One sells center-cut prime ribeye for $47.
The other sells panang red curry with crushed peanuts for $14.50.
But both downtown restaurants
Morton’s the Steakhouse and
Ban Thai have renovated their Charles Street properties as
more competition eats into Baltimore diners’ wallets. They’re the latest Baltimore eateries to redo their space within the past year, along with the
13th Floor, Greektown’s Ikaros, J. Paul’s and others.
Morton’s has jetted its men’s cigar-club look with dark woods in favor of a black-and-silver Art Deco-style interior. The first facelift the restaurant at 300 S. Charles St. has gotten in 15 years, it includes several crystal chandeliers, new flat-screen TVs, plush chairs and a new bar area.
The Baltimore Morton’s is the chain’s second location in the mid-Altantic to revamp its space, says Stephen Carcamo, general manager for the Baltimore restaurants. The first was Washington, D.C.
“It’s a fresh new look for the Morton’s image,” Carcamo says. He declined to say how much the company spent on the facelift. Privately held Landry’s Inc.
recently purchased the steakhouse chain.
Ban Thai meanwhile has installed new floors, tables and chairs last month, Owner Xiong Zhi Wang says. The restaurant has applied for a new liquor license that would allow it to stay open on Sundays.
“For 20 years it stayed the same,” Wang says. “I’m still young. I can do something else to make it grow.”
Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Stephen Carcamo, Morton's; Xiong Zhi Wang, Ban Thai
All photographs courtesy of Morton's The Steakhouse