I just got off the phone with Joe Flynn, one of the owners of The RowHouse Grille in Federal Hill (1400 S. Light St.).

He tells me they've opened up a second, more extensive kitchen upstairs as well as a second-floor dining area that will be open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

The restaurant opened nearly a year ago, in October 2009, with seating for 30 to 35 and a small, first-floor kitchen that turned out what Flynn described as simple, "tavern-style" fare: soups, salads, appetizers, sandwiches.

Now the place can seat 75 to 80 and offers a "gastro pub" menu, he said.

Among the menu items is a Flat Iron Steak with Chimichurri Sauce that comes with a choice of two sides for $17.

Check out the complete RowHouse Grill menu online.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 2:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar opens Sept. 16 at Annapolis Towne Centre, and the menu promises to be fresh, Latin and "approachable."

"The approachable menu is inspired by flavors, ingredients, and dishes from Central & South America, Cuba and the Latin Caribbean," says the promotional e-mail.

"With guidance from our warm and welcoming staff, our guests discover the bold flavors and vibrant cultures of Latin America without leaving their comfort zone," the e-mail says later. "Our approachable menu features freshly prepared guacamole, slow roasted and grilled meats, fresh seafood and homemade salsas." 

Dishes include Rum Glazed Pork Cubano, Mojo Marinated Atlantic Salmon, Cuban Braised Beef “Ropa Vieja,” El Cubano Sandwich, and Paladar’s Blackened Fish Tacos. "An assortment of ceviche will be available featuring Ecuadorian Shrimp, Tuna and Watermelon and Sweet & Spicy Salmon," the e-mail says.

The 7,000-square-foot space has a dining room for 180 and a bar area for 60, plus an outdoor patio that can seat 50 more.

It will be open seven days a week: Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Paladar's Ribeye

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

It's back-to-school time. And while the kiddos learn reading, writing and arithmetic, parents get schooled in the politics of schoolhouse eating.

With all the attention on childhood obesity these days, lots of lunchbox staples have become taboo.

I'm not one to mourn the loss of the once-ubiquitous high school Coke machine. But the case is not so clear for every out-of-favor food. And some cafeteria classics now under fire aren't going without a fight.

Which brings us to this week's list:

Top Ten controversial school foods

No. 1. Peanuts

Packing peanut butter in a lunchbox suddenly seems on par with packing a concealed weapon. Not that I take issue with peanut bans; I gladly complied with one we encountered when my son had a preschool classmate who was highly allergic. The allergy can be so deadly that schools have to take it seriously. But I wonder: why have peanut allergies have become so prevalent in the last generation? I didn't know a single kid with a peanut allergy growing up. Now, the allergy is so common that peanut-free classrooms and peanut-free cafeteria tables are practically the norm.

No. 2. Twinkies

If there were ever a time for a golden snack cake with shelf-stable "cream" filling, this is not it. 

No. 3.  Homemade, whole wheat oatmeal-chocolate chip cookie

I get Twinkies bans, but I was taken aback a couple years ago when my son's Montessori preschool teacher told him he wasn't supposed to have the cookie I'd put in his lunch. It was early in the year and while the school had a stated no-junk-foods policy, I never dreamed that applied to a homemade, whole-grain treat. The recipe was based on one from Alice Waters, for crying out loud! Rules are rules, so I complied. But I'd still put my cookie up against the partially hydrogenated crackers the school handed out at snack time.

No. 4. Meatless Mondays

When Baltimore City school cafeterias started going all vegetarian on Mondays last year, there was a surprising backlash. Not from kids or parents, but the meat industry. The schools were depriving children of essential protein, a meat spokeswoman fretted on national TV. No matter that the meals -- cheese lasagna, for example -- still meet the same protein requirements as traditional school lunches.

No. 5. Candy

Packing candy in lunch boxes is verboten at some schools, but objecting to candy can get parents crosswise with some teachers. A mom I know complained that her kids' public school teacher was giving out to candy every day to reward classroom work. The principal backed the teacher up, telling the mom that were certain kids they couldn't reach without candy. Wow. This National Merit Scholar is brought to you by Hershey's.  

No. 6. Soda

No. 7. Flavored milk

Chocolate and strawberry milk are banned in some schools because they contain loads of sugar. But some parents still want it as a way to get calcium into their kids. As the mother of two kids on a long-running plain-milk strike, I'll confess to being part of the latter group. Still, the sugar content on those little Horizon strawberry milks makes me cringe. So does the price, which I think works out to $14 a gallon.

No. 8. Juice

Another lunch- and snack-time standard lately frowned upon for packing lots of calories.

No. 9. Birthday cupcakes

When the treats are for the whole class, look out! Some school districts have imposed bans.

No. 10. Fluffernutter on white bread

I ate it nearly every day for lunch as a schoolkid. Though I obviously survived, I am depriving my kids of that pleasure.

Newsday photo

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

John Lindner reviews Cafe Bon Appetit, the socially conscious cafeteria at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, in today's Sun.

If you're wondering what I mean by "socially conscious," the place offers organic and local foods, tries to reduce its food waste and takes other steps to keep its carbon footprint as small as possible.

All commendable, but John finds the flavor doesn't live up to the mission.

And speaking of that mission, where's the recycling bin where patrons can toss their empties? John reports being "mildly shocked" by its absence.

Here's John's full Cafe Bon Appetit review.

Sun photo by Karl Merton Ferron

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 2:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

It was Children's Day at the Four Seasons in New York and the deal was this: kids eat free.

Really. And not from some kiddie menu with the usual mac-n-cheese and chicken fingers. We're talking stuff like steak au poivre, which normally adds $56 to the tab.

"Their choices included the $28 sweet corn ravioli with prawns in summer truffle bouillon and the $28 beef tartare,"  Glenn Collins wrote in a fun New York Times piece last week.

The deal applied to kids 5 to 14 years old who were accompanied by a paying adult diner. (No more than two pint-sized freeloaders per grown-up.)

I know Owl Meat was just lamenting how "Baltimore comes late and ponderously to most things," but I say this is one dining trend worth shamelessly aping.

What a kick it would be to take the kids -- mine started kindergarten and second grade today -- out for real fine dining without going broke.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament, which began in May with 16 Baltimore chefs taking on 16 Washingtonians in an "Iron Chef"-style competition, is down to the final four.

The semi-finalists -- three classically trained men and one self-taught woman. -- will compete tonight and Tuesday at The Belvedere Hotel with hopes of advancing to the Sept. 13 finals.

Tonight, Kenneth Plante will take on Sarah Mogol. Plante, who trained at Baltimore International College, is executive chef of Red Star in Fells Point. The self-taught Mogol has been a caterer under the name Bountiful Catering and has taught cooking classes in the Washington area.

On Tuesday, Justin McGuann will compete against Dennis Friedman. McGuann recently took a job with Aldo’s Ristorante Italiano. He trained at Baltimore International College. Friedman is chef-owner of Bezu, a French-Asian fusion restaurant in Potomac. He trained at the Culinary Institute of America.

The event takes place at Truffles Catering at the Belvedere in Mount Vernon. Tickets are available at www.MasonDixonMasterChef.com.

General admission tickets are $55, including tax and gratuity. They entitle the holder to a four-course meal by Chef Timothy Dore of Truffles. General Admission ticket holders are also eligible for random selection as a guest judge for that evening’s competition.

"Judging Experience" tickets cost $75 each, including tax and gratuity. Those tickets include a four-course meal and tastes of all six of the chefs’ creations.

Ten percent of net proceeds go to Moveable Feast, a local nonprofit organization that delivers nutritious meals to people living with HIV/AIDS, breast cancer and other life-threatening conditions.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Richard Gorelick reviews Obrycki's in today's Sun.

He isn't crazy about everything -- "dull" garden salad, "gummy" eclair, even "bland" crab soup -- but he is pleased to find crabs prepared without Old Bay.

Check out Richard's full Obrycki's review.

Sun photo by Algerina Perna

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

Alan Morstein of Regi's sends news of produce -- and sausage -- on sale this week. He also relates a cautionary parking tale. Here's Alan. LV

It appears that the cooler morning temperatures have gotten shoppers out of bed and straight to the Waverly Market this morning as it was very busy by 7:00 a.m. The vendors we all smiles this morning with the turnout and improved weather over the last few weeks.

New arrivals at Waverly today were Butter Beans from Tom the "Bean Man" and fresh ground -- not frozen -- organic pork butt Italian sausage seasoned with fennel, dandelion, leaks, garlic and a hint of red wine sold by Martin Farms, whose specialty is fresh herbs.

Second fields of crops are now in plentiful supply featuring local favorites: heirloom tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, beefsteak, eggplant, peppers, watermelons, squash, zucchini, grapes, potatoes, corn, herbs, onions, string beans and more.

On another note: be patient with parking and DO NOT park at the Papa Johns lot adjacent to the market. Two cars we being towed at a cost of $250 each. One customer while purchasing bison was fortunate enough to see her car in the process of being towed and was "let off the hook" for $150, in cash of course.

Bison is lower in fat than chicken and salmon but for this lady quite expensive today.

Enjoy this beautiful weekend.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

My colleague Arthur Hirsch has a funny story in today's Sun about the deep-fried glories of the State Fair.

Some of the items Arthur discovered getting dipped in batter and boiled in vats of oil: strawberry Pop-Tarts, Twinkies "and, yes, an entire peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich on white bread."

Here's how he describes the scene at the fried foods stand.

"Every so often, someone strolls by, looks up at the menu and exclaims, 'Oh, my God.' The fry stand might be the food equivalent of the Bearded Lady or the Lizard Boy, bygone midway attractions meant to defy belief."

Check out Arthur's full story, Everything is deep fried at the State Fair: Oreos, Pop Tarts and s'mores.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 6:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

It's official: the era of the tomato tasting is upon us.

First Volt put one on. Now Homestead Gardens is putting one on as part of a the Annapolis Tomato Festival, which takes place Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. at the Davidsonville nursery.

In addition to tomato tastings, there will be a chili cook-off, salsa contest (that's the salsa you eat, not dance), cooking demonstrations, a vegetable carving demo by Chef James Parker of Veggy Art and, though it pains me to mention it, a Ledo Pizza-eating contest.

Tickets are $10. Kids under 10 are admitted free. A family of four gets in for $25.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Last time Brewer's Art did a beer dinner, the menu included a wonder of molecular gastronomy called popcorn puree.

Something else unusual caught my eye on the menu for the Brewer's Art beer dinner coming up Wednesday: heirloom grits.

I can only assume they're grits made from some old variety of hominy, but even with all sorts of heirloom veggies in vogue, heirloom grits caught me by surprise.

The grits appear during the first of five courses, alongside a seared diver scallop, Hudson Valley foie gras and peach-habañero jam. That course gets washed down with Saison de Pècore.

Check out the full Brewer's Art beer dinner menu yourself. 

Dinner is $55 per person. 

Reservations can be made online or by calling (410) 547-6925. You must specify beer dinner if
you reserve online.

UPDATE: Just heard back from Volker Stewart of Brewer's Art, who filled me in on heirloom grits.

"They are just produced at an old mill in Tennessee," he e-mailed me. "A former chef of ours grew up there and they were his local grits producer (good childhood memory), and he got them to ship them up here to us! Best grits around."
 

You call it corn. We call it heirloom grits. Getty Images

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

While we're on the subject of dogs and food, let me direct your attention to a lively discussion about the propriety-legality-wisdom of taking dogs to the farmers' market.

It's been taking place on Unleashed, the pets blog written by my colleague Jill Rosen.

 AP photo

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Owl Meat Gravy just sent me this observation:

"McBistro? Yeah that's lame, but what does bistro really mean in the U.S.?

"Here is proof that it no longer means anything.
 
"Add 'Tuscan-style' to linguistic shark week."

Very much in keeping with the item I had earlier this week about Rachael Ray's doggie gazpacho recipe and the dog treats on the menu at  an Ocean City restaurant.

I'm afraid man's best friend falls victim to the same culinary cliches as his master.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The owners of 208 Talbot in St. Michaels -- a restaurant that once made EL's list of "Top Ten Places Worth the Gas Money" -- are getting ready to open a second restaurant, this time in Easton.

Starting in mid- to late October, Brasserie Brightwell will provide an "upscale localvore-focused contemporary American dining experience," "a cozy and casual 120 seat European Brasserie with an American feel," according to an e-mail sent on the restaurant's behalf from the PR firm 2911 Productions.

(Note the use of "localvore" versus the more common "locavore." Prof. McIntyre and other wordsmiths, please weigh in on the localvore/locavore debate. Personally, given the crazy lengths I've sometimes gone to get local foods -- schlepping all the way to Buckeystown for gass-fed beef, for instance -- I think the prefix should be  "loco." But I digress.)

"The contemporary menu borrows from the classics, offering a large variety of small and large dishes," says the e-mail. "Escargot in garlic butter, frog legs, French onion soup gratinee are just some of the ageless brasserie standards that will be served, in addition to a 10 oz. Brasserie Burger, Whole Grilled Bronzino or the Whole Roasted Maine Lobster, to name a few. Entrees of fresh fish, beef, lamb, pork, and poultry will also be available daily."

There's also news that 208 Talbot has opened an offshoot, 208 Burger, which offers seating for 25 in the bar area. It offers "gastro-pub themed dishes including an impressive selection of gourmet burgers, milkshakes – spiked or non-alcoholic – and an assortment of eclectic bar snacks such as Fried Garbanzo Beans, Hot Marcona Almonds, and White Anchovies, for guests looking to enjoy a more relaxed casual dining experience."

For those of you who enjoy an effusive press release, I'll post a bit more below. For those who do not, read no more. If you get there, I do like the bit about the garden snail mural as an ode to both French cooking and the slow-foods movement.

"As the sounds of Miles Davis, Madeleine Peyroux or Benny Goodman, stream through the speakers, diners will have the option of pulling up a chair at Brasserie Brightwell's antique zinc bar to sample a selection of fine beers on tap, imbibe in creative cocktails, or interesting glass pours of wine in tumblers, dine amongst friends or neighbors turned friends at the large communal table situated in the main dining room, or venture outside through two massive garage doors to take-in the crisp fall air as they dine al fresco. 

"As meat sizzles on the grill, its mouthwatering smoke will waft through the spacious main dining room and through the huge garage doors that slide up and open onto the large outdoor patio. An outdoor fireplace provides a cozy ambiance, while heating the patio in the cooler months. Spring, summer or fall, the patio will be the preferred gathering place for Eastonians and visitors alike.

"Neatly appointed, tall mirrors line the walls, guiding the eye up towards the immensely high ceilings and the dramatic open cupola at the center of the main dining room. A beautiful open exhibition kitchen with an eye-catching wood burning grill acts as the center piece, providing an exciting energy and atmosphere. An enormous mural of a garden snail, an ode to Brightwell’s French roots and the slow food movement, hangs on the far wall. Small votive candles flicker on brown butcher papered table tops as ceiling fans slowly circulate air. Guests can dine at the Brasserie’s counter and watch the cooks in action or find a more secluded seat at one of the two large banquets."


Sun file photo

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Here's a fundraiser that should appeal to wine lovers.

First, it's a wine tasting.

Second, it benefits a political action committee formed to promote the Maryland wine and grape industry.

Here's the promotion e-mailed to me for the event, which takes place at Clementine Sept. 1.

"Join Al Spoler, host of WYPR's Cellar Notes, for an An Evening of Top Maryland Wine @ Clementine from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m., where guests will participate in a guided pairing of Clementine hors d’oeuvres and top-scoring Maryland wines in the Maryland Governor's Cup Competition, including new premium wines not yet publicly available.

"All proceeds to benefit Supporters of Maryland Winegrowing PAC, Albert Copp, Treasurer."

The e-mail also noted:

"This is the first of a series of events hosted by the Supporters of Maryland Winegrowing PAC.  The PAC was established to support the legislative efforts of the Maryland Wine and Grape industry.  This industry has a history of trials and successes in passing positive legislation which will create a positive business environment for vineyards and wineries in the state of Maryland."

Tickets cost $48. They are available at marylandwine.com.   

Tickets also can be purchased at the door with cash or check. Clementine is at 5402 Harford Road in Baltimore.

AP photo

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Oprah’s former personal chef and "Top Chef Masters" competitor Art Smith married his longtime partner in Washington last weekend in a production so grand, it should have been directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Two Baltimore culinary figures were among the cast of thousands.

Duff Goldman, of "Ace of Cakes" and Charm City Cakes, made the cake, a nine-tiered, celadon-colored tower of white chocolate, raspberry, almond amaretto cream and cardamom pistachio.

And Carla Hall, a Silver Spring caterer who was a "Top Chef" finalist in season five, made the fruit-and-nut granola served before a pre-ceremony workout.

There's a whole lot more detail available below for anyone who's interested, in the form of a press release put out by the PR firm for the hotel and restaurant that hosted the extravaganza. (Smith is chef at the restaurant, Art and Soul.)

Intrepid readers who make it all the way to the end will hear about wedding swag that sure beats the usual tulle bag of Jordan almonds. (Among the items guests received: "A gift certificate to any Elite Island Resort in Antigua, Tortola or The Grenadines for up to 7 nights.")

Here's the release from Hisaoka Communications:

Over the weekend on Saturday, August 21st, 2010 The Liaison Capitol Hill, an Affinia Hotel and its restaurant Art and Soul hosted THE most talked about gay marriage in our nation’s capitol since its legalization several months ago. Celebrity chefs, reality start personalities, and friends and family from around the country were in town for the nuptials of Oprah’s former personal chef, TLC’s BBQ Pitmasters Judge and Top Chef Masters competitor Chef Art Smith to his long time partner of ten years Jesus Salguerio.
 
Chef Art and Jesus planned the celebration together which included a full day of festivities with a star-chef wattage, not seen in Washington since the Chefs Move to Schools kick off hosted by the first lady at the White House. Chef Art may be famous for cooking for super-stars, but on Saturday, they were catering for him as his friends and colleagues all contributed original dishes to his wedding gaiety.
 
For the morning breakfast, Top Chef competitor Carla Hall created an energy boosting fruit and nut homemade granola breakfast to fuel guest before a long run to the Lincoln Memorial lead by Chef Art and his Trainer Az Ferguson. At the Lincoln Memorial, spiritualist Marianne Williamson gave the couple a quick marital blessing before heading back to Art and Soul for the actual ceremony.
 
During the wedding ceremony that Ms. Williamson officiated, Chef Art and Jesus, wearing matching suites designed by Daniel Sudur and sneakers with their wedding date and Jesus’ heart artwork engraved on them, professed their love with their own wedding vows. After the nuptials, Art and Soul hosted a barbecue themed buffet brunch with dishes by a host of well-known chefs from around the country. The reason for a barbecue? Chef Arts says, “because no matter where you come from, everyone likes to get together over some simple, down home cooking and Southern inspired barbecue.”  Straight No Chaser, a 10-man a cappella group, entertained guests with a surprise performance after the nuptials with songs that included “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Poison” by BelBivDevo.
 
Guests such as International music star Moby; Congressman Dingell and wife Debbie; Fox News’ Chris Wallace and wife Lorraine; friend of Ms. Oprah Winfrey, celebrity interior designer and host to the upcoming Nate Berkus Show, Nate Berkus; Author of The Spectrum, Dr. Dean Ornish; Iron Chef America Chairman and actor Mark Dacascos; fellow TLC BBQ Pitmasters judge and former NFL player Warren Sapp, and more feasted on the on the following:
 
•         Duff Goldman “Ace of Cakes” – Created the nine-tiered, Celadon-Colored layered cake of white chocolate raspberry, almond amaretto cream and cardamom pistachio.
•         Myron Mixon “BBQ Pitmasters” – brought his own smoke equipment that was set up on the Art and Soul patio the day before the wedding to create his Pulled Pork and Baked Beans dish.
•         Ludo Lefebvre “Top Chef Masters” – Coleslaw
•         Lee Ann Wong “Top Chef Masters and Top Chef” – Potato Salad
•         Michelle Bernstein “Top Chef” – Macaroni and Cheese
•         Elizabeth Karmel “Queen of the Grill” – Beef Brisket
•         Travis Timberlake of Art and Soul – Lamb Burgers on pita with cucumber yogurt and olive relish
•         Rey Villalobos of Table 52 – Fried Chicken and Biscuits
•         William Poole of Wen Chocolates – Artisan Chocolates
 
Later in the evening, guests were invited to The Liaison Capitol Hill’s rooftop pool for a Summertime Vegetarian Celebration where Moby performed as guest DJ for the evening. Chef Art showed off his new 95 lbs slimmer physique when he jumped into the pool and then coaxed new hubby Jesus into the water with him (half dressed), where they serenaded each other with Lady Gaga songs.  The food was provided by Art’s buddies and fellow chefs including:
•         Tal Ronnen “The Conscious Cook” – Vegetarian Grilled “Chicken” Sandwiches
•         Roberto Caporuscio “USA Delegate for the Associazone Pizzaiuoli Napoletani USA”  and Rosario Procino with New York’s Keste Pizza & Vino – Set up three pizza ovens on The Liaison Capitol Hill’s rooftop to create individual margarita pizzas.
•         Manolis Alpogianis “Chicago’s famous American Dog hotdogs” – Veggie Dog
•         Katherine Kallinis and Sophie LaMontagne “Georgetown Cupcakes” – Cupcakes in flavors such as red velvet, salted caramel, peanut butter fudge and a special vegan chocolate cupcake just for Moby.
 
At the end of the night all the guests received a lovely EnviroSax eco-friendly gift bag that included:
•         A gift certificate to any Elite Island Resort in Antigua, Tortola or The Grenadines for up to 7 nights - sans airfare
•         a pair of sandals from Okobos, custom designed featuring Jesus’ artwork
•         Ultra light sports watch from WooLoot Wave
•         Lunetta Prosecco from Cavit
•         Tuscan Chickpea Frittata Mix from Lucini
•         Book – “How Apples Grow – The Grow Your World Series” by Mary Beth Albright
•         CD from Straight No Chaser – “With a Twist”
•         Nail polish from Ginger & Lux colour collection
•         Eco-friendly oil from DeLa
•         Gift card from Allen Brothers
 

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Bad news for Restaurant Week naysayers, and good news for everybody else: It's not over.

Many, many Baltimore restaurants are extending the promotion.

You'll have to check with each restaurant to find out just how long they're going to keep offering their $20.10 lunches and $35.10 dinners.

The Restaurant Week website has a list of the restaurants extending RW week, marking them with an "e" next to the name.

 Pumpkin and yogurt at Helmand, one of the restaurants where Restaurant Week lives on. Sun photo by Algerina Perna

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Why should Fido settle for a doggie bag -- somebody else's leftovers, for crying out loud -- when there's something on the menu just for him?

The Shark on the Harbor in Ocean City offers this along with mini creme brulees and bread pudding:

"Doggy Dessert. Two cookies for $2. Don't forget your favorite four-legged friend! Our doggie cookies are flavored with beef and best of all, the proceeds go to the Worcester County Humane Society (a no-kill shelter)."

Customers order the doggie treats "all the time," a Shark employee told me by phone just now.

(I hear the human side of the menu is good, too. So says a colleague who recently enjoyed the "bayou" style crab cake with sausage and crawfish, and who tipped me off to the doggie treats. Thanks, Julie!)

I wonder how many food-and-animal lovers treat their pets to gourmet fare, whether from a restaurant or their own kitchens.

When our dog, Fred, was alive, Science Diet was eating high on the hog.

But just a couple weeks ago, while flipping through Every Day with Rachael Ray in a doctor's waiting room, I noticed not just a dog-food recipe, but a very unlikely one: "Cool as cucumber gazpacho."

Fred, you died too soon.

PRNewsFoto

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 1:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

A friend dined out at Volt and ordered a couple bottles of wine. The first was $80. The second was considerably cheaper, maybe $40.

When the bill arrived, her horrified husband asked if she'd realized the price of the $80 bottle when she'd ordered.

She briefly considered lying, but then confessed: "Yes. I was momentarily intimidated by the sommelier, but I recovered."

In this week's Shallow Thought Wednesdays post, John Lindner tells us there's a word for that: vintimidation.

Here's John. LV

Do you dunandunate? I know I do.

To dunandunate is to overuse a word or phrase recently added to your vocabulary – I paraphrase from this unbylined story in the Telegraph.co.uk that pries opens the Oxford English Dictionary’s vault of not-yet-accepted words.

By that august body’s lights neither you nor I “officially” dunandunate, because “dunandunate” is not recognized as a real word by the keepers of the OED – the holy writ of the Queen’s English. Too bad, because this secret stash of coinage brims with desperately needed neologisms, many ripe for foodie assimilation.

I like this one: “Freegan – someone who rejects consumerism, usually by eating discarded food.” My new politically correct name for Dumpster divers.

Here’s one whose rejection from the canon surprises me: “Locavor – a person who tries to eat only locally grown or produced food.” My guess is this term shows up in an upcoming OED version. Prof. McIntyre, I yield the floor ...

“Wibble – the trembling of the lower lip just shy of actually crying.” Not necessarily a foodie term (though it could happen often enough if you tend to pick up the tab in high-end restaurants), but I like it.

"Dringle – the watermark left by a glass of liquid.”
 
This calls for a haiku, but instead I offer my own ten new food terms and, of course, invite you to enlist your own epicurean neologisms which I promise to dunandunate to the fullest extent allowed by state law:
 
1. Trendivore – Nomadic habitue of newly designated hip eateries.

2. Zuchinundated – overwhelmed by a much larger than anticipated crop from a small home garden.

3. Roont – an overcooked burger.

4. Vintimidation – Fear of ordering the wrong wine.

5. Wheylaid – momentarily shocked by the olfactory assault of strong cheese.

6. Debambinated – the ability to eat once cute animals without a trace of guilt.

7. Menupity – the feeling of wanting to like a restaurant owned or staffed by sincerely nice people that badly fails to live up to its potential.

8. Spamulent – the quality of having been processed from unspecified “parts”.

9. Omnibus – a server who takes your order, delivers your food and clears the table after you leave.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Tatu has opened in Power Plant Live! and Wine Market is getting a makeover.

That's the big news in Richard Gorelick's Table Talk column, which appears in today's Taste section.

I provide the link for Smarty Bomans and any other Dining@Large reader who threw the section in the trash because they're sick of hearing about weird ice cream.

One of Richard's funny observations about Tatu:

"The menu is fun and features the now-typical mix of attractively priced entrees and dangerously priced appetizers and cocktails. I fall for it every time."

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I got a little ahead of myself last week, when I alerted everyone to the story I'd written about unusual ice-cream flavors  -- a week before it was to appear in the paper.

It's in today's Sun if you're intersted.

If nothing else, I thought the sandbox would like to see the photo of the savory ranch ice cream served with a crispy sous vide pork belly at Jack's Bistro.

Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Kate Smith, a Loyola College junior and intern here at The Sun, sent me this essay about apologizing by way of pie. Here's Kate. LV

I don’t think I could have survived high school without this pie.

Not that I was a trouble-maker necessarily, but my mom and I did our fair share of verbal sparring in my high school years. Whether it was about one of my numerous car accidents, a bad grade, or a missed curfew, a raised voice in my home in Connecticut wasn’t a total rarity.

Now don’t get me wrong: I love my mom. When we get along, I love spending time with her. But when she’s mad, well, it’s no good, which is where this pie factors in.

My mom is a svelte little woman with Southern roots. While she’s spent almost all of her life up North and even married the Yankee my dad is, she still enjoys her grits, sweet tea, and like any other self-respecting Southern woman, a good pie.

After an exhausting yelling battle, my mother and father would usually get too frustrated with me and go for a walk, which is when I’d get busy in the kitchen. One slice of this pie could absolve me of any minor to mid-range offense and give me a solid head start on the road to forgiveness (and usually a lesser grounding) on those doozies I’d find myself in the middle of every once in a while.

Everything about this pie is fantastic. The sour cream and sugar-based filling balances out the tart blackberries without stripping them of their tangy flavor, and the topping adds the perfect amount of crunch to the bite without segregating itself from the rest of the dessert.

My mother knows all of this too well and lucky for me, has yet to grow sick of the flavor after the many fights we’ve had. We’ve sat down many a time, slices of warm pie in front of us, apologizing for our loud behavior and her listening to my promises to be better next time.

And if I’m not, I promise to at least have a pie ready.

So for all of you, here is the recipe to my infamous blackberry and cream pie.

It’s not one of those secret recipes. I’m fairly sure my grandmother (the Southern one, of course) cut it out of a newspaper and just saved it. And for the help it did for me, I’m putting it out there for all daughters who’ve found themselves in some inevitable high school trouble.

Bake often! And to my mom, I love you and I hope that I never bake you another pie again.

Blackberry and Cream Pie

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/3 cups light sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups blackberries

1 unbaked 9" pie shell

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped pecans

3 tbsp. butter, softened

whipped cream

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a bowl, combine sugar, 1/3 cup flour, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth. Toss in blackberries and stir well. Spoon into pie shell.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until set.

In a bowl, combine 1/3 cup flour, brown sugar, pecans and soft butter, mix well. Sprinkle over pie. Return pie to oven for 10 minutes.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 3:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

In the issue that hits newsstands today, Bon Appétit magazine recognizes great American bar snacks. 

Among them is a flatbread at B&O American Brasserie. It's made with arugula, asparagus and fried eggs.

I've never had it, and I'll confess that the fried-egg aspect strikes me as a bit odd. (So much so that I considered using it as the jumping-off point for a Top Ten Strange Uses for Eggs list. But then there was there was the matter of coming up with the other nine.)

In any case, a colleague who's had the flatbread assures me it's delicious.

I wondered if the vegetables change seasonally, which would make sense at a place like B&O, which bills itself as a locavore restaurant. But when I called B&O just now, I was told the asparagus version is still available.

The recipe for the flatbread can be had at bonappetit.com. You can also see a slideshow of the other snacks.

AP photo

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

I was on vacation -- not Atkins.

While visiting my parents in Connecticut last week, my husband and I took an overnight trip to Boston with our kids, one of my sisters, and her two children.

We did enough carbo-loading there to prepare for a marathon, though I'm afraid there was no 26.2-miler to justify any of it. Just a few easy jogs around Boston Public Garden, admiring the swan boats and barely working up a sweat.

We did get to burn some of it off hustling down 12 flights of hotel stairs during a late-night fire alarm that, luckily, turned out to be false.

If only we'd walked back up the stairs afterward. We'd intended to do that since every guest in the hotel was lined up for the elevators. But as we headed for the stairs, a hotel staffer took pity and directed us to the service elevator. We got to ride up with the laundry guy and two airline pilots.

The brush with pilots impressed my 5-year-old son, even if the ride did nothing to negate over-consumption of fresh pastas, breads and pastries in Boston's North End, the Italian neighborhood where my grandparents grew up and my great-grandparents settled as immigrants.

I'd eat my way through the North End again -- and start running longer, if need be.

Which brings me to this week's list:

Top Ten reasons to take up marathoning

No. 1. Mike's Pastry cannoli

Creamy, lovely ricotta-filled pastry. I've encountered nothing in Baltimore that comes close.

No. 2. Mike's Pastry cappuccino

The perfect drink with that cannoli, even after my rascally nephew lobbed a spoonful of his lemon ice into my cup.

No. 3. Trattoria Il Panino's lobster ravioli

The fresh pasta, filled with sweet lobster meat, came in a creamy crab sauce. Worth every fat gram.

No. 4. Il Panino's crespelle

My husband ordered these savory crepes, filled with fresh ricotta and spinach. They were almost too good to share, but he gave me a bite.

No. 5. Bread

Before our entrees arrived at Il Panino, we had wonderful Italian bread, the crusty-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside kind with a web of irregular holes, served with fruity green olive oil and a splash of balsamic for dipping. It could have been Wonder Bread for all the kids cared, since it was late and they were starving. But the grown-ups knew what a treat it was.

No. 6. More bread

I bought a crusty loaf to take to my parents' house at my favorite North End grocery, Salumeria Italiana. I wanted to get olive oil, olives and balsamic vinegar, too. But the kids needed to keep moving, so all I got was the bread. Short of cash, I used a credit card to buy a single $5 loaf. There would have been something wrong with that -- charging a loaf of bread -- if the bread hadn't been so good. Back at my parents' house, we turned some of it into bruschetta. The next day, I toasted two slices for an avocado sandwich that I ate on the ride back to Baltimore. 

No. 7. Eggplant Parmesan sandwich, Il Panino Express

Moving our four-kid crew around on the T, across streets and along sidewalks sometimes felt like herding cats. Which is why we wound up eating lunch at the informal offshoot of the trattoria where we'd eaten dinner the night before. We might have ventured farther afield, but there it was, right by the cash machine we'd just hit. We had no regrets. My $6-something chicken Parm sub was enormous and delicious. I could only eat half. I gladly carried the rest back to Connecticut, where not a scrap went to waste.

No. 8. Gnocchi al pesto, Il Panino Express

My 7-year-old daughter is a big fan of this dish, which we make at home. It wasn't technically on the menu at this restaurant, but they had gnocchi, they had pesto, and they were willing to put them together for us. The sauce had an intense basil flavor and the little potato dumplings were pleasantly springy.

No. 9. Pizza

I'd heard raves about Galleria Umberto from a co-worker, on a pizza blog, and on a North End sidewalk, where the line spilled out of the no-frills lunch spot not long after noon on a Monday. I can't say the Sicilian-style slices lived up to the hype -- to me, it was average pizza -- but with a big gang to feed, the price was right: $1.75 a slice. Panini were $2 each. And it was fun watching the guys behind the counter work like crazy to keep the orders coming.

No. 10. More pizza

We didn't wait for Boston to start pigging out on Italian food. We hit Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana on the way up from Baltimore. The pie: sweet tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and on half, for mom and daughter, fresh mushrooms, on a thin crust with just the right mix of char and chew. It covered a huge serving tray that the waitress plunked on the windowsill beside our booth. The restaurant is celebrating its 85th year this year. How could we pass it by?

The Pepe's pie that launched a carb spree. Photo by math-hubby 

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Just got a request for some dining advice.

"I read your blog and was hoping to get some of your advice on dining for a bachelor party," the message reads. "I wanted to take the bachelor to a nice place in Baltimore and was wondering if you could send me any ideas you may have.

"We are late twenty, early thirties. We are not picky in regard to food choices, so anything that pops up in your head would be a great help to us."

I am resisting the temptation to refer the reader to Scores, which bills itself as a "Gentleman's Club and Steakhouse." 

Any suggestions for him?

Sun file photo of Hooters Air

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 6:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

We've got the burger truck, the cupcake truck, but so far, no lobster truck.

It may only be a matter of time.

A truck selling $8 $15 lobster rolls -- the New England kind, not the sushi sort -- has started rolling through Washington, and Red Hook tells Washington City Paper that it plans to expand to Maryland.

Chicago Tribune photo

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

John Lindner checks out a pizzeria that sounds great to me, if only because the name starts the way mine ends, with z-e-l-l-a.

You can read his review of Zella's Pizzeria in today's Sun.

Sun photo by Karl Merton Ferron

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

My colleague Dan Rodricks sends news of a cooking teacher, lecturer and author who will be on Dan's WYPR radio show, Midday, at 1 p.m. Tuesday.

His name is Giuliano Bugialli, and Dan can personally vouch for the guy's way with carrots. 

"I read a lot of cookbooks and watch a lot of chefs on TV, and Bugialli is the best -- the best books, the best explainer and the best in appreciation of the simplicity and power of authentic Italian food," Dan e-mailed me. "Your readers might enjoy tuning in or asking a question. http://www.wypr.org/listen.html to listen online.

"One of Bugialli's recipes, picked up during his travels in Sicily, has proven to be a hit at my house over and over again. People are disappointed when I fail to make it for a party."

Dan sent along the recipe, from Bugialli's Italy, the companion book to his PBS series, Morrow, 1998.

Carote in insalata

2 pound carrots

Coarse-grain salt

1 medium-size lemon

15 sprigs Italian parsley, leaf only

2 large cloves garlic, peeled

2 tablespoons capers, drained

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Boil the carrots with skin on in salted water for 10 minutes or so, depending on size. The carrots must be cooked, but not mushy and not undercooked. Remove the skins under cold running water and cut the carrots into disks about a quater-inch thick.

Cut the lemon into quarters and each quarter into very thin slices, skin and all.

Coarsely chop the parsley and finely chop the garlic, then combine. Place the carrots, lemon slices and capers together in a large crockery or glass bowl. Add the olive oil and garlic mixture, salt and pepper to taste. Mix very well and transfer to a serving dish. Serve chilled or at room temperature with a few leaves of the parsley on each portion.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 7:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Richard Gorelick checks out La Tavola and finds the fresh pastas more than satisifying.

Read his review of the Little Italy restaurant in today's Sun.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 8:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Alan Morstein of Regi's, our faithful Waverly Market correspondent, sent me this report bright and early today. But since I've been busy with all that post-vacation fun -- laundry, among other things -- and I forgot to look for his report until just now. Sorry for the delay. Also, sorry for the lack of art. My computer seems to be refusing to link to Tribune's network. Clearly it's in denial that vacation is over. Here's Alan. LV 

If you like all varieties of apples for baking, canning, salads or just eating, then you'll be very impressed with what the Waverly Market is offering.

Select from Macintosh, Ginger Gold, Gala and Paula.

For those wishing to purchase something "outside the lines," consider Chowder Beans, Zucchini Flowers (web has some wonderful easy recipes), Purple String Beans for dipping during tonight's Ravens game and fresh Okra, the vegetable base for some zesty gumbo.

No shortage of the summer local favorites, although you may have to search the growers for some items since many growers and presently in between fields.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 2:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

In a New York Times op-ed yesterday, Stephen Budiansky, author of the blog liberalcurmudgeon.com, questions the ability of locavores to do math.

Specifically, he questions claims that food produced nearby is necessarily more "sustainable" or energy-efficient.

"The result [of the local-foods movement] has been all kinds of absurdities," he writes. "For instance, it is sinful in New York City to buy a tomato grown in a California field because of the energy spent to truck it across the country; it is virtuous to buy one grown in a lavishly heated greenhouse in, say, the Hudson Valley."

Check out the whole piece, titled, "Math Lessons for Locavores."

It won't stop me from going to the farmers' market, but it's fuel for thought.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 8:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Ted in Parkville sends news of his Restaurant Week experience in Baltimore County, which got in on the promotion for the first time this year. Here's Ted. LV

We took advantage of Restaurant Week Thursday as we have in the past, but this time it was a little different because it was not Baltimore City Restaurant Week but Baltimore County's First Restaurant Week.

Our 6:30 p.m. reservation was at Christopher Daniel on Padonia Road in Cockeysville/Hunt Valley.

Both dining rooms were busy and there were only a couple empty tables during the 90 minutes we were there.

Ann had the Crab & Clam Chowder and I settled for prosciutti, watermelon, feta, and pistachio for Course #1.

Available entrees included rare tuna, trout, steak, and veal. Ann took steak and I had the veal and portobello. Both were excellent.

For dessert we shared cheesecake and peach cobbler ala mode which were both good.

With two Cosmos and three draft beers the tab ran to $111.00 before tip. We are looking for another choice - probably in the City - for Sunday.

Sun photo of Christopher Daniel by Kenneth K. Lam

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

But Ramadan deals?

Owl Meat Gravy was good enough to alert me to the special Lebanese Taverna advertised on Facebook:

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Among those braving the crowds this Restaurant Week is Federal Hill Jim, who sends this report:

"Kudos to Meli on Restaurant Week. They're offering their full regular menu at RW prices. The food was excellent.

"No skimping on portions, either. My wife took home a doggie bag. The tuna carpaccio is not to be missed. Generous portion, the best version I've ever had."

So, how's Restaurant Week going for the rest of you? 

See more Restaurant Week coverage.

Dessert at Meli. Sun photo by Lloyd Fox

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

Adoration of the heirloom tomato may reach its peak Sunday, when people shell out $50 for the Heirloom Tomato Festival put on by Volt restaurant.

"Delight in a tasting of over 40 varieties of organic heirloom tomatoes, view chef demonstrations, partake in wines, cheeses and olive oil tastings," reads the promotion.

The event takes place at Carrollton Manor Farm, 6601 Manor Woods Road in Buckeystown, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.  

Tickets cost $50 per person. Children 7 and under are free.

Organizers are promising to keep the kids entertained at something called the Children's Corner while grown-ups savor their Cherokee Purples and Mortgage Lifters.

"BAR-T, the premier all-green children's ranch in Urbana, MD is the official sponsor of the Children's Corner and they will keep your children occupied on the farm," says the promotion.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Shallow Thought Wednesdays guru John Lindner reports that his eyes have been opened about coffee. And it's not just the caffeine at work. Here's John. LV

Did you know that coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world next to oil?

Neither did I.

Flak alert: the following STW shamelessly promotes a Guatemala-based coffee blogger and, I’m proud to say, colleague of mine.

Until a few months ago, everything I wanted to know about coffee was this: Is it hot? Is it leaded or decaf? Today I know that everything there is to know about coffee could fill a blog – or lots of blogs.

Michael Sheridan lives in Guatemala City. He’s an advocate for coffee farmers. He blogs about growers, coffee production, beans, roasters, industry issues, fair trade, hazards in the coffeelands and he takes nice pictures, too.

I enjoy Michael’s blog because with it he takes me to an unseen world that touches mine only at the very end of a long, sometimes arduous process.

Shallow thought: the only thing I have against caffeine is that it makes it less likely that I’ll die in my sleep.

Photo by Eziquel Boita courtesy Stock Xchng

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Earlier this summer, I posted a list of Top Ten unusual ice cream flavors. I thought I'd pretty much covered it all, from sweet cucumber ice cream at Dominion to savory tomato-fennel "dipping dots" at Volt.

But in the course of writing a story on the subject, I came across several more surprising flavors.

The ice cream story will appear in this next week's Taste section. (At least that was the plan when I went on vacation late last week. If something's changed, don't blame me. I just work here. [Note from SKK: Nope, it's running next week, which was always the plan!])

So without further ado, here is this week's list:

Top Ten Even More Unusual Ice Cream Flavors

Chef-owner Ted Stelzenmuller uses a scoop of this savory ice cream to top his pork belly BLT, which is a hunk of pork, cooked sous vide, and then crisped on the grill, and served on a bed of marinated tomatoes and arugula. It’s not as strange as it sounds, said manager Christie Smertycha. “As it melts down, it becomes a dressing, but it’s served as a dollop of ice cream – just sort of fun for summer,” she said.

2. Buttered popcorn ice cream (Jack's Bistro)

This ice cream adds a savory note to a dessert that Smertycha describes as “deconstructed kettle corn." It’s served in two dishes, one with cinnamon bread pudding topped with butterscotch sauce, the other with buttered popcorn ice cream with toffee pieces.

The dessert has “a cult following,” she said. “Even people that just try it because they think it sounds strange and they’re laughing take it very seriously after they’ve tried it.”

3. Pink peppercorn-lavender ice cream (Jack's Bistro)

(Thanks, Ice Cream Aficionado, the Dining@Large reader who put me onto this one.)  Smertycha described this dessert as "one of the most polarizing things on the menu. ... It’s strange. It’s floral. It’s spicy. It’s savory. Some people are like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just don’t know why I can’t stop eating it.’ Other people are, ‘It’s too weird for me. I’m glad I tried it, but no thanks.’”

4. Extra virgin olive oil sorbet (Cinghiale) 

Pastry chef Cara Flynn is about to start pairing this unusual gelato with zucchini cake and an heirloom tomato marmellata. Executive chef Julian Marucci told me it has "a really beautiful, silky texture and should go really excellent with the flavors of the zucchini and the acidity of the tomato marmellata.”

5. Tomato-basil sorbet (Cinghiale)

6. Basil ice cream (Woodberry Kitchen)

(Thanks to Dining@Large reader Mitch for this tip.) 

7. Heirloom Tomato "Dipping Dots" (Volt concession stand at Harry Grove Baseball Stadium)

While playing celebrity ballpark concessionaire, Volt chef Bryan Voltaggio served these savory ice cream pebbles as part of a rock shrimp ceviche. After dining at Volt's Table 21, I wrote that I didn't care for Voltaggio's tomato-fennel "dipping dots" when they were paired with a warm chicken Parmesan. But in the cold ceviche, these dots were spectacular.

8. Fresh Corn Ice Cream (Chez Vozzella)

I made this recently with farmers' market corn and a recipe by John Ash's "From the Earth to the Table." I was skeptical, so I only made half of a batch. But it was a hit. A 7-year-old neighbor declared, after her first lick, that it tasted like cake. I had to agree. (Credit the lemon zest.) We had a little left over and found, on Day 2, that the corn ice cream stayed softer than homemade ice cream usually does. Maybe there's something in corn that does what guar gum, Xanthan gum or other weird-sounding ingredients do to keep the commercial stuff scoopable.

9. Trout Ice Cream ("Iron Chef")

Hiroyuki Sakai famously created this dish on "Iron Chef." I"m not vouching for the dish, which Slate described as "raw trout ice cream, garnished with blueberries, bananas, and a crispy twist of fried trout skin." But it had its fans. "This freaky dish won raves from the drably polite tasting panel, made up of Bon Appetit editor Victoria von Biel, high-profile chef Kerry Simon, and former Daily Show comic Brian Unger," according to the Slate account.

10. Haggis ice cream (Morelli's)

I'm skeptical of this one, too, but I'm sure it deserves to a mention on any list of out-there ice creams. You'd have to travel all the way to the Harrod's in London to get a lick of it, a relief to those of us with no plans to visit the other side of the pond.

Here's what Food & Wine had to say about it: "Haggis—the Scottish dish made of sheep innards and traditionally sealed up sausage-style in the stomach—challenges many palates even in its traditional form. But Morelli's, a shop in Harrods's famed food hall, pushes that sheep-tissue envelope further by rendering it into ice cream."

Pictured: Popcorn and Pudding, cinnamon bread pudding with butterscotch and buttered popcorn ice cream with toffee pieces at Jack's Bistro. Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

I’m always skeptical of those city-by-city rankings cooked up to serve corporate marketing needs. 

Take the recent study by Dole that claims Charm City is "among the top U.S. salad cities."

"The exhaustive, 18-month research effort, part of the company’s relaunch of its reinvented DOLE Salads and All Natural DOLE Salad Kits lines, surveyed the in-store buying habits and in-home consumption trends of prepackaged salad consumers throughout the United States and Canada," the company's news release says.

“'Despite its reputation for seafood, Baltimore is among the most sophisticated salad markets in the country and home to an increasing number of salad lovers,' said Chris Mayhew, senior brand manager for Dole Fresh Vegetables," the release continues. "'Our research found that salad consumers here are much more likely to use salad as a meal or as the basis for creative new lunch and dinner entrees. From a salad standpoint, Baltimore is a trendsetter.'”

Dole claims to have come to this conclusion about Baltimore by measuring “per-capita [salad] consumption, the potential for consumption or the intention to serve salad as a meal.”

Look around?

Does Baltimore look like a city full of salad eaters?

Maybe we’re a city of “potential” salad eaters who somehow get sidetracked and inhale lots of Berger cookies instead.

Getty Images

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

A reader asked for my colleague Jacques Kelly's peach cake recipe recently, and Jacques was good enough to bring in a recipe from his 1979 BGE cookbook.

Not that Jacques actually approves of this glazed abomination. It's just a recipe that's out there and he's willing to share it -- so long as you don't blame him for the sickly sweet results.

Please don't hold him responsible for the red food coloring or optional margarine, either.

Peach Cake

1 3/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 package active dry yeast

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup hot water (120-130 degrees)

1 egg

Topping

In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix 1/2 cup flour, sugar, salt and undissolved yeast. Beat in butter or margarine. Gradually add water to dry ingredients; beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add egg and 1/2 cup flour or enough flour to make a thick batter. Beat at high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in remaining flour. Spread batter evenly into two greased 9-inch round pans or one 9-inch square pan. Cover with Topping.

Topping

1 1/2 to 2 cups peeled sliced peaches

3 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup apricot jam

1 drop red food color

Arrange peaches on batter. Sprinkle with combined sugar and cinnamon. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, until double in bulk, about 1 hour. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Allow to cook 10 minutes. Heat apricot jam in a 1-quart saucepan over low heat. Add food color; brush on warm Peach Cake.

Sun photo by Elizabeth Malby

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Alan Morstein of Regi's is back from vacation and back to work as our Waverly Market correspondent. The big news this morning: hurry up and get those tomatoes. Here's Alan. LV

After a week away it was great seeing the hard-working farmers at the Waverly Market this morning.

One of the highlights of my visit was talking to a group of high school students from a project named Great Kids Farm Growers.

This group consist of inner-city high school students who work a three-acre mini farm in Catonsville, on property owned by the Baltimore City School system. The students work the field and then wake up early in the morning to sell their products at the Waverly Market.

Today for sale they offered squash blossoms, cherry tomatoes, jalapenos, Genovese basil and per your recent article ... purslane. The project will become an accredited course next school year. Way to go, kids!

Making a market debut this week, honeydews, yellow hot peppers, Asian pears, champagne grapes (very small, bursting with flavor, delicate skin, green/red grapes) and jumbo white sweet potatoes.

Many growers stated that the Maryland local tomato season is winding down early this year due the extreme early summer heat. The primary reason being is that the tomatoes are not growing to full maturity and ripening early on the vines, making for smaller tomatoes and shorter crop production.

It may be time to get serious about canning the "Taste of Maryland" before the season ends.

Beautiful day to get out and enjoy the market.

Chicago Tribune photo

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 9:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

If you're wondering which restaurant won "The First Course -- Appetizer Challenge," an event held in the Inner Harbor Thursday to kick of restaurant week, it was Chef Neal Langermann of Langermann's.

"The Silver Fork Award was presented to Langermann’s for the delectable Tuna Tartare and Lump Crab Appetizer," Langermann's announced in a news release. "The winning appetizer contains tuna tartare and lump crabmeat blended together with spicy avocado dressing served atop a bed of fresh seaweed salad and is offered on both the Lunch and Supper menus as part of Langermann’s Restaurant Week menus." 

Celebrity judges for the contest included John Shields of Gertrude's and MPT's "Coastal Cooking with John Shields," Bernadette Woods of WJZ-TV; and Reagan Warfield of Mix 106.5.

Other participating restaurants included: Abacrombie Fine Foods, Brightons, City Café, M&S Grill, Phillips Harborplace, RA Sushi Bar, Rocco’s Capriccio, Rusty Scupper and Talara.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Hey, all, it's SKK reporting. I know LV wasn't too excited about Sonic opening in Randallstown today since fast food really isn't her bag.

But I headed out there to see what all of the fuss was about. (Well, I sort of get what all of the fuss is about -- I used to live in Texas and got the occasional slushie as a treat when I was a kid, but I never really thought about it that much until I moved here, where we get the commercials, but didn't have any easily accessible locations. But I digress.)

David Crocetti, co-owner of the Randallstown location (at 8212 Liberty Road), said they'd looked at the demographics and the strong traffic count in the area and decided it was a good place to build. But also, he said, "It was a city that wanted a Sonic and that encouraged us to come here."

Sonics offer, Crocetti said, food made-to-order, dozens of varieties of drinks, slushies, shakes, sundaes, salads, wraps, chicken sandwiches, burgers and more, served drive-in style delivered by carhops in roller skates. 

Though the official opening was at 10 a.m. today, the kitchen had a test-run Wednesday. After a friends-and-family event, the location opened unannounced for two hours, "to slam the kitchen," Crocetti said, and make sure they were ready.

There was a lot of social-media buzz going on regarding the opening, and it had worked.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Twitter," said Mark Harris of Randallstown, who was taking phone orders from his friends and family and waiting to be among the first walk-up customers. He looked around at the carhops on skates, who were preparing for the first wave of customers, and noted, "They've got it staffed; they're ready for us."

In fact, Crocetti said, he and co-owner Sean Martin had hired 130 people to staff the restaurant.

First in line was Jeffrey Sears, who'd driven in from Essex and arrived around 8:30 a.m. "I just love Sonic," he said, adding that he drives about an hour and a half from Essex to the Hanover, Pa., location about once a month. His first order from the Sonic closer to home? "A SuperSonic cheeseburger, chili cheese tots and a Campfire Blast."

Cory Evans, 19 and of Randallstown, was among those who was ready for Sonic to come to his neighborhood, ready enough that he was first in line to place a walk-up order.

"I was tired of watching the commercials and not actually being able to get it," he said. "Now I can." 

After a bit of a snag with the audio, the order-taker finally heard what he wanted, and he was pleased with it, a No. 13 -- a bacon, egg and cheese "toaster."

Jonn Mack of Randallstown became a fan of Sonic while doing relief work in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. 

"We used to eat lunch there every day," he said. He'd noticed the new location when he was driving by and got in the line to order food for himself, as well as his wife and daughter, who were waiting at home. 

Sharon Campbell of Randallstown, waiting for her order at the drive-through, had been waiting for a Sonic to come to town, too.

"Every time we go to North Carolina, we have to stop at Sonic," she said. She'd seen the signs when construction began in her neighborhood and she was thrilled. So was her son, for whom she was picking up some food -- "two No. 5s and a grape slushie."

See pictures from the grand opening.

(Photo of Jeffrey Sears and his SuperSonic Cheeseburger, Sarah Kickler Kelber/The Baltimore Sun)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

I did.

But my trip to the Connecticut shore -- my second this summer, but who's counting? -- won't stop me from reminding you that it's Restaurant Week in Baltimore and Baltimore County.

While I'm at it, let me alert you to something that Spoons, a Dining@Large reader, tipped me off to. The Prime Rib is not celebrating Restaurant Week, but Restaurant Weeks, plural.

Three courses for $35.10 through Sept. 5 -- except for Saturdays. 

Here's the Prime Rib's Restaurant Weeks menu.

Spoons happily took advantage of the deal.

"I just got back from a fantastic meal and a lovely experience," she e-mailed me. "As it is one of the more expensive places to dine in Baltimore, I was glad I stumbled upon it. You simply ask for the Restaurant Week menu."

Spoons added: "No connection to The Prime Rib, just out celebrating a family member's birthday!"

See more Restaurant Week coverage.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Just got an e-mail from Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, a New-York based food and fashion writer who has a food blog called A Tiger in the Kitchen and a forthcoming food memoir by that title.

She writes:

"I'm planning a super quick trip to Baltimore over the weekend and am planning to check out the Harbor East neighborhood. Everyone keeps telling me you're the person to ask about where to eat/hang out there ... do you have any reccs?

"I likely will have one night for dinner and time to hang out over a day. Any reccs you have would be amazing!"

I asked Cheryl for a little insight into what she was looking for -- and  photo of something she likes. She sent along a picture, above, of a recent lunch at Eleven Madison Park in New York.

Can you help her out?

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

Just how wild and crazy could the gluten-free bar scene be?

Baltimore’s liquor board will ponder that question this afternoon, when it reconsiders whether to grant a liquor license to a proposed gluten-free restaurant on 27^th Street in Remington, next door to the gluten-free Sweet Sin Cupcakes and Café.

The board turned down the café owner’s request in July after neighbors expressed concern that the operation would create a lot of noise and traffic.

But the board decided to reconsider the matter after it took a closer look at petitions submitted against the plan and noticed “the immediate neighbors are mostly not opposed,” board Chairman Stephan Fogleman tells me.

Stay tuned to Twitter.

Fogleman tweets liquor board decisions in real time as BaltoBeerBaron.

Morning Call photo

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

A new burger joint opening in White Marsh is giving away free burgers today.

Z-Burger, which opened its first location in Washington two years ago, bills itself as akin to Five Guys -- handmade patties, fresh-cut fries.

It is offering each customer a free burger, veggie burger or turkey burger during store hours today, 10:30 a.m. to midnight. One per person, so don't get too piggy.

Not to discount the thrill of a free burger, but I'm more intrigued by the milkshakes.

They're not free. (It's $3.39 for a regular, $4.59 for a large.)

But they come in a whopping 75 flavors. Among them: blackberry cobbler, mango and tiramisu.

Z-Burger is located near AMC Theatres in White Marsh, 8145-C Honeygo Boulevard.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 8:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Well, here's one way to eat for free: police say a man faked seizures to avoid paying his restaurant tabs.

My colleague Justin Fenton reports on that criminal case on the Sun's crime blog.

But here at Dining@Large, I think the Sandbox might be interested in the man's taste in restaurants as much as his alleged criminal scheme.

Police say the man pulled this stunt at Capital Grille, Burke's Cafe, Ding How Restaurant, Maisy's Restaurant and Borinken Bar and Restaurant.

What do you make of his dining choices, gang?

UPDATE: Peter Hermann follows up with a full story in today's Sun. I love his lede.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 6:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

John Lindner sent me a tip about an ungrateful restaurant robber the other day. I was so grateful, I decided not to rob John of the material. Here's John having his way with it. LV

I sent LV a “fantastic” Top Ten Tuesday idea several nights ago. Not only did she not reject it, like a good host who stands by as an unwanted guest lights up a Bad Boy in the family room, she was too polite to acknowledge the indiscretion.

Was I dissuaded from pursuing the idea? Chastened by the silent treatment? Ennobled by her civilized example?

Ah ha ha.

It’s my fondest hope that she’s as stern a protector of your sensitivities as she is defender of her city and environs. Or that I’ve ground down her resistance. In any case, if this sees the light of D@L, the Ten:

The Inspiration: A guy robs a Wendy’s then later calls the place to chastise them for only having 586 bucks on site. He called twice!

I’m thinking, dude, you hit a Wendy’s. What kind of haul did you expect?

I was ranting to a friend about this and asked him what restaurants he would rob and what would he demand along with or instead of money.

Our list (not in any particular order (other than numeric)):

1. French Laundry: forget the cash, grab all the salmon ice cream cones they have.

(Technically, this restaurant, being in Napa, is not a good choice for a Baltimore armed robber. I freely acknowledge that fact.)

2. Salt: Cash and duck fat fries.

3. Marie Louise Bistro: cash and foie gras.

4. Christopher Daniel: Cash, lollipop lamb chops and Bond martini. (Hey, you’ve armed robbed, what’s a DUI rap?)

5. Sabor: Cash and Halloumi cheese.

6. Victoria Gastro Pub: Cash, Kobe burger (with smoked bacon) and two of each bottled beer over $17.

7. Matthew's Pizza: Gimme 50 bucks and two crab pies to go.

8. Tersiguel's: Here’s 50 bucks, gimme five minutes in the wine cellar.

9. Java Divas: I’m sorry, what was the question?

10. Daniels: No one in his right mind would rob Daniels.

Photo by Elvis Santana courtesy Stock Xchng

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Richard Gorelick's Table Talk appears in today's Sun.

He writes about Baltimore County restaurant week, among other things.

Read the full Table Talk here.

Brian Boston of the Milton Inn, who has organized Baltimore County Restaurant Week. Sun photo by Barbara Haddock Taylor

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Asked to do a feature on a farm stand last week, I went looking for one that wasn't just selling supermarket produce with the stickers peeled off.

I found the real deal at Gorman Farm in Howard County.

Most of the produce -- heirloom tomatoes, obscure orange-fleshed honeydews, squash and peppers -- is grown on the premises, following organic practices.

The farm is run by young, first-generation farmers who got their start on the Laurel property two years ago.

They're working their tails off, as you might imagine, and producing some great fruit and veggies.

If you're interested, here's the full Gorman Farm story.

Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

The idea for this week's list comes from Owl Meat Gravy, who reminded me that it is the time of year for "disgusting fried state fair food."

The Howard County Fair opened its week-long run Saturday. The Maryland State Fair is Aug. 27 to Sept. 6.

So without further ado, here is the list:

Top Ten frightening state fair foods

1. Deep-fried butter

2. Deep-fried Coca Cola

Two nutritional villains come together in this 830-calorie diet buster, another Gonzales creation. 

3. Chicken-fried bacon

No chickens were harmed in the creation of this treat.

4.  Doughnut burger

Attention, McDonald's bun-maker John Paterakis: Krispy Kremes are moving in on your territory.

5. Turkey Legs

Take a lean protein, supersize it, leave it in its skin, deep fry it -- and create a 1,100-calorie monster, according to thatsfit.com.

6. Deep-fried cheesecake

State fair concessionaires aren't the only ones peddling this artery clogger. So's Paula Deen. That should tell you something.

7. Deep-fried mac-n-cheese

See Paula Deen warning, above.

8. Deep-fried Twinkies 

9. Deep-fried lattes

Another culinary gift from Texas

10. Deep-fried guacamole

Take a heart-healthy fat and crisp it up in an unhealthy one. Evens out, right?

Sun file photo

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

A fish dish at the Ambassador Dining Room gets its 15 minutes of fame on The Food Network tonight.

The program "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" went to The Ambassador back in April to film celebrity baker Duff Goldman eating Goa Fish.

The resulting episode, titled "Sauced," airs at 9 p.m.

Named for the Goa region of India, the dish features a pan-fried fish in a tamarind reduction with garlic, ginger, turmeric and cumin. In India, it is made with a type of white fish not commonly found here. At The Ambassador, they use Rockfish.

Goa Fish at the Ambassador Dining Room. Photo courtesy of the Ambassador

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Timothy Dean's Prime Steakhouse remains open for business, despite plans to sell the property in a foreclosure auction next month.

So says one of Dean's lawyers, Jimmy A. Bell of Bowie, whom I reached on the phone just now.

"It’s still open," he said. "It’s going to continue to be open."

Bell also asserted that the auction, advertised on Jonathan Melnick Auctioneers' website, will not go forward. The sale will be blocked by Dean's bankruptcy filing last spring, Bell said.

Dean's T.D. Bistro Inc., which owned a bistro and lounge at Prime's Eastern Avenue location, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May. The former "Top Chef" contestant owns the buildings that are due to be auctioned through a separate entity, MTD Realty LLC. 

"That’s not going to happen," Bell said of the auction.  "It’s much ado about nothing. And you can quote me on that."

I tried to bounce that off the auctioneer, but could not reach anyone immediately. If I hear back from someone there, I'll update this post.

While I had Bell on the phone, I asked him if Dean still planned to open a 7,000-square-foot Prime location at Boulevard at the Capital Centre in Largo. Dean and Bell said it was a go as recently as last month, when Dean was eliminated from "Top Chef."

"We have no comment on that," Bell said.

UPDATE: I just heard back from Stephen Prevas, the lawyer who represented Dean in the bankruptcy case that Dean's other lawyer, Jimmy A. Bell, said would preclude the foreclosure auction. The bankruptcy case was dismissed in late July for reasons Prevas was not at liberty to discuss.  

Grilled Cowboy Steak at Prime Steakhouse. Sun photo by Karl Merton Ferron

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

John Lindner checks out Marie Louise Bistro in today's Sun.

He was quite pleased with the place, from the charcuterie plate to the duck salad and lamb burger. He wasn't wowed by the bread, but you can't have everything.

Read John's entire Marie Louise Bistro review here.

Sun photo by Lloyd Fox

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Got an unusual inquiry from a reader the other day.

"This may seem to be a strange request," began the e-mail. "How would 'peanut butter' be listed on a French restaurant menu?

"Let me explain. A dear friend has a granddaughter serving in the Peace Corps in Cameroon, West Africa. She is in the French-speaking area teaching English to the natives. She has a craving for peanut butter, which does not exist in Africa.

"I thought it would be a neat idea to put a French label on a jar destined for her. I easily got a literal translation, BEURRE de PINOTTES, from an old movie title on Wikipedia, but the French would certainly be more inventive than that. Hope you can assist."

My Googling turns up beurre de cacahuete. But I appeal to any Francophiles out there to be sure. Is that it? 

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Timothy Dean's Prime Steakhouse is headed for the auction block.

The Fells Point buildings that are home to the restaurant, which Dean launched in February, shortly before he started competing in television's "Top Chef," are to be sold in a bank foreclosure auction next month.

So says the listing on Jonathan Melnick Auctioneers. The auction of the buildings, at 1717, 1719 and 1721 Eastern Avenue, is scheduled for Sept. 16.

I just tried to reach Dean but no one was at the restaurant at this hour. T.D. Bistro Inc., which previously owned a bistro and lounge at that Eastern Avenue location, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May.

Dean was eliminated from "Top Chef" in July. In an interview at the time, Dean said the show had given a boost to Prime. He also said he had plans to open another Prime location at Boulevard at the Capital Centre in Largo, in the 7,000-square-foot space that previously housed The Sideline, a now-shuttered restaurant owned by former Washington Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Richard Gorelick reviews City Cafe in today's Sun.

I got a kick out of Richard's lede:

Read the full review here.

City Cafe's Linguine with Crab Meatballs. Sun photo by Lloyd Fox

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 8:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

With our usual Saturday farmers' market correspondent away at the shore, BaltimoreGal of BaltimoreGalblog graciously agreed to check out Waverly this week. Sounds like she had a great time. Here's BaltimoreGal. LV

It was a gorgeous day at the market -- one of the prime days of the year!

Tomatoes were at almost every stand but the star were the heirloom tomatoes in every shade: black, purple, red, orange, yellow, and green!

I saw all kinds of melon, including beautiful watermelons, as well as yellow and white peaches, nectarines, and all kinds of plums.

I saw eggplant great and small and a rainbow of peppers.

The other star for me came via Hollow Farms. They have Lima beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, and Crowder peas. I suggest buying at least a pound of each!

Chicago Tribune photo

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 8:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Here's an update on my corn situation:

I picked an ear out of my garden the other morning, and it looked so good, I had it for breakfast.

It was delicious -- delicately sweet and perfectly crisp.

Full disclosure:

About a week earlier, I picked these gems out of the same garden. 

They tasted as good as they looked -- pasty, just awful.

The stunted ears were grown with plants I'd bought at the farmers' market. I'd let them sit on the stalks way too long, thinking they were going to get bigger.

The good ear came from a plant I grew from seeds purchased at Whole Foods. (I can't remember the variety.)

Since the plants from seed came along later,  they got the benefit of my corn-growing crusade -- compost tea, fish emulsion -- earlier in their lives. They also got more rain at a time when it could do them some good.

Anyway, I think that's the difference. Maybe I just got lucky with that good ear. We'll see. There are more ears on the way. I'm hoping they'll be the good kind.

Photos by math-hubby

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Celebrity chef Tyler Florence made an appearance at Camden Yards Thursday night to promote healthful ballpark eating in general and grapes in particular. Kate Smith, an intern at The Sun, checked out the event and sent me this report. Here's Kate. LV.

Now, I love grapes and the idea, but I’m going to have a hard time replacing my popcorn and hot dog with fruit come next O’s game. They did serve hot dogs with grape relish (see below for the recipe) in the box, so maybe that can be a good compromise.

Tyler was only able to stay for a little bit but he gave us some pretty big insight on some non-health food: pie is the new cupcake! He’s been seeing the trend up and down the West Coast expects to see it here soon.  

He also mentioned what he thought to be the coming of a “gilded age of artisanal craft food” and credited a collapsed economy for that.  Tyler said to expect things like honey makers and jam specialists, people doing what they love to do and what they can do best.

Tyler spoke about his new book as well, “Family Meal: bringing people together never tasted better,” which will feature 250 new recipes that are aimed to be enjoyed as a family.  He mentioned the name of the book came from the “family meal” at restaurants, a tradition I, as a waitress, have yet to enjoy.  At the beginning of a shift, some restaurants have their staff all sit together and eat a meal and discuss what went well, what didn’t and how they were going to improve, much like your family dinner at home.

Some good words were put in for Baltimore’s food scene as well.  After a lunch at Chap’s (a personal favorite of mine) and day of food sampling and touring the city, Tyler called the food in Charm City “really authentic.”

There was an Anthony Bourdaine Bourdain dig as well, but who could say they weren’t expecting that?

“Nice guy, bad food,” he said with a shrug.

Ballpark Dogs with Tangy Grape Relish

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: about 5 to 7 minutes

Tangy Grape Relish

1/2 cup each: diced red California seedless grapes
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
1 clove garlic, minced

Ballpark Dogs

8 turkey franks

Whole wheat hot dog buns

Honey mustard

Tangy Grape Relish: Stir together first 6 ingredients (through garlic); set aside.

Ballpark Dogs: Grill sausages over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally, or until nicely charred and heated through. Place buns on grill, cut side down, and cook for a minute or so to toast. Place sausage in buns and drizzle with honey mustard. Using a slotted spoon, top with grape relish. 
 

Recipe courtesy of California Table Grape Commission

Tyler Florence, pushing grapes at Dodger Stadium. AP photo

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

The guy who's opening Tatu in Power Plant Live! can lay claim to another restaurant innovation: restrooms with see-through doors.

I turned up this tidbit in a 10-year-old article in something called Nation's Restaurant News. It described a restaurant Jody Pennette had opened in Greenwich, Conn.

"Bleu Cafe, co-owned with Tom Torelli, is a hip, French bistro that might seem more at home in not-so-distant New York City's SoHo district than in the heart of this quiet suburban town, nestled among conservative shops," the story reads. "Bleu Cafe boasts such elements as a communal table and glass bathroom doors that turn opaque when they're locked. It is intentionally designed to test the boundaries of residential tolerance for the avant-garde even as the menu offers up more traditional bistro fare."

See-through bathroom doors? Even if they fog up when the stall is in use, is that an appetizing addition to the dining experience?

In the Restaurant News piece, Pennette explains the thinking behind the clear doors and other edgy features.

I asked Pennette if he planned to bring peekaboo potties to Tatu.

"No not there," he said via e-mail. "We try to keep coming up with different ideas so we're not prone to repeating ourselves however those bathrooms certainly were fun."

AP photo of another sort of clear potty, at the at Ice Gallery in Seoul, South Korea

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Ted in Parkville sends this report on his New England vacation dining experience. It includes a reference to "grinders," something I'm familiar with as native New Englander.The rest of the world knows them as submarine sandwiches or hoagies. Here's Ted. LV

We just got back from a short (four-day) vacation to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. It was by bus and we left Monday and returned Thursday.

Besides the motel buffets, we did have some interesting dining experiences.

Our lunch stop before we turned north and west off I-95 on Monday was at Captain's Cove Seafood House on the dock in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport CT. We both had clam rolls. (The lobster rolls there and in New Hampshire were going for $17.)

After our cruise on Lake Winnipesaukee aboard the M/S Nount Washington, we stopped for lunch on the second floor at Jo Green Garden Cafe in Wolfeboro, N.H. overlooking Wolfeboro Bay and the Lake. My friend Ann succumbed to temptation and ordered a lobster roll. I settled for a "Wrap It Up" that turned out to be a BLT wrap.

Late in the afternoon we made a stop to shop and sample the goods at Kellerhaus, the giant candy and ice cream shop with the big sundae bar in Weirs Beach, N.H.

For dinner that evening we boarded the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad and were treated to a roast turkey dinner in the dining car catered by Hart's Turkey Farm Restaurant in Meredith, N.H. The menu included sliced-at-the-table turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, delicious pureed squash, cranberry sauce, rolls, and ice cream.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 8:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

The Food Network is pitting two Baltimore crab cakes against each other.

Here's how one of the contenders announced the news:

"The Food Network's 'Food Feuds' show is coming to Baltimore this week, along with host Chef Michael Symon, and they have chosen our humble restaurant, Gertrude's, to do battle with the powerhouse Faidley's (in Lexington Market)," read the e-mail from Gertrude's.

"Yes, it's a Crab Cake Rumble. There's all sorts of silly taping going on around here on Thursday and Friday, but we need your help & support on Friday afternoon: Friday, August 6 at 1:30 pm at Rash Field (at the Inner Harbor) the Food Network folks will be taping the finale segment, where they announce the winner."

"They want us to have lots & lots of supporters there to cheer on Gertrude's --and hopefully we'll outnumber the Faidley's gang."

I'm sure Faidley's is trying to rally its fans, too. But if they sent out an e-mail, I didn't get it.

In any case, Gertrude's is promising to keep its troops fortified. Not with crab cakes, but with beverages and snacks of some sort.

Sun file photo of Faidley's cakes

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 9:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (62)
        

I know I'm supposed to be excited.

 Discuss amongst yourselves.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)
        

Today I caught up with Randy Stahl, part-owner of The Brass Elephant, and found out why the Mount Vernon restaurant didn't go on the auction block as planned this week. 

The owners came up with enough money -- Stahl wasn't saying how much -- to convince PNC bank to hold off on the foreclosure auction, which Alex Cooper Auctioneers had been scheduled to hold at the shuttered Mount Vernon restaurant Tuesday.

“We have seven months now,”Stahl said. “We gave them part of what we owed them.”

That will give the owners until Jan. 31 or Feb. 1 – Stahl wasn’t sure which – to find a buyer for the building.

A deal with a group of potential buyers fell through in March, but another group has shown interest, Stahl said. He declined to identify the new group, except to say they already own a restaurant in Maryland and are looking to move into Baltimore.

“I have some people I have been working with,” he said. “We’re negotiating a lease right now with an option to buy. We’ll see what happens.”

Sun photo by Lloyd Fox

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 6:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

World-traveling Shallow Thought Wednesday guru John Lindner is back -- and smarter than ever, thanks to all the red meat in his diet. Here's John. LV

Is there anything as sweet as vindication? (I’m presuming total world domination skews savory.)
 
When the unseen, unelected, unwelcomed panjandrums of nutritional purity declared butter and eggs “unhealthy,” I held out, eating, if anything, more butter and eggs. Both those staples have since returned to the good graces of our would-be keepers. Julia Child was, as always, right. Still, the puritans press on.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Tony Foreman and Cindy Wolf plan to open "a new concept " in late 2011 in Baltimore. So says the message that popped up in my e-mail early this morning.

There are no further details save for this: When the owners of restaurants Charleston, Pazo, Cinghiale, Petit Louis and wine shops Bin 604 and Bin 201 open whatever it is they're going to open, they won't do it as The Charleston Group.

They'll do it as the rebranded Foreman Wolf.

"Tony Foreman and Cindy Wolf unveiled today a new brand strategy that will be instrumental in future developments," the e-mailed news release beings.

"With a strong presence in the food and wine industry, Foreman and Wolf have been actively seeking new opportunities. The new brand will be at the forefront of inquiries, setting a tone of old-world elegance, with a modern, crisp style. The ventures will now collectively be recognized as FOREMAN WOLF, the food and wine of Tony Foreman and Cindy Wolf."

The news release continues:

"'Building a company about food, wine and service in Baltimore has been rewarding on many levels,' Foreman said. 'Continuing to build with a stronger brand presence is the logical next step.'

"'Bringing the flavors of different countries and cultures to Baltimore has been a journey that continues, said Cindy Wolf, two-time nominee for best chef, mid-Atlantic by the James Beard Foundation. 'Taking that knowledge and using it to bring new businesses into the fold is a great new adventure for all of us.'"

Sun photo by Kim Hairston

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 8:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)
        

A new, 120-seat restaurant is due to open in Power Plant Live! at the end of this month. It's called Tatu, and it will offer Asian food in a setting that owner Jody Pennette paints as just a toe-tap away from a nightclub.

"There is a DJ," said Pennette, of Greenwich, Conn.-based cb5 Restaurant Group. "It's for toe-tapping and bouncing your head, not putting your fork down and dancing. ... The moment you want to dance, there's a great selection of clubs [outside the restaurant]. We're sort of the primer for that." 

Pennette already owns a restaurant by the name of Tatu, at the Seminole Paradise casino in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., developed by Baltimore's Cordish Co. Cordish made Pennette aware of the opportunity to move into a 5,500-square-foot space in the Power Plant. It was previously occupied by Blue Sea Grill, which closed a year ago after five years in business.

There will be three components to the menu, as is the case in Fort Lauderdale: Traditional Chinese, Pan-Asian and Japanese. Here's a link to Tatu's menu.

"Really great, local, greenmarket, heirloom" ingredients will set the food apart from more run-of-the-mill renditions of those cuisines, Pennette said. The Chinese, in particular, will be "a bright, fresh departure from some of the gummy stuff," he said.

Because the Florida Tatu is part of a casino complex, Pennette said, it is "a big shimmering box, 30-foot ceilings, crushed black granite walls. It's a very powerful, dramatic space."

That wasn't going to work in the brick Power Pant, so they opted for a different style. He described it as "a rather provocative Shanghai Deco '30s feel. The interior is plush, almost a bordello, over the top. Very sexy. ... It's intoxicating." 

(Bordello? Why do I suddenly feel like I'm back at yesterday's Top Ten? Oh, never mind.)

A pomegranate martini of the sort used to wash down upscale Asian fare at Tatu. Sun file photo

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)
        

With Baltimore Restaurant Week coming up -- it's Aug. 13-22 -- my colleague Amanda Krotki has put together a photo gallery that includes most of the participating restaurants.

The package lists sample menu items and other information about the restaurants.

You can check out the Restaurant Week package on The Sun's website.

Fish on display at The Black Olive in Fells Point. Sun photo by Elizabeth Malby

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

After blogging about purslane last week, then writing a story about the edible weed for this week's Taste section, I figured it was time to actually eat the stuff.

I'd had a nibble in the garden when I first figured out what it was, but that was it. Since purslane is the highest source of Omega-3 fatty acids of any green vegetable, and since I had a bumper crop of it in my unkempt garden, I wanted to find a way to get it onto the family dinner plates.

I combined the leaves and some of the tender, topmost stems with fresh apricots, cherry tomatoes and goat cheese to make a salad. I dressed it with a vinaigrette made with lemon juice, olive oil, honey and finely minced candied ginger.

Even the kids ate it up.

If you're looking for other ways to get the green into your diet, there are more purslane recipes at Prairieland Community Supported Agriculture's website. They include potato salads, lamb stew, Mexican pork stew and a salad with cucumber and yogurt.

Math-hubby photo

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I like my coffee hotter than my baristas.

I know that makes me sound like the old married lady that I am. (Math-hubby and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary on Sunday.) But when I go out for food and drink, I'm seeking food and drink, not titillation.

Maybe I'm in the minority on this one. How else to explain the popularity of the hottie-latte joint my colleague Sam Sessa wrote about this week?

Java Divas in Pasadena offers coffee drinks served by scantily clad young women. The costumes change with the day of the week. On back-to-school Thursdays, the servers show off short-short plaid skirts and lots of skin.

Wait. I take it back. Now that I think about it, the schoolgirl shtick is TOTALLY appropriate given that some of the servers look like they've just gotten their braces off. What kind of foodie cred could Maryland claim if it couldn't support a coffee shop devoted to pedophilic fantasies?

Which brings me to this week's list:

Top Ten tacky sexualizations of the dining experience

No. 1: Java Divas

Coffee served in B-, C- and D-sized cups. Classy.

No. 2: Naked Sushi

Raw fish served atop women in the raw. It almost came to Baltimore. Yikes!

No. 3: Hooters

No. 4: Dick's Last Resort

This new Inner Harbor gem sells thong panties and raunchy T-shirts in addition to bar food. Sounds like a great place to take the kids after visiting the aquarium.

No. 5: Belly dancing at Moroccan restaurants

No. 6: Scores

The Fallsway strip joint bills itself as a "Gentleman’s Club and Steakhouse." The lunch special looks unbeatable: 8-ounce certified Angus ranch-cut steak with a side for $3.99. I'm afraid the view would spoil it for me. But it's possible that it's a good meal. The New York Times' Frank Bruni once declared a strip joint steak one of New York's best.

No. 7: Tryst, in The Wynn in Las Vegas

Amateur pole dancing as dinner theater: guests get to try out the stripper pole while dining. That's one way to work off the creme brulee.

No. 8:  The "Seinfeld" diner that only employed busty women

Oh, wait. I think Elaine eventually found out they were all sisters. Never mind.

No. 9: Restaurant patrons who expose their underwear

This was a problem at Pazo a couple years ago, forcing Tony Foreman to add "No visible underpants" to the list of more run-of-the-mill dress code don'ts. Foreman put the problem of low-rise bottoms and high-rise thongs in NFL terms when I talked to him about the matter nearly two years ago: "Overly dramatic display of thong. You walk by it and you want to throw a yellow flag.

"There are a lot of people who put an awful lot of effort in their appearance," Foreman continued. "They expect a certain quality of cocktails, they expect staff to be amazing, they expect the room to be amazing, they expect the music to be groovy. And it's reasonable to expect while they're sipping their fabulous martinis that they're not going to be looking at your fabulous drawers."

No. 10: Any restaurant where Anthony Bourdain worked before he got clean

Coffee, black, hold the sex. Tribune photo

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (41)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

The auction has been canceled.

So says Alex Cooper Auctioneers' website.

Does that mean they've found a buyer for the Mount Vernon landmark?

I've left messages with part-owner Randy Stahl and the auctioneer, but haven't heard back yet.

I'll post more details here when I get them.

UPDATE: Just heard back from Paul Cooper of Alex Cooper. He said that the auction was called off Friday, but that he didn't know why.

"I've been trying to get an answer myself," he said.

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

John Lindner reviews Liberatore's in Timonium in today's Sun.

The upshot: John felt under dressed but well fed.

Check out the Liberatore's review online.

Liberatore's Grilled Salmon over Fresh Greens, Arugula, Mushrooms, Ciabatta Bread Croutons, Hard Boiled Egg and Bacon, with a Tomato Vinaigrette. Photo by Steve Ruark/Special to The Sun

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Here's a grammar question for the ever-erudite Sandbox:

If a proper noun begins with a lower-case letter -- eBay, for example -- do you capitalize it when it starts a sentence?

Is it: "eBay announced the sale of Sheila Dixon's fur coat ..." or "EBay announced the sale of Sheila Dixon's fur coat"?

I ask not because of the mayoral mink, which is old news, but because of some new restaurant news.

The news is either:

brique, the new restaurant in Centreville with the all-lower-case name, has started offering lunch.

Or:

Brique, the new restaurant in Centreville with the all-lower-case name unless that name appears at the start of a sentence, has started offering lunch.

In any case, the lunch menu is online at brique's website.

brique photo

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

My colleague Jacques Kelly had a fun column over the weekend on bastardized peach cake.

Seems the recipe for the classic summer dessert has changed over the years in ways that do not please Jacques' discriminating buds.

"Just as Old Bay seasoning has no place in a crab cake recipe, apricot or raspberry jellies — or cinnamon — have no place in a proper peach cake," he wrote.

Here is Jacques' peach cake column in its entirety.

Sun photo by Elizabeth Malby

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Something on the menu for The Brewer's Art beer dinner coming up Wednesday caught my eye.

It was the Popcorn Puree that accompanies a Maryland Crab Cake, Clamper's Crab Sauce, Local Corn Chow-Chow and Zodiac Ale.

What in the world is Popcorn Puree?

Volker Stewart, a partner in the restaurant, was good enough to supply the answer without uttering, "Duh!"

"Popcorn Puree is a puree that tastes like popcorn," he e-mailed me. "[Chef] Dave [Newman] monkeys around with molecular gastronomy from time to time."

Sun photo by Amy Davis

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Richard Gorelick checks out the Stanford Grill in today's Sun.

He was not bowled over, but he found the Columbia restaurant succeeded as "an affordable version of an upscale steakhouse experience."

Check out Richard's review.

Tuna Sashimi at Stanford Grill. Sun photo by Barbara Haddock Taylor

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)