Inexpensive and no-fuss Grano is a pasta bar that allows diners to choose their own combination of noodles and sauce. Along with pasta the short menu consists of soup one salad garlic bread and tiramisu. With a counter and some high-top tables this Hampden restaurant is both eat-in and take-out.
There are now two editions of Grano Gino Troia's Hampden restaurant. The larger newer one is evolving nicely. The pocket-size original makes the list with sheer warmth and a knockout Bolognese sauce. -- Richard Gorelick
See the full list as selected by Baltimore Sun restaurant critic Richard Gorelick.