Over on Midnight Sun, Erik Maza has the goods on a new project going into the old Canton Arts and Entertainment space.

The space will be divvied up, apparently, into an Irish pub and a BBQ restaurant;  the folks behind this project are involved with Delia Foley's over in South Baltimore.

Someone there must have a jones for James Joyce - the Irish pub is set to open on Bloomsday, June 16, will be named Finnegan's Lake.

The BBQ restaurant, though, doesn't have a name yet.

So, a contest:

Come up with a literary name for the complementary BBQ restaurant.

The winner will receive a copy of Weber's Time to Grill.

Deadline is Midnight Tuesday.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (44)
Categories: Contest
        

Regarding this earlier post on Mimi Sheraton -- "bestavore" is already gaining traction. Check this out.

As of 6 p.m., there were only 59 hits on Google. The person who comes closest to guessing (over or under) how many Google hits "bestavore" will have at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning (January 19) wins, intransitively.

Guessing deadline -- 11:59 p.m. tonight, January 18.

At 9:00 a.m., there were 1.902 returns -- Mike A wins.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 6:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Contest
        

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeps!  -- everyone loves them, but they've known to be fragile

Sam Kochies -- other teams might be trying to share this recipe 

Here's my story in today's Taste section about the tailgating scene at M@T Bank Stadium. I was super impressed by the level of culinary arts I saw down there (not to mention the friendliness and general good spirits).

Continue reading "Contest #5 -- Houshmanzadeh, that's good blueberry pie!" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
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These were deliciously gruesome. I ate them up. I loved the elegant twist of Karen's McCabre's, and the punch line in MC's Abazombie Final Foods ("Your server will be with you shortly and for all eternity). Curtis Bay cracked me up with Coldstone Creamatorium.

Really, I ate them all up.

The winner, though, was submitted by Zevonista

The newly named Victoria Ghastly Pub takes a gently ribs at the gastropub phenomenon and the tagline is definitive. Awfully nice, and nicely awful.

A suitable prize will be chosen.

Continue reading "Results of Contest #4 -- Halloweenized restaurants" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 1:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Contest
        

VOLT!! Hair-raising cuisine

Cinghouly -- we'll seat you in our Ghosteria. Forever

In this contest, you are to take an area restaurant and Halloween-ize it. Mangle the name somehow (subtlety'd be so lovely), and supply its scary slogan, catchphrase, or what have you.

You have until Midnight tonight. Enter as many times as you like, but one entry per post, please.

big big thanks to Sluggo for this contest suggestion

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 4:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (49)
Categories: Contest
        

The Vermont Maple Syrup Cookbook by Reginald Muir

1976, second printing

It's on its way, theminx -- congratulations again!

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 5:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Contest
        

In Contest #3, you were asked to imagine Christopher Kimball's "Cooks Illustrated" editorial after a year of his relocation from his beloved Vermont to Baltimore.

What was I thinking? 

I promise promise promise that I will make the weekly contest into an actually fun and contestable thing beginning this Wednesday

Hey, but you know, what -- the two entries we got for Contest #3 have me regretting nien rien <good grief!>

The piece by clairecarton was amazing, and, fortunately, it was over the maximum length, which makes declaring theminxs entry the winner a whole lot easier.

Congratulations, theminx!

Come back Wednesday for Contest #4. PLEASE.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Contest
        

For Contest #3, you must imagine that Christopher Kimball, host of "America's Test Kitchen" and founder of "Cook's Illustrated" and "Cook's Country," has forsaken his beloved Vermont farm for a new life in Baltimore.

Devise the "Cook's Illustrated" editorial we might see after he's been here year or so. Retain his prose style (any use of "Hon" is an immediate disqualification, for starters) and resist, if you can, thrusting him into a lost episode of "The Wire."

Continue reading "Contest #3: Christopher Kimball in Mobtown" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 5:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)
Categories: Contest
        

This guy is going to be appearing Thursday night at the Friendship Heights Village Community Center in Chevy Chase. The host of "America's Test Kitchen" will be promoting his new book, "Fannie's Last Supper."

Wednesday's contest depends on your having at least a glancing familiarity with Christopher Kimball's prose style, which most notably appears as an "editorial" in his "Cooks Illustrated" magazine.

I'm trying to find a real example to share with you.

Until then, make do with this version I made myself with the Christopher Kimballatron. I found it on the sadly defunct Flak magazine.

It's easy -- just input a few in a key variables and you're on your way.

Here's an example:

Continue reading "The Christopher Kimballatron -- tomorrow's contest preview" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 9:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Contest
        

What is this?

“INGREDIENTS: Peanuts, Potato Starch, Sugar, Flour, Peanut Oil, Corn Meal, Egg Whites, Salt, Sodium Bicarbonate, Tomato Powder, Vinegar Solids, Dextrin, Worsestershire [sic] Sauce Powder, Corn Syrup, Carmel Color, Garlic Powder, Tamarind, Maltodextrin Powder and Silicon Dioxide, Horseradish Powder.”

With fond memories of Dining@Large's old Guess the Mystery Product challenge, poster/participant Returning Ecclesiastical Exile sent in this doozy.

Think of it as a group challenge -- I'll let you (pl.) know when you're getting warmer. There are one or two very specific elements to this product that need to be explicitly stated, and the game won't be over until they are.

No Prizes. Do Not Google.

Please visit Dining@Large often, and, remember, to minimize all of your active windows and show the Desktop, press the Windows Logo Key + D

STOP!!!

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 8:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (51)
Categories: Contest
        

In Contest # 2 we asked you to create a misguided celebrity restaurant.

The entries were funny, so I needed help again.

I brought in Larry Noto. I think Larry Noto knows funny when he sees it. He is the featured act next weekend at the Comedy Factory Outlet, so see for yourself.

Actually, Larry and I ended up responding to same entries, the ones that used a bit of sweet word play to create a downright alarming thing -- more inductive than deductive. Or the other way around.

Here they are:

Continue reading "Results of Contest # 2 -- Misguided Celebrity Restaurants" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Contest
        

You know how I sometimes say I'm going to do something and then I do something else or nothing at all. Right. So you know how I said I was going to establish the weekly contest as a one-day slug-of-wits so that we don't all get fatigued and bored?

Well, that is JUST what I'm doing.

Contest #2 will be posted when you first sign on tomorrow morning. Actually, it will be there if you're up a second past midnight.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 3:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Contest
        

This was fun, right?

I loved reading the responses. I often slapped my knee. Some of you added letters or moved them -- still funny but not eligible.

In Contest #1, you were to change exactly one letter (without scrambling or repositioning) in the name of a Baltimore area restaurant and supply a super brief explanation of, or come-on for, the re-branded eatery.

I liked them all so much that I went out empaneled veteran drudge and You Don't Say blogger John McIntyre on the Contest Jury.

First place, and a signed copy of What the Great Ate by Matthew Jacob and Mark Jacob

Job Squared -- every pizza is a curse from God -- Rahne Alexander

Second Place

Brewer's Ark - two of every beer --Stagger Lee

Third Place

Five Gays - Not that there's anything wrong with that -- Doug

Fourth Place

Cafe Han: Finally, Baltimore gets good Chinese! --Eric

Fifth Place

Double-D-Diner (we make Hooter's look like children!) --Lone Lady

Continue reading "Winners of contest #1 " »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Contest