tuna and, best of all, the beef salad (the table next to us overheard us ordering and said it was the best thing on the menu… we were very pleased with their recommendation!)
The atmosphere was quite pleasant and the noise level was wonderful for «date night» as we could actually hear each other quite well (Crush, upstairs, was quite a bit noisiers). We had heard that the place was casual but must admit we felt underdressed as everyone was dressed nicely for the evening.
Another nice aspect is location. Belvedere Market is across the street and has some wonderful shops and wine stores worth working into the outing.

Love this place!
We’ve been here several times and have never had a bad experience. The menu changes fairly frequently, allowing you to try a variety of dishes. On our most recent visit, the roasted fingerling potato with harissa and the mushroom ravioli were the stand out dishes. I also recommend the scallops, they are SO delicious with a nice sear and meltingly tender interior.
Service is very consistent, accommodating and professional.
Chef Tae Strain is quite talented and handles the ingredients with respect. You can really see/​taste how much he cares about the food. Get a seat at the bar facing the kitchen if you can — it’s fun to see them in action!

This is a relatively new establishment within the walls of Crush. As far as I can tell, there are no indicators from the exterior that this place exists. Sort of like trying to find Lesotho from a boat (grab a map, you’ll see). Anyway, park anywhere in Belvedere Square for free, go inside Crush, and it’ll be on the lower floor.
Reservation via OpenTable. Space is neat and clean with some bar seating in front of the kitchen. I am glad that they don’t spit on your food. Seating for about 30. I last went on a Sunday early evening and there was plenty of seating.
The menu is still on the small side but the choices are still varied enough. Portions are small, almost like a tapas style although some were more filling than others. We shared 4 dishes plus dessert between my girlfriend and me: shrimp with chorizo, Thai beef salad (relatively big portion), pork belly with grits, and egg+potato hash+Kobe beef. I don’t like to exaggerate but each dish was pretty damn perfect. Dessert was bread pudding with coconut ice cream. That was pretty f***ing tasty, and I generally don’t care for desserts.
Saw that the beer list had Resurrection although I wasn’t in the drinking mood for the night. That said, Resurrection is always a plus.
Service was efficient and timing of the dishes was good. Left quite content, smack dab in the small sweet spot between «one more bite» and «stuffed». Probably one of the best meals I’ve had in a while, and in Baltimore of all places? Sure, why not!
Based on this experience, I will now do my best to be a regular. I hope this is just a tip of the iceberg of what’s to come as Chef Tae is young and new on the scene (I believe). If not, well, consider me quite content nonetheless.

Excellent variety of small plate dishes. Very nice progression as you move down their list of tasty plates. Beet salad was light and satisfying. Smoked salmon with cream cheese fritters was a nice combo without being too heavy. Highlights are definitely the pork belly — super moist and tender — and the kobe beef w/​6-​min egg — both were cooked perfectly — the egg just a little runny, and the steak almost melted in your mouth! Delicious. Great sized dishes so you can sample a few things with your friends. Our table was so content with the meal we almost passed on dessert — but the chef insisted and sent the flourless chocolate cake and the apple cake with caramel sauce over — sampling both was like taking little bites of heaven — even on a stuffed stomach. Can’t wait to go back soon to see what’s new on the menu.