Maybe you're totally sick of sugar and ready to start eating better in 2011. I'm definitely the latter, and trying to be the former.

As part of my attempts to eat better next year, we're taking part in a CSA, which, of course, won't start for several months, but I was thinking ahead about how to get more veggies in my diet. A few weeks ago, I made some kale chips at home, which were pretty good, but I wanted to try some other leafy greens that way too.

So today, aside from the fudge, I also made spinach chips.

Super-easy "recipe": Heat the oven to 350, wash and dry the greens, drizzle and toss with olive oil and whatever seasonings you like, spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet, cook for about 10 minutes, or until crispy.

I ended up making three batches to use up the spinach languishing in our fridge: one with lemon olive oil and black sea salt, one with regular olive oil and italian herbs and one with lemon olive oil and regular flake sea salt. The last batch, I kind of threw together, and where the leaves overlapped, the result wasn't as good, so that really is an important step.

They turn out very delicate and crispy, bringing out the best flavors of the spinach.

Do you have any food resolutions for the new year?

(Photo by me)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Recipes
        

Hi, folks. It's SarahKK again, commandeering the blog for a post or two. I meant to share this recipe before the holidays, but just in case you are looking for a really easy treat to bring to some New Year's Eve festivities, I've got you covered. Until this year's Icebox Cake, this fudge was what I had brought to every newsroom potluck since 1999.

It's my stepmom Maureen's interpretation of the recipe that used to be on the Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme jar, and it has tons of potential variations. First, the basic recipe:

Maureen's No-Fail Fudge

Prep time: 10 minutes plus cooling
Top of stove cooking time: 15 minutes

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) butter
3 cups sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk (NOT condensed; there is enough sugar here already)
1 (12-ounce or so) package milk chocolate chips
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Lightly grease 13x9 inch pan. Melt butter in a 2.5-3 quart saucepan and let it coat the bottom. (This will prevent the fudge mixture from sticking to the pan at the end.) Mix in sugar and milk; bring to a full rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly.

Continue boiling for 5 minutes on medium heat or until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees (I've never used a thermometer and never had any problems), stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.

Gradually stir in chips until melted. Add vanilla and marshmallow cream. Mix well. Pour into prepared pan and cool at room temperature. Cut into squares.

Variations: Change it up by switching the kind of chips and extract. I've made peanut butter and chocolate, mint chocolate, dreamsicle (white chocolate and orange extract), lemon drop (white chocolate and lemon extract), chocolate raspberry (semisweet chocolate and freeze-dried raspberries that I happened to have on hand).

Every year, I think about learning to make some other kind of candy, but once I make this, it's all we eat.

And if this is too much indulgence after all the holiday eating, I have a healthier recipe coming later, too.

(Photo by me)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Recipes
        

Oh, 1980

The Mt. Washington Tavern is celebrating 31 years in business in 2011,  and to commemorate this milestone will be offering a $31 dining special from January through the end of March.

Two guests can enjoy a shared appetizer, two entrées, and a glass of wine or beer each. The $31 promotion will be available every Sunday  through Wednesday evening.

Who shot J.R?

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

My review this Sunday is of Tapas Teatro. It had been years since the Baltimore Sun had done a formal review of it. It felt like time for a check-up.

This is an unusual photograph. I'm not used to seeing those stools without people in them.

Baltimore Sun photo/Colby Ware

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Review Preview
        

Here are the most commented-upon Dining@Large posts of 2010. There are probably better metrics (e.g., page views) for determining the popularity of a post. But something about these 10 posts obviously hit a nerve. If only there was a way to know which post will hit big, we'd do it every time.

The list in a sec, but first, there's something I've been meaning to say for a long time now.

I truly think Bristol Palin's weight problem is gluten related, and in fact I'll buy you a cup of coffee if I'm wrong. But not one that costs $13 -- what would that be in euros!?!?

Anyway, I guess someone's mother is too busy flapping her gums to study up on killer wheat.

Here, then, in reverse order, with the number of comments in parentheses, Hon.

The $13 Cup of Joe Reviewed (83)

In April, a guest review about Spro in Hampden got some readers boiling 

Top ten foods most likely to be banned under Obamacare (84)

In late March, some good old-fashioned vitriol and invective resulted from this satirical guest Top 10 list. I really should have posted about Sarah Palin's comments about Michelle Obama's obesity campaign.

Feeding the Blogger (85)

A painful mid-May episode on Dining@Large. The topic will be worth revisiting someday but this got very personal. 

Gino's burgers are making a comeback (90)

Way back on January 2, this post about the return of an icon elicited a flood of misty-eyed posts

Contest # 1: One-word restaurant rebranding (95)

Pure fun from early October. I ran out of steam with the contests. I plan to revive them in 2011. Send some good ideas my way.

The article about Cafe Hon (114)

A December post, but I don't remember it. What was this?

Luca's café closes (136)

Some excruciating mis-understandings helped to fuel the reaction to this post from April. Politics came into it, too, but from a distance, the whole thing reads as humor.

Little Italy old-timers vs. hipster Milan (158)

Now that's a GREAT blog-post title! And how about this for a great first line: "It's neighbor against neighbor in Little Italy -- again."

Exciting News! (163)

Elizabeth Large announces her retirement.

In Defense of Gluten (175)

Who knew?

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 5:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

Funny, via YouTube. Rated PG-13.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Well, that's over.

I hope everyone made it back home safely.

I'm flying out of here in a few hours. I'll off to an undisclosed location for a week of fun n' sun. I'm ready. (Actually, I'll disclose the location once I get there.)

I'm going to try to post. I've already written and scheduled a few, too. 

Please post about your food intake, both in restaurants and at the Christmas table. I have a three-hour layover in Charlotte Douglas International Airport and will be looking for some good reading. I'm counting on you.

Anyone have goose?

MICHAEL URBAN/AFP/Getty Images

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 6:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Your Weekend Dining PLUS
        

I received some of this information as much as ten days before putting this post together. So, reservations may no longer be available at some of these restaurants. You'll have to make some phone calls. There's a good mix of fixed-price and anything goes options.

A few highlights. Fleming's is spreading its celebration over three nights. Pazo and RA Sushi are offering good options for kicking off the evening. Miguel's Cocina & Cantina is offering the #1 most attractive amenity -- a Stoli O Ice Bar on a heated patio. Well, maybe the most attractive to me.

If you sent me information about your restaurant's New Year's Eve plans and it's not here, I am sorry for the omission. Always safest to send it to richard.gorelick@baltsun.com

If you did not send me information about your restaurant's New Year's Eve plans and it's not here, I'm not really all that sorry.

In either case, feel free to post your restaurant's New Year's Eve offerings in the comments below.

Champagne is not always Champagne, I know, but I said Champagne anyway.

The 13th Floor -- I've included it because this venue in the Belvedere Hotel, operated by Truffles Catering, is including a dinner buffet in the $50 ticket. The party starts at 9 p.m.

Charleston -- Two options here, both of them at fixed prices. Advance reservations are a must.

The Gala Dinner & Celebration includes a multi-course menu, endless Champagne, premium open bar and party favors at midnight. Gala dining guests are invited to watch the unobstructed view of the Inner Harbor fireworks on the Harbor East promenade immediately outside the front door.
Reservations are accepted at 8:30 p.m, 9p.m, 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. $259 per person.

Reservations for an Early Dinner option are also being accepted beginning at 5:30 p.m. These reservations do not include party favors or the midnight celebration. A fixed price menu is offered at $109 per person (or $159 with wine pairings).    

Cinghiale -- The Harbor East restaurant will ring in the New Year with a multi-course, modern Italian dinner. Party hats and favors as well as a sparkling toast will be provided at midnight. Guests are invited to watch the unobstructed view of the Inner Harbor fireworks from the vaulting picture windows facing the marina and harbor. Reservations are highly recommended. $76 per person, or $116 with accompanying wines.

Fleming's -- The Harbor East steakhouse is running its New Year's Celebration over three nights. That's right. Guests can choose to ring in the new year on the evenings of December 30 or January 1 in addition to December 31. Dinner options include Filet Mignon and crab-stuffed shrimp ($79.95), North American lobster tail ($59.95) and New York strip and giant shrimp ($69.95), all of are paired with wines. Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label brut champagne will be available by the glass for $25.

Germano's Trattoria --In addition to the regular dinner menu, the Little Italy restaurant will offer its fettucine with fresh calamari -- fresh caught squid in a light tomato sauce sauteed with homemade fettucine.

Gertrude's at the BMA -- The New Year's Eve Supper Club will offer two seatings. The first, at 6/6:30 p.m., offers a fixed-price three-course menu for $59 ($49 for vegetarian). The second, at 9/9:30 p.m., offers a fixed-price four-course menu for $95 ($85 for vegetarian), as well as live music, party favors, and a Champagne toast.

Jack's Bistro -- Taking reservations for "all size parties," and serving from the regular menu, with a few specials.  NOTE: Jack's will be closed for vacation on January 1 and reopen on Friday, January 14.

Mari Luna Latin Grille -- A real New Year's Eve party, starting at 9:30 p.m., with live music and dancing. The $60 per person ticket includes the restaurant's regular items as well as seafood displays, carving stations, passed hors d'oeuvres and a Champagne toast. A $40 early seating option is being offered to, but you have to be out of there by 8 p.m.

Miguel's Cocina Y Cantina -- Among the attractions here are a Stoli O ice lounge on the (heated) patio, Milagro Silver maragarita pitchers for $20.11,  a Champagne toast, and "one of the best view of fireworks in the city." The regular menu will be available. Proprietor Michael Marx says, "no package deals, no pricey menu...just a great view, free onsite parking, and easy city escape to 95." Reservations are recommended.

Mt. Washington Tavern -- "The ubiquitous complimentary noisemakers and Champagne toast at midnight plus a special menu will be offered."

Pazo -- The full menu is available until 1 a.m., with regular dinner reservations available from 5pm-8pm; New Year’s Eve celebration reservations are available from 9 p.m.-11 p.m. The Midnight Celebration includes midnight sparkling toast, party hats and favors, live entertainment by Patrick Albán & Noche Latina and a special music mix by Ryan Patrick. Reservations are  highly recommended. $25 cover charge for bar and lounge walk-ins. Early diners pay no cover charge unless they move to bar and lounge afterward. Celebration diners pay $40 per person (not including food and beverage), but their table is theirs for the evening.

Petit Louis -- The Roland Park restaurant is offering a fixed-price multi-course menu with accompnying wines, with party hats and favors for all guests. Reservations are highly recommended. $59, or $89 with wine.

Porters -- The regular menu will be available in addition to a special New Year's Eve menu. Champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries at midnight. Federal Hill is very close by for watching fireworks..  Porters will also be passing out a glass of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries to all.

The Prime Rib -- There may be a few openings left for the 5 p.m. seating, but the two later seatings were fully booked when I last checked.

RA Sushi -- A sparkling sake toast at midnight and "a great view of the Inner Harbor fireworks show." No cover charge. The early evening features, in addition to happy hour food and drink specials (5 to 7 p.m), a "Chang Sake Bomb and Viva Las Vegas Roll combo special for $10 (5 to 11 p.m.). The kitchen is open until 1 a.m.

Rusty Scupper -- New Years Eve Extravaganza from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. includes a four-course meal, live band and "the best view of the Harbor Fireworks." $99 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations are also being taken up until 6:30 p.m. for regular dining. 

Sascha's 527 -- Serving from the regular menu, with some "fabulous specials." Sascha's adds, "folks can come and immerse themselves in a recession-friendly Sascha's repast or be extravagant with some lobster.  Either burger or lobster can be washed down with some fabulous bubbly or divine martinis."  

Sullivan's Steakhouse -- The "Swinging at Sully's" party features a fixed price menu and and live dancing.

The Wine Market -- The Locust Point restaurant is offering a multi-course tasting menu. Free onsite parking is a plus here, as are views of the fireworks. Reservations are necessary, and space is limited. $55 per person, or $85 with wine pairings.

Baltimore Sun photo/Gene Sweeney Jr.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

John Lindner reviews lunch at Quarry Bagel and Cafe, which is located at the Shops at Quarry Lake; Jasmine Asian Bistro and Ciao Pizza Bistro Italiano are here, too.

The shops are part of Quarry Lake at Greenpsring, a mixed-use development on the site of a former rock mine.

Is Quarry Lake in Pikesville? If not, where is it? Or is Quarry Lake located in Quarry Lake?

Clarification:  I know where Quarry Lake is (I've been there), but where is it? It turns out that is in Pikesville, but see comments below for other opinions.

I'd love an answer, especially if it comes with documentation.

Wherever Quarry Bagel & Cafe is, John Lindner says he'd drive miles to it for another one of its prime rib sandwiches.

Baltimore Sun photo/Jed Kirschbaum

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 1:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

My Sunday review for Taste Mediterranean Grille showed up the website on Thursday night. That has to do with the holiday production schedule.

Because I will be traveling  next Monday, I won't be around for a postmortem discussion, so I'm kicking that off now, too.

And, while I'm at it, I'm posting a link to the review, which I try to remember but only occasionally manage to do every week as soon as the review goes online.

Another reason for a three-in-one post is that we don't have as much photography as we'd've have liked from Taste Mediterranean Grille. We shot there back in late October for a Table Talk piece I did about the restaurant's opening but didn't go back to get more photography to accompany the review.

So, here you go -- a review preview, a link, and a Monday Morning Quarterbacking

Review Preview

If I had managed to post a review preview if might have looked something like this:

Taste Mediterranean Grille is the new restaurant in the old Cafe Troia space. I would have added in that Cafe Troia moved right across the street because I once had it made it sound like Cafe Troia had closed for good and someone from there contacted me about it. ((Another thing, this new place is not related to a similarly named restaurant that Ann Nault ran in Belvedere Square in the location that is now Crush.) This review is a departure of sorts in how it focuses on a particular personality.

Link

Here's the link to my review of Taste Mediterranean Grille. 

Monday Morning Quarterbacking

For the postmortem post, I probably would have questioned whether I did spend too much time talking about the waiter Rafael Coppola at the expense of the chef Luigi Palumbo, whose food I enjoyed so much. I would have explained that the three stars for service and two-and-a-half stars for atmosphere were intended to suggest inconclusiveness; I think the evening we chose for the review was too slow for me to draw an accurate conclusion. I would have asked you what you thought.

I would have added in that I wished I'd have had the chance to visit Taste twice before I wrote the review. I always wish I could, just more so this time. And I would have encouraged everyone to give Taste a try but maybe not on Saturday night.

Baltimore Sun photo/Barbara Haddock Taylor

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 2:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: Monday Morning Quarterbacking, Review Preview
        

Tonight, Christmas Eve, Hollywood Burger Bistro in Canton is throwing its First Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. The party kicks off at 9 p.m. and lasts until midnight. No reservations needed.

Those of legal drinking age and are man or woman enough to be seen in their ugly holiday sweater are eligible for $3 Pinnacle Whipped Cream Vodka shots.

A $100 gift certificate goes to the wearer of what is judged to be the ugliest holiday sweater.

Hollywood Burger will be open on Christmas evening, too, for Holiday Songs Karaoke. I love that idea; if anyone else is doing karoake on December 25th I haven't heard about it. The fun begins at 9 p.m.

I might go. I can sing "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" to the tune of "Frosty the Snowman." It will blow your minds.

Christmas Coogi sweater, my personal collection, purchased on ebay from christmassweaters

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 1:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Christmas
        

Tonight, December 23, City Cafe in Mount Vernon is hosting a Christmas Eve-Eve Customer Appreciation night. Customers will be appreciated with 50% off all entrées. The offer is good from 5 to 10 p.m. for dine-in only. Take a look at the menu.

I hope they appreciate it. 

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 4:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I got an email from the folks at Rams Head letting me know that all Rams Head restaurants will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Christmas Eve and from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Christmas Day.

The Rams Head Shore House location in Stevensville has even sweeter hours. It will be open beginning at 7 a.m. on Christmas Eve. Here's a link to the Ram's Head website.

The friendly Rams Head person added, "The Rams Head restaurants are ALWAYS open, even if it snows, sleets rain or shine!"

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Hey, I wanted to review Alchemy! It's my own fault - I keep the master schedule for the reviews done by me, Rob Kasper (his appear on Friday), and John Lindner (his appear on Monday).

Well, Kasper's list of assigned restaurants ran dry, and dang if he didn't sneak Alchemy in.

He really liked this new Hampden joint. Here's his review.

Baltimore Sun photo/Monica Lopossay

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Check out the OpenTable list of the Top 50 US Restaurants, as voted by OpenTable diners.

One of the 50 restaurants is right here in Baltimore -- it's Cindy Wolf's Charleston.

Congratulations.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 4:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

This is the big food-o-sphere story today -- the deliberate "outing" of a Los Angeles Times food critic.

Other than "OI! I really have no comment right now. I'm on deadline.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

These three restaurants are open on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve, too. Remember, the master list is here.

Buddy's Crabs & Ribs -- Gourmet Christmas buffet served from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. $22.95 for adults, with discounts for seniors and children.

Cafe Gia -- open at 4 p.m.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Tune into WYPR (88.1) at 1 p.m. today. I'm the guest on the second hour of Midday with Dan Rodricks.

We'll be talking about, among other things, the Top 10 outrages of the 50 Best Restaurants feature [text version]

Some follow up on the show:

I flubbed:

-- on the spelling of Laurrapin Grill in Havre de Grace; I keep meaning to get up there.

-- and that Moustapha Snoussi, who Dan Rodricks mentioned as the crepe-from-a-cart man, is the owner of Crepe du Jour in Mt. Washington. Here is Elizabeth Large's 2009 review.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Fogo de Chao is open on Christmas Day, from 4 to 9 p.m. The Inner Harbor Argentine steakhouse* Brazilian churrascaria steakhouse  is also open on Christmas Eve, from 5 to 10:30 p.m.

As I'm hearing of new Christmas Day and Christmas Eve dining options, I'm remembering to add them into the master list here.

*I said the same thing on WYPR!

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Donna's Cross Keys location is offering a $35 fixed-price "Feast of the Seven Fishes" Christmas Even dinner ($45 with wine pairings) -- including a fritto misto appetizer and a seafood-soup entrée.Take a look at the special menu here. 

Donna Crivello had emailed me information about what the Donna's Cross Keys location was doing for Christmas Eve, and she sent it in plenty of time to make it into the print version roundup of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dining options. But it didn't make it in there. Mya faulta.

Donna guessed that the 7 fishes information "must have gotten buried in the 'Donna's fire rubble'." of our email exchanges in the days after the Mount Vernon Fire.

That is what happened.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Christmas
        

In advance of a December 31st deadline, the Maryland Comptroller's office today released its legally mandated Direct Wine Shipment Report. It's 257 pages, so take care when opening. Scott Calvert has this article in the Baltimore Sun.

The first reaction to it was from the Maryland Wineries Association, whose executive director Kevin Atticks loved was liking very much what he saw. The association's press release states, “The report finds no evidence of increased underage access, no problems collecting taxes and no increase in alcohol abuse in any of the jurisdictions that allow direct shipping."

"This report clearly drives a nail into all of those arguments," Atticks told me. "We're thrilled that we can start this year's discussion with facts."

Asked to rank the report on a scale of 1 to 10 for how well it advances the 30-year battle for direct shipping, Atticks gave it a "9.5"

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Since I posted on dining options for Christmas Day and Christmas Eve, I've added in a few more venues. So take a look if you're interested.

I just found another Christmas Day option -- Sotto Sopra, which will be open from Noon to 9 p.m. 

Awesome.

Here are posts from last year on this subject. I'll try to make some calls.

But I did confirm that AIDA Bistro & Wine Bar and Dogwood are open on Christmas Eve. And that The Helmand is open on Christmas Day

Post 1

Post 2

Post 3

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Christmas
        

Pacing is an acquired skill in blogging. Under-post, and folks stop checking in; over-post, and everything starts to look the same.

For one reason or another, I chose not to post about the following items. In some cases, I wanted to do more follow up; in others, the timing was off. A few of them I thought were lame. But I've hung to them all and share them with you now.

1) Hard work improves the taste of food -- Back in early November, a Sun colleague emailed me about Hopkins-based study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B titled "Greater effort boosts the affective taste properties of food."

About their findings, one of the lead scientists, Alexander Johnson, said, “Basically, what we have shown is that if you have to expend more effort to get a certain food, not only will you value that food more, but it might even taste better to you.” There are interesting implications for these findings in battling obesity, but I wanted to discuss how a restaurant might manipulate diners with something like a strict reservation policy. I've been meaning to give one of the scientists a call. I still want to. Remind me.

2) More men manning the family meal making? -- An editor emailed me a link to this September 30 CNN trend story about how men cook, too!!  The article attempted a neologism,  "gastrosexual."

"This is the stupidest thing  I have ever heard. Or at least in a long time," the editor added. I agreed, and didn't post it. But it might have been made for some commenting fun. 

3 ) Burger prize -- Back on October 1, I learned that Abbey Burger Bistro showed up on this USA Today Travel feature on "51 great burger joints across the USA." At the time, Abbey struck me as a decent but snooze-y choice. But belated congratulations to the folks at Abbey, who have made a good showing in that alley restaurant space by the Cross Street Market.  

4 ) Eating Will Shortz -- I keep thinking it would be fun to eat, or at least track down, every food item and beverage that's been included as a fill in the New York Times crossword puzzle. 

SPOILERS from the Monday, December 20 puzzle below

For instance, the Monday, December 20 puzzle included ELEPHANTSEAR (clued as "Taro") and PEARS (clued as "Bosc and Bartlett")

Taro is on the menu at Thai Landing in a "Tofu Combination" dish -- "deep fried tofu, taro and bean roll. served with peanut, sweet and sour sauce"

Pear is all over the place, I guess, on dessert menus, and I and you could have come up with a bunch of examples.

I still want to do this. Even though it's very silly.

5) Honest Tea commitment -- On October 21, I learned that the Bethesda-based Honest Tea had committed to "fair trade certified tea for all (of its) bottled teas." Commendable, I thought, and nodded off.

6) Boston Market upgrade -- I turned down an invitation in October to learn about the 25th anniversary upgrades at Boston Market, including a dozen or so new menu options. Here's the press release if you want to read it; many of the innovations should be rolling out right about now. I don't live near a Boston Market, but I like them. Of course I like to keep the focus local, but I'm not a snob about chains, and I think this is good forum for separating them into wheat and chaff.

7) Attman's, cover deli -- I've missed a few invitations to attend a book signing for Double Trouble on Corned Beef Row by local author James W. Battee. On the book's cover is a photograph of Attman's delicatessen. This was worth a quick post.

8)  20th Annual Chocolate Affair -- The annual event to benefit Health Care for the Homeless is scheduled for February 3, 2011. The save-the-date came to me on October 21st, which I thought was way too early. But now it's only six weeks away. So take a look I never mind doing a quick post about small and big benefits here. I figure readers can skip over them if they're not interested.

9 )A crabcake eating tour -- I wanted to post about this Chesapeake crabcake eating tour I found on the Roadfood website, but because I could never get a definitive answer about how long this tour has been on the site, I skipped it. I like to keep it as current as possible on Dining@Large. Worth a look, though.

10) The Volt benefit dinner menu--Just two days after inheriting this blog from Laura Vozzella, I received a copy of the eight-course menu from the September 28th Tasteful Pursuit dinner at Volt, a fundraiser for Share Our Strength. The Brothers Voltaggio teamed up for this $1,000-a-head menu. Laura Vozzella reported on this event in advance here and here. Here it is now for you to gaze upon. I was too new to know then that there's no such thing as one Voltaggio post too many.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

Next year, Christmas falls on a Sunday, which will make things a whole lot easier.

But there's still time this year. Here are a few more ideas that either landed in my mailbox or that I scouted out on my own.

BIC food-enthusiast classes -- take a look a the spring semester catalog of Baltimore International College cooking classes. The institute launched these open-to-the-public, single-night classes last Fall. $80 Gift certificates are available here, and there's still time.

Botanical "foodie" soaps from Baltimore Soap and More -- I really meant to have posted this before the weekend because the soap-maker sells her perfume-free natural  soaps at the Baltimore Farmers' Market & Bazaar. And now the market is done for the season. But here's a link to the Etsy shop for Baltimore Soap and More. Pictured is the Clementine Coconut Cake soap, inspired by the real-life coconut cake at Clementine.

Rheb's Chocolates -- I received this email this morning. The subject line was "Sweet Baltimore Story

Hi, Richard- I just got back from Rheb’s where every square inch of floor space was taken up with people waiting to order their “special” chocolates.(outside the air smelled like pure sugar- production in the basement) It was quite an experience and made me think of your column because people were all telling each other when they had their first Rheb’s, who gave it to them, and what their candy traditions are now.  I thought if you had a spare minute in this busy week you might enjoy standing

Hot Squeeze -- Colleague Michael Sragow saw Hot Squeeze on my desk and said, "Oh, that stuff is good."

"Sweet, smoky, and sassy," Hot Squeeze (you can buy it at Whole Foods Market) is garnish, condiment, dressing, sauce, marinade, and glaze all in one little bottle. Do not taunt Hot Squeeze.

For the Sricracha lover -- The Ocean City, MD-based HotSauceDaily.com blogger Brian Meagher recently ran a guest post last Friday by Randy Clemens, the author of The Sriracha Cookbook. Ah, turns out the book is still in pre-order. But take a look at the post anyway.

Restaurant gift card/certificate -- Easy enough. Or is it? Some you can buy online, some you have to call for. But I can't find any website that tells me this: what does the thing look like? Is it a plastic card, or a pretty thing? If you have the card/certificate mailed, is it presented well, with the option of a personal message. Sometimes it's ambiguous whether you can have a certificate mailed to a recipient or only to a shipping address that's different than a mailing address.

I could go on. But if you're a restaurateur, take a look at how you're selling gift cards & certificates on and off your website. Think of everything someone buying one would want to know and go from there. Then, make sure your entire front-of-house staff knows how to process a gift certificate or at least knows who does.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

If you missed my review of Regi's, here it is.

Actually, Regi's owner, Alan Morstein, kicked off the post-review discussion here.

I appreciate the points he's making: 1) my speculation about the kitchen situation was flawed, and 2) my take on summer-vegetables-in-winter.

I admit that I was misinformed about the kitchen staffing.

I think we can disagree about the vegetables. 

Baltimore Sun photo/Barbara Haddock Taylor

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Monday Morning Quarterbacking
        

It was kid brother who encouraged me to add Chef Paolino Cafe onto the lunch-review schedule. He said that the guys in the office come here when they need something quick and inexpensive. They like it, too.

Here's what our John Lindner thinks about my brother's colleagues' taste.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 1:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

What did you do this weekend? Who managed to find time to go dine out in a restaurant? 

I got out and about, a little.

Milk & Honey was pretty crowded on Saturday morning. I left before a friend I was meeting arrived. A prediction -- within six months, the cafe seating will expand over into the other half of the cafe, where Milk & Honey now sells produce. For the time being, how about a "no laptops" policy on Saturday mornings.

I stopped into Vino Rosina on Saturday night. I sat at that square bar up front. ("Square bars are the best" -- S. Sessa). A few passing comments.

1) It's was too cold up front, at least early in the evening, before the bar area filled up; 2) if you sit at the bar, you'd have no way of knowing about existence much less the particulars of the cheese service at Vino Rosina; available selections are now listed on a board in the dining room; 3) those big glass containers of infused vodka are knockout gorgeous;

I went for the last Sunday Supper at Cinghiale, which I'll be posting about here.

Baltimore Sun photo/Gene Sweeney, Jr.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

The last Sunday Supper at Cinghiale is tomorrow night. 

That is, tomorrow night (December 18) is the last Sunday night that the $29 fixed-price menu will all that is available at Cinghiale. From now on, the whole menu will be available as well as the $29 fixed-price menu. AND the $29 fixed-price menu will not only be available on Sunday night but every night from now on.

So, it's a win-win-win basically. And the only thing someone might reasonably pause to lament is the loss of a special in-the-know kind of evening. But maybe not enough people were in the know. Actually, I never got around to going there for Sunday Supper, although I know at least a few Dining@Large regulars spoke enthusiastically about it.

Tomorrow night is my last chance. Here is the last Sunday Supper menu:

Antipasti

Cippolini onions, balsamico agro dolce
Roasted Cerignola olives, rosemary, garlic
Porchetta with baby arugula, garlic sauce
Grilled button mushrooms, escarole salad
Preserved green beans
Yukon gold potato salad, eggs, carrot, thyme mayonnaise

Piatti Principali

 
R.F.C. – Roman Fried Chicken with chef’s secret recipe, lemon mayonnaise

OR

Orecchiette pasta, chilies, garlic, pecorino cheese

Il Dolce

Warm vanilla sugar bomboloni, sambuca pastry cream

Baltimore Sun photo/Lloyd Fox

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

These lists of restaurants opening their doors for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are not comprehensive. 

I did get some replies to my request for information. If your restaurant isn't listed here, it's because you're not keeping in touch with me.

There's still time, though. Email me, and I'll add your information in.

The Christmas Day find might be Eichenkranz, over in Brewers Hill 

richard.gorelick@baltsun.com

Open for Christmas Eve

AIDA Bistro & Wine Bar -- Now in its new home, the Columbia bistro will celebrate Christmas Eve with a $38 fixed-price three course menu. A la carte accommodations will be made for non-fish eating diners as well as children.

Aldo's -- Chef Aldo's "Feast of the Seven Fishes" menu, an annual tradition at Aldo's since being featured on Food Network, will be offered on Christmas Eve--in addition to the standard menu.
Guests ordering from the Feast  menu make their own selections from a menu of four courses, available at $59 per person, exclusive of beverages, gratuity or tax. Reservations are strongly advised, unless guests prefer to dine at the bar. 

Brightons -- The restaurant at the InterContinental Hotel is taking reservations for its 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. seatings

Cafe Spice -- open, serving regular Indian menu until 10 p.m.

Cafe Gia -- open, and serving from regular menu

Charleston -- open but completely booked

Cinghiale -- Accepting reservations until 9pm. The full a la carte menu will be available with a few celebratory items added. There are always two prix fixe options available: $29 or $59. Both have wine-pairing options.

Da Mimmo -- Da Mimmo will offer a seven course seafood dinner on Christmas Eve and will also have the regular menu and daily specialities available from 11:30 am until 11:30 pm. After dinner guests are invited to attend Midnight Mass at St Leo the Great Roman Catholic Church. 

Dogwood -- The Hampden restaurant will offer a special "Feast of the Seven Fishes" menu along  limited selections from its regular menu

Donna's Cross Keys -- The restaurant will serve a $35 fixed-price "Feast of the Seven Fishes" ($45 with wine pairings.)

Eichenkranz -- Open until 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve

Fogo de Chao  -- Open from 5 to 10:30 p.m.

Germano's Trattoria -- Open on Christmas Eve. Germano Fabiani is preparing his favorite Christmas dinner, Agnello al forno--oven roasted lamb with aromatic herbs with new potatoes and seasonal greens. This dish will be on the menu all week, beginning Tuesday night.

Jack's Bistro -- Taking reservations for all size parties on Christmas Eve. Jack's says, " We don't believe in encouraging our guests spend an arm and a leg on special occasions, so we will be offering our current menu and some fun specials for your enjoyment."

Kali's Court -- Open and serving the regular menu

Kali's Court Mezze -- Open and serving the regular menu

Mari Luna Latin Grille -- Serving regular menu at regular hours

Meli -- Open and serving the regular menu.

Milton Inn -- The restaurant has limited availability for its late afternoon seating. But another option here is a Christmas Eve lunch.

Mt. Washington Tavern -- Open and serving the regular menu

Oregon Grille -- Open for Christmas Eve, serving regular menu. There was space available when I called today.

Pazo -- Accepting reservations until 9pm. A special Christmas Eve buffet will be available for $39 per person or $25 for kids 12 and under.

Petit Louis -- Accepting reservations until 9pm. Very little space remains. A celebratory prix fixe menu will be available for $38 per person or $56 with paired wines, and the full a la carte menu will also be available.

Porters -- Open and serving the regular menu

The Prime Rib -- Open for Christmas Eve from 4 to 10 p.m., and serving the regular menu

Regi's -- Open for Christmas Eve from 4 to 11 p.m., and serving from regular menu with additional holiday specials

Rusty Scupper -- Open until 10 p.m., and serving from the regular menu until 10 p.m.

Sullivan's Steakhouse -- Open on Christmas Eve. The weekly Swinging at Sully’s event, usually held on Thursdays, will be held again tonight. The event features  $5 martinis and wine and half-priced bar entrees, cigar selections, and a jazz trio. 

Sotto Sopra --Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tapas Adela -- Open and serving the regular menu

Taste Mediterranean Grill -- Open for Christmas Eve, serving from the regular menu with a selection of specials

Open for Christmas Day

Akbar -- The Downtown and Columbia locations are open

Brightons -- The restaurant at the InterContinental Hotel will serve a holiday buffet, with seatings at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and is also taking evening reservations for its 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. seatings

Cafe Gia -- open at 4 p.m.

Cafe Spice -- open with regular Indian menu from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Eichenkranz -- The Brewers Hill German Restaurant is open Christmas Day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. In addition to the regular menu, the restaurant will serve a traditional turkey dinner.

Fogo de Chao -- Open from 4 to 9 p.m.

Helmand -- Open from 5 to 10 p.m.

Mt. Washington Tavern -- The bars open at 6 p.m., with a limited menu available.

Porters -- The Federal Hill restaurant in planning to be open on Christmas evening with a limited menu and specials.

The Prime Rib -- Open from 4 to 10 p.m.

Sotto Sopra -- Open from noon to 9 p.m. 

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)
        

"I'm going to keep cooking until they shut me down," Timothy Dean just told me. Sure enough, Prime is open for business tonight.

And it's open entirely notwithstanding a setback earlier this week in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland. Well, more like a knockout than a setback.

As reported earlier today in the Batlimore Business Journal, the bankruptcy court on December 14 issed an order converting Dean's Chapter 11 bankruptcy case to Chapter 7. Chapter 7 is like LDL cholesterol -- it's the bad one, and it amounts usually to an order of liquidation, or in this case, the ability of Adams National Bank, M & T.D.'s creditor, to foreclose upon 1719 Eastern Avenue. Prime is located at that address.

But Dean thinks it's more like a setback than a knockout. "The judge will have to reconsider his motion." Dean told me that the bank appraisal used in this case was made eight months ago, critically, that is, before a positive turn-around in business at Prime, one that he credits wholly to  "Groupon, Groupon, Groupon." Dean says that marketing Prime with Groupon has been instrumental in bringing new customers through his doors.

The whole process will have to "start from scratch," Dean said, who spoke to me contrary to the wishes of his lawyer. "Now, I’m gong to go butcher a couple hundred pounds of meat."

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 4:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Good cooking wins every time.

In the final round of the Baltimore Celebrity Smackdown, Charleston's Cindy Wolf bested Joe Flacco, John Waters, and Ray Lewis.

Here is Wolf's reaction: "I am really excited to win and am thankful to all that voted for me. It is an honor to win. I love Baltimore!"

Baltimore loves you!

Please contribute your congratulatory messages here.

Baltimore Sun photo/Lloyd Fox

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The Sunday review is of Regi's American Bistro in Federal Hill, which has been around since 1978.

My first draft of the review included about five paragraphs of what an editor said was "sausage-making.

I felt it was important to divulge that I worked at Regi's back in the 1980s, when Regi Elion still owned it (before there were child-labor laws, obviously), that I recognize the current owner of Regi's, Alan Morstein, when I see him on the street, and that Morstein for a while contributed a weekly "market report" to this blog before I took it over.

I then talked about what effect all of that had on my ability to remain impartial and unbiased in my review of Regi's.

All of that is information you should have, but it was clogging up the review. 

That's why it's nice to have this blog.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Review Preview
        

When Red Parrot Asian Bistro was announced as a tenant for the McHenry Row project, it occurred to us that we could get a sneak preview by visiting the Red Parrot in Hanover. And so we did. Here is Rob Kasper's review.

Baltimore Sun photo/Karl Merton Ferron

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

There is the biannual Ravioli & Spaghetti Dinner at St. Leo's in Little Italy, the annual Sour Beef & Dumplings Dinner at Zion Lutheran Church, the honey-soaked festival at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Midtown-Belvedere. 

A reader wrote:

My congregation serves about 45 hot breakfasts every Sunday between our first and second services, with several meat choices, a rotating variety of starches, fresh cut fruit salad and all the trimmings. I wonder what kind of response you’d get to investigating who is offering something similar in and around town. With the economy still in the doldrums, a lot of families are making do with this kind of thing as one of two major meals in the day.

So, how does your house of worship feed its parishioners? Which Sunday suppers are open to the public? Who's got the most competitive Kiddush?

Baltimore Sun photo/Karen Jackson

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

"Your weekend dining" is now "Your weekend dining PLUS"

I like hearing about the other things people do beside dining in restaurants. This time of year especially, we're coping with all kinds of disruptions, both welcome and not, to our regular schedules -- out-of-town visitors, gift shopping, returning college students. Who has found a good shopping ritual, maybe one that combines an annual luncheon with friends. Actually, that's not a bad idea. Wouldn't it be fun to meet up the Saturday before Christmas in Ellicott City, have a shopping walkabout, and cap the whole thing off with dinner at Tersiguel's?

Whatever you do this weekend, make it a safe and happy one.

Baltimore Sun photo

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Your Weekend Dining PLUS
        

Hi, folks. It's SarahKK, your friendly food editor and reality TV blogger, ducking in with a guest post. We figured we'd try a little experiment today and share a recipe on the blog.

Early this summer, I stumbled across this recipe for Icebox Cake at Smitten Kitchen. In the midst of all that hot weather, it sounded like a perfect trifle of a dessert, plus, no oven required. There was only one catch. Even though the recipe only has five ingredients, I couldn't find one of them -- the Nabisco Chocolate Wafers. Well, that's not exactly true. I could find them in cases at Amazon, but I wasn't ready to make that kind of investment for something I hadn't even tried yet. I saw that Smitten had also come up with a recipe for making a reasonable facsimile of the wafers, but even that seemed like a lot of effort at the time.

I promptly forgot about the whole thing. But at some point during my obsession, I had mentioned to my friend (Michelle over at Consuming Interests) that I couldn't find those wafers anywhere. Then a few weeks ago, she said she had seen them at her local Safeway, and she picked some up for me. Right after that, I found them at Giant (in Columbia on Freetown Road) and bought another couple of boxes. So maybe the wafers are a seasonal thing? I still didn't have a good occasion to whip up a cake (and I was a little sugar-weary after all the cookie testing last week).

This week, though, it was time for the annual newsroom potluck. So last night, I set to making the cake, even though "cake" is kind of an overstatement for this particular recipe.

Here is the recipe, as mentioned before, from Smitten Kitchen:

Icebox Cake
Adapted from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

3 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 (9-ounce) packages chocolate wafer cookies [or, make your own!]
Unsweetened cocoa (or chocolate shavings)

In a large bowl, beat cream, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.

On a flat serving plate, arrange 7 cookies side by side in a circle, keeping 1 cookie in the center.

Spread with 1/2 cup whipped cream, making a 7-inch circle. Repeat with remaining cookies and cream, making 11 layers of cookies and ending with a layer of cream (there will be a few cookies left over). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, dust top lightly with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings.

Here's how it went down for me. First, the whipped cream:

That was simple enough, thanks to the mixer. Then I started layering the cookies and the cream.

As it turns out, I was being a little lackadaisical about how much whipped cream I was using between the layers and where I was placing the cookies, even though I thought I was being pretty precise.

And, uh, I wasn't being too careful about how even everything was, as you can see in the photo at the top of the entry. It was leaning a bit.

From certain angles, that wasn't too obvious:

But, uh, from others ... well ...

After the first piece was cut, the rest of it disappeared quickly at the potluck today, so no one seemed to mind whether it had been a perfect cylinder. It reminded me of the yummiest chunks in cookies and cream ice cream. Definitely really, really sweet, but that's never been a problem for me. Super simple, though, and a big hit.

I've got enough ingredients and another party to go to tomorrow, so I'm going to give this another whirl tonight, paying a little more attention while I'm making the layers. I'll report back.

UPDATE: The second time around, with more care paid to the placement of the cookies and the thickness of the layers of whipped cream, the results were more stable -- and prettier. See:

The recipe that has been mentioned in the comments, with the cake in a cylinder, is on the box for the wafers, but I really wanted to try to duplicate this version of it. It's totally doable!

(Photos by me)

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 9:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Cheryl Townsend, who operated the Southern-style Red Springs Cafe on Calvert Street until earlier this year, may be headed for the Hollywood Diner on Saratoga Street. Townsend said that the deal with the City of Baltimore, which owns the building, isn't final, but that if things go according to plan, she could have the diner reopened shortly after the beginning of the new year.

The diner had been run by Crema Cafe Co. since September 2009. Crema's owner, Terry Jett, shut his operations down on Saratoga Street on November 24th. In a conversation with me, Jett  was frank about the rough time he's had of it on Saratoga Street. "It was tough," Jett says, "It's been a really hard year." Jett admitted that the home-made pancake batter, mayonnaise, sausages and chorizo; Zeke's Coffee; and Stone Mill Bakery bread may not have appealed to a value-seeking lunch audience.

As for the late-night crowd, Jett did try keeping the diner open until 2 a.m. (several nightclubs are nearby, not to mention the Block), but says he ended up spending more for security than he made in sales. 

Jett wasn't blaming anybody, really, and he said he may have stayed with the diner longer than he otherwise would have because of the diner's ongoing partnership with the Chesapeake Center  for Youth Development, which uses the diner for a job-training program.

Crema Coffee still operates two Baltimore area coffee shops for the University of Maryland, one at the medical school and one at the law school.

I'll keep you posted.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Congratulations to the Savory Simple blogger, a Bloggies nonimee, who will be graduated from culinary school tomorrow. To celebrate, the Savory Simple blogger is giving away a $25 gift certificate to Dean & Deluca.

Go wish the Savory Simple blogger well, and tell the Savory Simple blogger that Dining@Large sent you.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 2:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

I had a blog, which I called It Is a Word, that I abandoned for this blog. In that blog, I looked for and published real-life sightings of the type of perfectly legal Scrabble plays (suq, cwm, al, ka) that many players find obnoxious.

I revived the blog today to  post about the word blet, which showed up in a game I was playing five days ago. Today, blet is a big word in this Los Angeles Times Food section article about the medlar.

Bletting is a type of ripening process, you will learn.

photo via Flickr

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Go tonight, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., to Tapas Adela for another Night of the Tweetup. Bring a new unwrapped toy to be donated to the House of Ruth and receive a a $20-gift certificate to Meli to use on a future date. You don't have to be a Tweeter to come, the planners say, who have gathered up some nifty donated prizes -- an overnight stay at the Hotel Monaco Baltimore, culinary classes by Chef's Expressions, designer J Shoes.

Also, About Faces will be there giving cranberry hand massages, which I'm pretty sure was the set-up to an episode of Perfect Strangers.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Here' a list. Got more ideas? Let us know?

Shown here: Ancho-Chile buttercream frosted cinnamon cake with Ibarra Mexican hot chocolate at Miguel's Cocina Y Cantina

Baltimore Sun photo/Algerina Perna

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

You asked about the DuClaw property in Fells Point. An application to the board of liquor license commissioners for Baltimore City has been made for the property at 901 S. Bond Street. The names on the application -- John T. Durkin and Michael Mastellone -- are the owners of Mad River Bar & Grille. I caught Durkin in Chicago, and he's promised to call back tomorrow.

I mentioned the old Orchard Inn property on Joppa Road. A liquor license was approved for the owners of Mo's Seafood people. The transfer was approved on October 19th, 2009. The Mo's folks have been dutiful about keeping the Baltimore County Liquor Board apprised of the construction's progress and delays. The board received a letter from Mo's on September 20th, 2010, acknowledging that construction was taking longer than anticipated.

The new Baltimore County executive Kevin Kamenetz yesterday named two appointments to the three member liquor board. The new commissioners are Owings Mills resident Charles E. Klein, a certified financial planner and past Chair of the County Planning Board, and Benjamin Brooks, Sr.  president of the Randallstown-based B&R Brooks Professional Tax Service, an accounting firm. Brooks will serve as the commission's chair.

In the announcement dated December 14th, "Campfield" Kamenetz also eliminated the board's positions of executive secretary and deputy commissioner/chief inspector and combined them into a single chief administrator position to which he has appointed Michael Mohler.

Baltimore Sun photo/Algerina Perna 

NOTE: I posted this with a reference to the Valley Inn. The Valley Inn is linked, license-wise, to the Oregon Grille, not the Orchard Inn. But try telling me that.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 2:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

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Posted by Richard Gorelick at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I'll be posting as many holiday gift ideas and resources as I can today. I'll be delivering them in batches of 10, and I'll be mixing local with mail-order, and one-stop shops with blogger's guides. Meanwhile, send me some more ideas.

Berger Cookies

Friday, December 17th is the last day to order with a guarantee of delivery by Christmas. The Winter Wonderland tin goes for $19.99.

Chef's Catalog

How about a trifle bowl? You could show up at a holiday party with a beautiful holiday trifle and tell your hosts to keep the bowl.

Endangered Species Chocolates

Stocking up on a few of these holiday-appropriate canisters of dark-chocolate covered pretzels strikes me as a good idea for last-minute bringing and giving.

Epicurious

Actually, this site's holiday gift guide is a little clunky, but I liked this featurette on holiday wines for giving and bringing

Find. Eat. Drink. 

If your name rhymes with Flike Romipelli, please do not look at the keen gift guide this accessibly slick website put together.

Food 52

Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs are churning out their holiday gift guide in batches. Caveat: many of their ideas involve work on your part. 

HowChow

The indispensable guide to Howard County dining posted these tips for holiday gifts. I like the idea of a chef's jacket from Sysco Systems.

Ruth Reichl

Reichl has been posting a gift idea a day every day since November 28th. The post for Day 18 is a paella pan. That's a good idea.

Tasty Bite

Because they're shelf-stable, Tasty Bite's Indian meals ready-to-eat make good gifts for college students (and campers, too). The company knows that, and they have a College Care gift kit on their website.

Thai Supermarket Online

One-stop shopping for the home Thai cook. I like the idea of the Thai Restaurant Kit, a starter kit of basic ingredients, because I'm the type of guy who will abandon a Thai-cooking hobby if I can't get my hands on one ingredient out of forty.

Baltimore Sun photo/Glenn Fawcett

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I'm working on it.

I'm gathering up:

1) a list of restaurants that are featuring special Christmas Eve menus and events. This photograph, from 2002, shows some of the dishes from Aldo's feast of the seven fishes. I went one year, and Donatella Versace was there. (I love Maya Rudolph.)

2) a list of restaurants that are open on Christmas Day

3) a round-up of restaurants that are taking a vacation in between Christmas and New Years Day -- I know that Iggies is closing on New Year's Eve and re-opening on January 2nd. And that Jack's Bistro is closing from January 1st through the 14th.

You can help by sending me reliable, first-hand information about all this stuff. Email me richard.gorelick@baltsun.com

Then, we'll move on to New Years Eve itself -- yesterday, I heard that the B&O Brasserie is already booked (I'll confirm that), so it's clearly not too early to book your restaurant. 

I'll try to have the Christmas-related up sometime tomorrow. 

Baltimore Sun photo/Barbara Haddock Taylor

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Christmas
        

Charleston executive chef Cindy Wolf has reached the final round of four in the Baltimore Celebrity Smackdown. She nicked Markakis in the first round, benched Cal Ripken in the second round, and broke Marin Alsop's baton in the semi-finals.

Now, she squares off against Ray Lewis, John Waters, and Joe Flacco in the final round. There are four celebrities in this final round.

Final Four® has been registered as a trademark of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. As have F4®, Road to the Final Four®, The Final Four®, The Road to Houston®The Road to Houston®,the Road to Oklahoma, and The Road to Denver®, and The Big Dance®.

How DARE they!!!!!

Baltimore Sun photo/Lloyd Fox

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 9:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Christopher Assaf shot this video inside Donna's three days after the December 7th fire that has closed the 18-year-old Mount Vernon Cafe for an indeterminate period. Here is the Table Talk article I wrote in which principal owners Donna Crivello and Alan Hirsch talk about the fire's effect on their flagship restaurant.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 8:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Ted Bauer, the owner of the Oregon Grille in Cockeysville has applied for a transfer of the liquor license from the owner of the historic Valley Inn in Brooklandville. That hearing is on Monday, December 20. You can see it for yourself.

36 South Light Street is on the market. The building houses both Burke's Cafe Restaurant and the Comedy Factory Outlet. Don't fret yet about the 75 year old restaurant -- the building's sale is being presented as an "Existing Restaurant/Development Opportunity. You can see it for yourself.

The building housing Milan on Eastern Avenue is still looking for a taker. This, too, was one of those existing restaurant-development opportunities. You can see it for yourself.

Tomorrow's to-do list -- whatever happened to Mo's Seafood people taking over the old Orchard Inn? I'll do my best.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Sullivan's Steakhouse has started a new event, "Women, Wine & Wednesdays," featuring $5 premium wine selections, a $5 "lite bite" menu, live music, and giveaways from local spas and boutiques from across the area.

The restaurant is looking more more local partners for this event. If you're interested, give them a call at 410-962-5503. 

Baltimore Sun photo/Elizabeth Malby

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Look at the winners of the annual holiday cookie recipe contest.

In this year: coconut

Out this year: green, red, icing, shapes

My favorite-- this coconut cream macaroon, submitted by Robyn Zumbrun of Sweet Simplici-Tea tearoom in Sykesville

Kudos: Intrepid styling, writing, and coordination. Julie Rothman; Stellar photography, Amy Davis; Valiant Baking: Laura Vozzella, Jill Rosen, Sarah Kickler Kelber, Susan Reimer, Maryann James, Lee Ann Adams, Liz Kay, Linda Schubert, Michelle Deal

Attempt at card catalog humor: ended up looking like SEOs

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 3:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The Velleggia's on Water Street has been renamed Supano's Steak House. A week-long grand opening celebration for the renamed eatery, featuring reduced drink prices, ends Thursday, December 16th.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Eight remain in the the Baltimore Celebrity Smackdown. Gary Williams is competing against Joe Flacco, John Waters and Michael Phelps are vying for a semi-final berth, and John Astin is vying with Ray Lewis.

One pairing matters to us. James Beard nominee Cindy Wolf, the executive chef of Charleston, is competing against Grammy Award winner Marin Alsop, the music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. I just checked -- it's a dead heat, with fewer than 20 votes separating the two, and write-in candidate Lisa Murkowski trailing only slightly behind.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The world's first certified gluten-free crab cake here.

The Salisbury-based Handy International officially launched their product last week. The certification, the company says, was issued by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (www.gfco.org), an independent auditing body.

According to the company's website, the crab cakes are available in Whole Foods Market and Costco.
 

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Here is John Lindner's review of Kyodai Rotating Sushi Bar in Towson. Read about his feeding frenzy.

Baltimore Sun photo/Algerina Perna

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

My review of the The Wild Orchid focused on the role of atmosphere. Maybe too much. I've already received an email challenging my analysis the Wild Orchid's move from Eastport. The writer took issue especially with how I portrayed the move as something less than a bold, focused and deliberate choice on the owners' parts to step up their game and be part of the city's burgeoning arts scene.

Perhaps I should not have tied up my  negative assessment of the Wild Orchid's new dining space with speculation about the reasons for the move. That discussion felt important to me, though.

The email I received questioned my assessment of the Annapolis Arts District, pointing out the proximity of the Maryland Hall for Creative Arts and the newly formed Studio of the Arts.

Baltimore Sun photo/Barbara Haddock Taylor

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I enjoyed the thread of comments about those questions different professionals get about their professions.

At the raucous and joyful wedding I attended Sunday (not in Edison, New Jersey, but in Monsey, New York), I got a scattering of "Hey, are you reviewing this?" comments, but not too many.

Where did you eat this weekend? Did you have fun doing other things?

The only restaurant visit I made was for late-night drinks at Jack's Bistro. Ted Stelzenmuller is experimenting with Buzz Buttons (Acmella oleracea, aka Szechuan Buttons, Sansho Buttons, Electric Buttons). Eating a whole bud does crazy things. Saliva cascades, and your taste buds are charged. Water tastes like electricity. Stelzenmuller was following the bud with a crab meat salad. Fun.`

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

The Helmand will open tonight, Friday, December 10, for the first time since the early morning fire on Tuesday, December 7.

Baltimore Sun photo/Algerina Perna

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

Sunday's review is of the Wild Orchid Cafe in Annapolis. The cafe moved earlier this year from its original home (below) in the the Eastport neighborhood to a new home on Westgate Circle. If I told you how much time I spent trying to nail down the official name of the neighborhood, you'd worry about me.

Was this a good move? Find out on Sunday. In the meantime, let's recall some of the most and least successful restaurant re-locations in these parts. 

Baltimore Sun photo (top)/Barbara Haddock Taylor

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Review Preview
        

Here's Rob's review of Havana Road. 

Here's his lede:

"Every once in a while, you come across a restaurant that has distinctive, well-prepared food at sensible prices. Havana Road in Towson is such a spot; it is a find."

See you there.

By the way, this review was initiated by a reader-generated tip. If you have some place you think needs a review, drop me a line at

richard.gorelick@baltsun.com

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Where are you dining this weekend? What else you got planned?

It's a big weekend for open houses celebrating the holidays and/or a dog's birthday, and I'll be wearing lampshades in Canton, Tuscany-Canterbury, and Mayfield-Montebello. Then on Sunday, it's a first-cousin-once-removed's wedding in Edison, New Jersey. One day, up and back. On Monday, I will report back on the state of Kosher catering in the New York metropolitan area.

The person who comes closest to correctly guessing the number of times someone says to me something like, "Are you reviewing this?" wins a can of krill-free sardines.

My mom points out that everyone who says this means well. Of course they do -- having people mean well should be the worst of my problems. But, Harmony Korine!!! It makes me wild.

What's the thing that people say to you when they find out what you do that drives you crazy?

I want to type that one again.

What's the thing that people say to you when they find out what you do that drives you crazy?

Photo by Felix Unger, portraits a specialty 

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (34)
        

Here is Jill Rosen's article about Cafe Hon Denise Whiting and the trademarking of "Hon."

I fear a piling on. So let's try this, another experiment in civility.

Please begin your comment with one of these two sentences.

1) Yes, of course I agree that Whiting has the rights to the HON logo shown here and of course she should protect it. And/But  ....

Or

2)  Whiting doesn't have the right to trademark anything having to do with the word HON. 

I think there's zero to be gained in a conversation between two people holding these opposing views. So here's my experiment. Only address the comments of other people who at least share your main point of view.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 7:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (114)
        

I want to make sure you saw Michael Sragow's story about the approval granted by the Baltimore City Board of Municipal and Zoning Appeals for the expansion of The Senator.

The expansion will include an auditorium and a restaurant, about which no details are public. Also included -- a crepe shop -- you get no guesses which one. Of course it's a Sofi's. Ann Costlow confirmed as much, saying that the Senator Sofi's will be similar to the one on Charles -- a few tables but no table service.

Costlow, who I've known since the old days in Federal Hill, added, "I'm really excited especially since i live around the block from it!"

2004 Baltimore Sun photo/Karl Merton Ferron

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

But Cindy Wolf advanced over Nick Markakis, and Duff Goldman eased by John Harbaugh. 

They face stiff competition in the second round, though. Wolf goes up against Cal Ripken, and Goldman takes on John Waters.

Waters and Goldman are shown here at the party for the Broadway premiere of Cry-Baby. I can feel the tension.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Nick Madigan and Liz F. Kay report on the aftermath of the Baltimore Street and Park Plaza fires. It's still possible that Thairish and The Helmand, shown here in pink, will be open for business before the end of the week. I'll keep you posted.

Alex Tribou/The Baltimore Sun

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It might surprise you to hear that the general attitude here  toward the in-house cafeteria -- the Cafe at the Sun, operated by the Woodlawn-based Brock & Company -- is not so hostile. People don't actively hate it or chronically complain about it. It must be decent.

The only commonly held complaint has to do with the hours of operation, which aren't super long.

This was one of those days when I needed it to be open at 3 p.m. No dice.

The Calvert Street Deli & Cafe (353 N. Calvert St., 410-637-8460) opened a few weeks ago in the old Caribbean Kitchen space (more recently Red Spring Cafe), just in time for the opening of Mercy Hospital's new Mary Catherine Bunting Center.

On the menu -- soul food, Mexican food, and a few Korean dishes. 

Of course.

I got a $7.99 special -- North Carolina chopped BBQ, with macaroni & cheese and string beans (and a Canada Dry).

Not so bad. The pork is too sweet, but not bad. It's keeping me company. Actually the heat is kind of catching up with the sweet now.

The Calvert Cafe is open on weekdays only for breakfast and lunch. The same people who own Kim's Deli Express across the street own this place, too.

It's another place to go.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 3:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Good reading in the City Paper's EOYRUI. For the Year in Food roundup, lovely Mary Zajac included Vino Rosina, Mi Viejo Pueblito, Bluegrass Tavern, and the resurrected McCabe's. See what else she and my true buds Michelle Gienow and Henry Hong had to say.

And god bless Lee Gardner (@pureherringbone) for including me (@gorelickingood), my Sun colleague John McIntyre (@johnemcintyre), and good 'ol Owlie (@owlmeatgravy) on his list of Entertaining Baltimore Tweeps.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 2:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The first round of voting in the Sun's annual Baltimore Celebrity Smackdown wraps up today. Timothy Dean is trailing badly behind Laura Lippman and Bryan Voltaggio is taking a beating from Marin Alsop. But Duff Goldman is maintaining a comfortable-looking lead over John Harbaugh and, in the closest among the 16 first-round match-ups, Cindy Wolf (left) has the slimmest of leads over Nick Markakis.

I am still hellbent on pushing Anne Tyler ahead of Michael Phelps.

Baltimore Sun photo/Lloyd Fox

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

My podmate John-John Williams and my buddy Sloane Brown did a bang-up job with this Picture Gallery of 100 Baltimore stores. Among their picks are a scattering of stores selling things you can eat or drink, or that you can put eats or drinks into. 

I noted three wine stores, three chocolatiers, a candy store, a few home-furnishings stores, and a pretty famous Italian grocery store. There were also a few other stores that I at one time or another was convinced sold food but that don't -- Cupcake, In Watermelon Sugar, Kiss and Make Up.

The newest store in the Photo Gallery, Black Eyed Susan Coffee, Candy, Cream & More, brings Susan Seaman's thriving Maryland-themed gift-basket business into a Glyndon retail space. The shop also sells out-of-basket treats like Zeke’s Coffee, Wockenfuss candies, and Prigel Family Creamery ice cream.

The store has been open for business for a few weeks but will be having a ribbon-cutting on Friday, December 10th at 9 a.m., followed by a weekend-long grand-opening celebration.

Black Eyed Susan is located at the Glyndon Square shopping center, the phone number is 410-833-5427, the web address is http://www.blackeyedsusangiftbaskets.com/
 

photo courtesy Annie Martin

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

AIDA Bistro & Wine Bar opened on December 2nd in new and bigger quarters across from its original Columbia location. In my Table Talk column, I talk a little about the bistro's new "wine on tap" program. Wine-on-tap is new to the area, and new to me -- AIDA's owner, Joe Barbera, is super stoked about it.

Let us know if you make it out to AIDA, or if you've had wine-on-tap elsewhere.

Baltimore Sun photo/Algerina Perna

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Laura Vozzella has a story in Wednesday's Taste section about the recent retirement, after four decades, of Francisco "Paco" Lobo, the maitre'd at a popular and enduring Mt. Vernon restaurant.

Has anyone heard of this place?

Baltimore Sun photo/Algerina Perna

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Next year will be the last year for Obrycki's restaurant on Pratt Street.

The storied crab house will open on the third Thursday in March, as it has for years. But when it closes next November, it will be for good, according to Rob Cernak, whose parents, Rose and Richard Cernak, purchased the original Obrycki's in 1976

"We made the decision," Cernak said, "entirely for quality of life issues." Cernak added that  business was up 16 percent this past year from the previous one.

Cernak said that there is the possibility of another crab house coming into the Pratt Street location, even one selling crabs using the exclusive Obrycki's recipe. But such a place will not be called Obrycki's.

The Cernak family will continue on with Obrycki's mail-order and satellite operations, including restaurants at Thurgood Marshall BWI Airport and Cleveland Hopkins Airport.

When Cernak and his sisters told their mother about their decision to close the Pratt Street restaurant, he said she told them, "I can't wait  to see what people have to say, but I'll be really upset it they didn't talk about us."

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 5:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
        

Thairish and the Helmand are both part of the Park Plaza, a 43,000 square-foot professional building housing offices and five restaurants. At this moment, the outlook for Donna's, Indigma, and My Thai are not promising. They are all in the two main buildings that were joined together in the mid-1980s.

Thairish and The Helmand are in lower buildings just to the north on Charles Street. Helmand Karzai, whose family owns the Helmand told me that his father, Qayum Karzai, had been in the building early on the morning after the fire and that he saw water damage by the back bar but not any structural damage. There was no electricity in the building, though, so he couldn't be sure.

I ran into Kerrigan Kitikul, the owner of Tharish for 19 years. He said he was ready to open as as soon as the fire marshals and his landlord gave him the go-ahead. He suffered some minor water damage, he said, but no damage to his equipment or furnishings.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Donna's co-owner Alan Hirsch still hasn't seen the damage the early morning December 7th fire caused to his Mt. Vernon restaurant up close; the Park Plaza building is still sealed off. He got his first glance of the fire's extent from the car on JFX -- "I could see and smell it from Cold Spring Lane."

From what Hirsch managed to see from across the street of the damage to the building's upper floors, and from his conversations with his landlord, he thinks a reopening could take anywhere from four to six months.

Hirsch said it looked like the restaurant's insurance policy will not only allow him to rebuild but will cover his employees' lost wages, although he acknowledged that he wasn't certain about the particulars of how tip-earning employees are covered. "The devil is in the details," Hirsch said. 

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

This Saturday, Charm City Food Tours debuts a Little Italy/Jonestown tour. The company's Fells Point and Federal Hill food tours have been up and running for a while. I haven't been on one of these  tours, but I've crossed paths with one of them in Fells Point. Anybody tried on of them?

Here is an August 2010 story by Laura Vozzella's about the company's Fells Point tour.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)
        

It looks very bad. The early morning five-alarm fire in Mt. Vernon Place has caused extensive fire and water damage to the Park Plaza Professional Building, which houses Donna's and Indigma on the the street level and My Thai on the lower level. Fire Chief Jim Clack told me that it's going to be "a while" before any of the restaurants reopens. "You mean a week or two," I asked him. He said, "oh no, much longer than that."

It's very sad. I'm hoping that the Donna's staff can pick up shifts at the other Donna's restaurants. I'm thinking the employees of the other two restaurants won't have that option. 

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Needs -- a point-and-shoot camera, a wireless internet card. also, remember to take photographs of food I am eating and places I am eating in.

Here, on the next few posts, are some things I did and ate in New York City

Totto Ramen - the basic Totto Ramen Paitan Ramen. This is one of those ramen shops I keep nattering on about. Apparently, there were lines outside, all day long, even before the Times wrote about it. The line is part of the fun, or at least part of the experience and so is the cramped, below-ground dining room and counter.*

When my friend Nestor heard I was going here, he told me to ask for "extra chicken fat."

But, unless I'm just completely clueless, the chicken broth here is made not with chicken but with pork. So, I got extra fatty pork. If the wait for a seat at the counter was about 40 minutes, the wait for the ramen was about 40 seconds. But then it took about 20 minutes to finish it off. This is a mild dish, and other patrons prefer it very spicy, or else a different version with fresh vegetables.

A woman in line advised her impatient friends that there was better ramen to be had elsewehere. Probably so. But Totto Ramen is INCREDIBLY cute and cozy without feeling at all contrived. The guys behind the counter go at the pork belly with little blow-torches.   

Inexpensive, as things go, and super filling. 

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 4:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

John Lindner's review of El Nayar in Catonsville appears in Monday's paper. "El Nayar's distinction," he says "is that it lacks distinction."

Baltimore Sun photo/Kenneth K. Lam

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 1:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Here is the list of Monday night dining specials around town. (And here is the weekly dining specials page.)

If you're feeling more ambitious, I just got word of this event tonight at the Elkrdige Furnace Inn.
The Supporters of Maryland Winegrowing, a recently founded political action committee, is presenting "Taste Terroir: Explore the French Roots of Maryland Wine" at 6:30 p.m. The event features a tasting of Maryland wines paired with hors d’eourves by chef Daniel Wecker, and will be led by Laurie Forster, aka the Wine Coach. Tickets are $60.
 
Tickets can be purchased on missiontix.com, where there is more information about the event, including the menu.

The Elkridge Furnace Inn was on a December 2008 list of Top 10 Restaurants with Fireplaces -- feels like a good day for a repost.

Baltimore Sun photo/Kenneth K. Lam

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Among the thirty-two celebrities bracketed in this year's Baltimore Celebrity Smackdown are four with relevance to this blog.

In the first round, Bryan Voltaggio is competing with Marin Alsop, Timothy Dean has drawn Laura Lippman, Cindy Wolf takes on Nick Markakis, and Duff Goldman is challenging John Harbaugh

The culinary types are mostly running behind, but so far Wolf and Markakis are running neck-and-neck.

My favorite first round pairing: Anne Tyler and Michael Phelps. Do you think the Dining@Large community is strong enough to keep advancing Anne Tyler to an ultimate championship? 

Let's Try.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

It turned cold. And it gets dark so early. What a drag.

Some of you posted your own dining plans and queries, and you had great advice for my New York excursion. I'll be posting my own dining round-up a bit later. but I want to hear now about your dining experiences in Baltimore and beyond.

I was kidding about The Gates.

I have been hearing the Valley Inn news, too. The parties involved are fairly reticent about the deal, which I believe not to be complete. I've been waiting until I have firm information to share. 

Baltimore Sun photo/Gene Sweeney, Jr.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

I'm off to New York City. The 6:12 a.m/ Northeast Regional 180 should be pulling out of Baltimore Penn Station right now, hopefully with me on it.

I haven't been up there for a while, and I really want to see those orange gates up in that park.

I am headed up for a friend's birthday party, and I have no firm food plans. But I'm sure I'll be eating something. Drop some suggestions for me here.

I'm thinking I'll check out those ramen shops I posted about a while back. And my new foodie friend from Delaware North said I'm nuts if I don't get myself to Quality Meats. All I know is I'm bringing good walking shoes and some eating pants.

I haven't successfully blogged remotely yet, but I'm going to try over the weekend. 

What are you doing? 

Baltimore Sun photo

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 6:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)
        

Alchemy opened Tuesday, November 30, in the Hampden Space where Grill Art Cafe was. The restaurant's address is 1101 W. 36th St., and the phone number is 410-366-1163. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner.

There's no website yet, but photographs on the restaurant's facebook page reveal a pretty snazzy looking joint. The owners here are Michael Matassa and Debi-Bell Matassa, who ran the Fusion Grill up in Fallston.

If you drop in on them this weekend, drop back in on Dining@Large on Monday and tell us all about it.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

On Tuesday, December 7, Woodberry Kitchen will host the Ideas in Food Barista and Bartender Experience, with chefs, bloggers, and authors Aki Kamozawa and Alex Talbot. The afternoon workshop, which includes a Woodberry Kitchen lunch, will showcase new techniques in artisan cocktails and coffee drinks. 

Kamozawa and Talbot, creators of the Ideas in Food blog (and co-authors of a soon-to-be-released book of the same title), will demonstrate techniques specifically targeted to bartenders and baristas using locally sourced seasonal ingredients, small batch spirits, and direct-trade coffee from Counter Culture. On the agenda: agar clarification, gellan, hot foams, gums, carbonation, aroma.

On Wednesday night December 8, the restaurant will host a cocktail reception with the authors featuring drinks made with techniques presented in the limited capacity workshop.

The Tuesday workshop is $100; the cocktail reception, which includes passed appetizers, is $50; do both, and it's $125.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 9:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The 19th annual wine and beer tasting to benefit Santa Claus Anonymous will be held on Thursday, December 9th at the Crowne Plaza, 2004 Greenspring Drive. Tickets to the event, which will feature local, domestic, and international wines selected by the Chesapeake Wine Company, are $55 in advance, and $65 at the door.

The event, which runs from 6 to 9 p.m., also includes a buffet and live music by the local Motown-inspired band Sandstorm. 

You can buy a ticket of make a donation at www.santaclausanonymous.org. For more information, call 410-456-9269. 

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 8:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Frederick News-Post's Susan Guynn got Bryan Voltaggio to admit what foodies in five counties had been suspecting -- he plans to open a second location in Frederick.

I have confirmed that no name or precise location has been confirmed for the new yet-to-be-named and yet-to-be-geocoded restaurant, which Voltaggio told Guynn will be more casual than Volt.

Well played, Guynn, well played. But have you been in his home kitchen?

Baltimore Sun photo/Lloyd Fox

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 2:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Here's Ed Gunts story about the signing of Lenny's Delicatessen for Harborplace. Lenny's will open a breakfast, lunch, and dinner restaurant next spring in the Pratt Street Pavilion restaurant most recently tenanted by California Pizza Kitchen. Lenny's will keep its location on Corned Beef Row, Towson, and Owings Mills.

Baltimore Sun photo/Kim Hairston

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 1:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Here's my story about the Baltimore food tour the folks from Delaware North, the new Camden Yards vendors, took on a chilly Tuesday afternoon. I saw a few "It's the crab cake, stupid" comments under the article itself.

Look, these guys have heard of crab cakes. There will be crab cakes at Camden Yards. They also know that most ballpark customers have probably had a crab cake before. They also know that people will only pay and wait so long for a freshly prepared premium crab cake, and that guests on the suite level will likely pay more and wait longer for a freshly prepared premium crab cake.

The idea that the creative search for a unique, stadium-only food-item begins and ends with a crab cake is not so productive. 

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Here's the web edition of Rob's glowing (surprise!) review of Samos, which will appear in print in Friday's Live section. That's Friday, December 3. I'm not supposed to use words like "today," "tomorrow," or "yesterday," when referring to published material. Because you might be reading this on March 9, 2013, which is a Saturday. (If you are, how is my 401K?)

Rob reminds readers that Samos doesn't take credit cards. A friend told me that she went to Mekong Delta this past Saturday (November 27), but wasn't prepared for their cash-only set-up.

What other places we love only take cash? Has this the makings of a Top 10 Tuesday? I think I owe the universe about 10 Top 10 Tuesdays now. What would the universe say if I decided that I wanted to phase out the Top 10 Tuesday feature and did something (anything) else for the universe instead, I don't know, like capturing the Erymanthian boar or obtaining the girdle of Hippolyta?

Baltimore Sun photo/Gene Sweeney, Jr.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

The Kooper's Chowhound Burger Wagon has declared December  "Burger Fan Appreciation Month." Their fans are invited to share their best photos of their favorite burger ordered at the food truck to enter a chance to win fabulous prizes, including a one-night stay at Celie's Waterfront Inn.

Winners will be announced on Tuesday, January 5th. Email photos and burger stories to brgrwagon@gmail.com before December 31st, midnight. More details on the food truck's homepage.

Baltimore Sun photo/Amy Davis

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

Chewpons launched this morning with a pay-$20-get-$40 deal for Ciao Bella. The first link is to the locally owned company's "about us" page..

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)