Meanwhile. wraps are gaining in popularity (Nation's Restaurant News)

Steamed crabs at Mr. Bill's Terrrace Inn? (Baltimore Sun/Colby Ware)

Diner?

You will be able to jump on the blog from several places on the Baltimore Sun website., but your best bet is the main Dining page.

[I'll add a direct link as soon as it's up tomorrow.]

I think of Baltimore Diner as:

1) Diner, a place; the blog itself, a place where we all meet, informally, to chew the fat.

2) Diner, a person; you and you, men and women who live in and around Baltimore.  

I like it. (Probably because I thought of it.) I hope you do, too.

It's going to be an adjustment for me. The act of posting is fairly baroque in the new system. And of course, it will mean changes for you. In order to post comments, you will have to register. But other aspects of the new format, are subject to change, so don't hesitate to email me at richard.gorelick@baltsun.com with your feedback.

Good news: For the time being, you will be able to access the Dining@Large archives here.

Here's a link to Elizabeth's first month of D@L posting, from April 2007. 

UPDATE:

Well, I thought they were back. We're proceeding gingerly after  a spam attack that temporarily disabled them; the Tech staff is continuing to work through issues related to fully restoring commenting.   

Tomorrow, I'll show the new blog title and logo. 

That's what I was wondered after reading Jay Hancock's article in today's paper. I'm not sure dyed-in-the-wool cheapskates are going to plunk down $50 bucks for a Prime Rib deal (for $100 worth of food) and then whip out a calculator at the dinner table. That seemed more like a deal for twice-a-year Prime Rib customers who will now come in a third time.

I'd ask you what you thought, but the commenting is still down.

The patio diners were told that their benefactor just wanted to do it. The gentleman who paid the patio checks was quietly pointed out to the patio diners but his back was to them.

That sure was nice. Give or take, the checks would have come to $1,000.

Was it you?

Baltimore Sun photo/Kenneth K. Lam

I just got a call from Deputy Mayor Kaliope Parthemos confirming it. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Parthenos told me, made the decision a few weeks ago. The market will be held in its regular location. 

UPDATE: The Farmer's Market is ON for Sunday, September 4. I just got a call from Deputy Mayor Kaliope Parthenos confirming it. The Mayor, Parthemos said, made the decision a few weeks ago. I hadn't been notified.   

Here's Michael Dresser's on the continuing traffic woes caused by preparations for the this summer's Baltimore Grand Prix.

There will be no Sunday farmers' market on September 4. Although the race track for the event doesn't cross the farmer's market grounds,  the city wants the  markets lots for event parking.

It's a drag for market-goers not to have the farmers market, of course, but it's a real setback for the vendors, particularly vendors. The Sunday of Labor Day weekend is among the most, if not the most, lucrative days of the market season. It makes sense. Summer produce is peaking, and folks are back at their routines.

I don't have a solution. I just know that there is one, if enough people want it.

A few farmers I spoke with said that a relocated market would be better than no market at all. 

If you have a good idea about how to save the Labor Day weekend Farmer's market, email it to me at richard.gorelick@baltsun.com and I'll update this post. Let me know if I can use your name.

Baltimore Sun photo/Algerina Perna

your responses below:

►Hi Richard, I'm sitting in a meeting and just read your blog - not knowing where the grand prix route is and thinking about easy access and parking - how about poly/western parking lots as an alternate site?

 
►How about hosting the farmers market in the parking lot of Western High School off Cold Spring and Falls Rd? It's just off 83 and is large enough. 

►Instead of using the under pass for parking and further adding to the congestion of get around for the grand prix, leave the under pass alone and keep the farmer’s market going that day. 
Use the parking lots at the Port Covington WalMart and now abandoned Sam’s club and simply bus people to the GP.

►Put the Farmer's Market in amongst all of the other vendors at the Grand Prix event.  Everyone hates the carny food that typically gets setup at events like this.  It would show off Baltimore's farmers.  It could be really cool.  Call the mayor.

►Perhaps at the location of another market but one that is closed on Sundays:  Waverly?

►What about the parking lot at Poly/Western? It's right on main roads and main bus lines. This will also keep it away from what will be a traffic nightmare in the heart of the city. - Kelley Ray
 

►my solution is have the big mkt spread out at all other mkt spaces that operate during the week.
call it farmers market day and highlight another great part of our city on a day people are watching. @bmoreconnected via Twitter

►Suggestion: Relocate the Market to Western/Poly’s Parking Lot. Big outdoor space that is convenient from the JFX. Also has a lightrail stop (Coldspring) and great service by bus. It is far enough away from downtown not to be TOO affected by Grand Prix congestion, but close enough to be convenient to typical Sunday FM customers. -David N. from Hampden.

►My solution is we tell the grand prix to sod off. Hanne Blank via Twitter.

►I'm sure Patterson Park could handle it. (Which is where it should be anyway! CookinLikKeller via Twitter.

►They should use the Falls Rd area between Maryland and Chestnut (near G-Spot, south)...under that massive bridge there. - via Facebook

►The business-unfriendly traffic tie-ups downtown are a hidden cost of this and will get worse. Other GP cities have been paralyzed. Course closings mean you can't even walk across town at the ones I've worked at. Already the crossing guards the city uses to police intersections apply baseless no left turn restrictions all over. the solution is to eat in Greektown. - via Facebook

►I’d recommend moving the Farmer’s Market to Patterson Park.  The park hosts several festivals throughout the year and the vendors will have access to the surrounding neighborhood.   I think it would be a win win.

You may recognize Bersch from his front-of-house gigs at Three and Joe Squared.

[Actually, tonight is the first part of the two-part season premiere, which concludes tomorrow at 8 p.m. Bersch will appear at some point in the two-part premiere, and then we'll find out on Monday, June 13 whether Bersch has made the first cut, which awards to coveted "white apron" to 38 from the pool of 100.

I think.

Bersch sailed through the New York auditions with his roasted pork tenderloin marinated with brown sugar, cinnamon, cumin and coriander, which he serves with bacon-apple relish. "I was the last person they saw that day," Bersch told me about the New York auditions. "They're eyes lit up."

On the premiere episode, he'll be judged by host Gordon Ramsay (who plays a kinder, more supportive version of Gordon Ramsay on MasterChef) and the other judges.

Watch their eyes.

Check out Bersch's website. You can follow Bersch on his Twitter account: /DavidBersch

I don't know how easy this kind of post will be with the new blog publishing platform. We'll see, but definitely let me know if you enjoy these posts and I'll find a way.

There are some links that I've been sharing on Twitter but not here, but I realize not everyone can abide Twitter.

Adventures of a Koodie: Eli's back! He's got a review of Peace A Pizza in Catonsville. This was actually a guest review Eli published on the Macaroni Kid website.

Amuse-bouche for Two: I liked this pretty post on pasta with tinned fish.

(a)Musing Foodie: Liza has a funny preview of the new Wegmans opening in Frederick on Sunday.

Beer in Baltimore: Alexander D. Mitchell IV posts the results of DuClaw's home brew competition. It's a peanut butter porter. Really. I learn a lot from Alexander's site. 

Center for Science in the Public Interest:  CSPI likes Choose My Plate, the USDA's new healthy eating  graphic, which is replacing the old food pyramid. But definitely see the Food Politics post below if you're interested in the topic.

Civil Eats: Vanessa Barrington wonders if we're in the first years of a Jewish deli Renaissance. Sure hope so.

Diner's Journal: I love the periodic What We're Reading post on the New York Times dining blog. (Once, they were reading me!) A recent round-up included this story on Pittsburgh's food-truck scene. Turns out food trucks there can't park within 500 feet of a brick-and-mortar restaurant AND the trucks have to move every 15 minutes!

Dining Dish: Dara always knows about things I don't know about, like the first Sunday cooking classes at Akbar and Amy Gjerde's 5@5 post on Eatrocracy about eating well gluten-free. Amy, of course, is the co-owner of Woodberry Kitchen.

Food Politics: Marion Nestle has a big roundup of reactions to Choose My Plate, the USDA's new healthy eating graphic. 

Food Safety News: I haven't really been paying much attention to the E-coli breakout in Germany, for which the "prime suspects" appear to be vegetables. This post has advice for anyone worried about purchasing raw produce. UPDATE: Looks like it was sprouts.

HowChow: A post on the new BGR: The Burger Joint in Columbia, Howard County's first. Must reading for burgerheads.

In Good Taste: Suzanne Loudermilk has a post on Maryland Wine Week, which started on June 3 and runs through Sunday, June 12. I never got around to posting on it, so please read hers. 

Nations Restaurant News: I don't post often to this industry blog, but here's an interview with Arturo Paz, he executive chef of the new Bombora, which is shaping up to be the most ambitious restaurant to hit Ocean City in years. It's from the Phillips family.

Who said, "The only good concert is one that starts on time."? Oh, that was me.

Emmanuel Ax plays with the BSO all weekend at the Meyerhoff. Who's going to be dining where?

The Capital Jazzfest plays all weekend at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Natalie Cole!

Creedence Clearwater Revival and Three Dog Night are playing at Pier Six. ("One" is a great song. I love Harry Nilsson.)

There's the Rihanna concert tomorrow night at 1st Mariner Arena.

And the Starscape Festival (photo) begins tomorrow at noon and won't stop until the following morning at 6 a.m.

Elsewhere and otherwise, there's the Charles Village Festival on Saturday and Sunday.

What are you doing this weekend. Will there be music in your life?

And what about food? Where are you planning to eat?

Ah, the commenting function is completely haywire for now.