URBAN OYSTER COMING TO THE AVENUE |
As reported by the Baltimore Business Journal, Jasmine Norton is reopening The Urban Oyster (formerly at McHenry Row in Locust Point) on The Avenue in Hampden. It will be next to Royal Farms in the space that previously housed Asian Taste for many years. Per the sign on the front door, Asian Taste is now at 2501 N. Charles Street.
As you may know, Jasmine's food has a large following in the City, with Urban Burger Bar in Whitehall Market, her popular stand at the JFX Market, as well as appearances on food tv and more. The Urban Oyster is the first female and black-owned oyster bar in Maryland. Go, Jasmine, go!
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13.5% WINE BAR CLOSED Italian restaurant now open in the space |
Photo by Baltimore Business Journal |
Wow, Hampden fixture 13.5% Wine Bar has closed. I have to say, I always liked this place. While, their style of food changed from time to time, it was always a great option for a place to meet up with friends or relax after work. I always loved when they offered wine flights. I'm sure a lot of people will be sad to hear this news. Bella Italia is already open in its place. More from Amanda Yeager at the BBJ: ..."The abrupt departure of 13.5% Wine Bar comes as owner Wayne Laing looks to open a new karaoke bar and Korean barbecue restaurant on Falls Road, a few blocks away. The concept is headed for a fresh review from the city's zoning board next month, after Laing's request for an off-street parking variance was voted down by the body in November when neighbors shared concerns about parking and noise.
Laing declined to comment on the wine bar's closure. The business had been a fixture of the Avenue since 2009, offering an extensive wine list and small plates in a stylish atmosphere.
Bella Italia will be open for dinner seven days a week, with brunch service on the weekends. In addition to DiLiello, chef and restaurateur Chil Chong is associated with the restaurant, according to state business records. Chong has previously been involved with restaurants including Hampden sushi spot Nori and Ruby 8 Noodles & Sushi in Locust Point, which have both since closed."
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A VISIT TO PARIAH BREWING |
I made my first visit to Pariah Brewing last weekend. Very, very delicious beers! Friendly staff, too. It was definitely weird standing in a place where I spent so much time over the years – I even had a big birthday party in the parking lot! They've made the space their own and there's a little more more seating, too.
Smylex IPA was right up my alley. Easy drinking, but full bodied, with big, yet balanced flavors.
How lucky are we to have so many amazing breweries here in Baltimore. Welcome, Pariah. (Tip: Go early, sit outside, there are lots of picnic tables!)
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Dinner at the bar is my favorite, especially when eating solo and last weekend, I took myself out on a date. I'd been wanting to visit Chris Amendola and Foraged at the new location for a while and now that I'm feeling more comfortable eating indoors, it finally happened. And, since Reed Cahill – whom I have known since Pabu was in Baltimore, almost ten years? – is running the bar, I was especially excited to go.
I started with a cocktail, knowing Reed would have some fantastic options. He's one of my favorites because he knows what goes well together flavor wise and has enough restraint to be creative without being over the top. The drink I chose was the Strawberry Leaf, a light and refreshing riff on a martini, perfect for spring. Then, I ordered the cornbread, which was really flavorful, with great texture and was served with room temp butter with sea salt. (They make their own salt in-house.) I asked Chris about sourcing for the baking ingredients and he said that lately they've been getting corn meal from Next Step Produce in Southern Maryland. They are known to be an excellent source, very knowledgeable and they've been supplying to places like Woodberry, Bluebird and others for a while now. One more deet: I have very few pet peeves, one is hard butter. So, the velvety soft butter served with the cornbread made me very happy.
Scallops are a main I will almost always order, especially at a handful of places that prepare them perfectly. Faves include The Food Market, Petit Louis, La Cuchara and Foraged. The sear! Just look at it. Perfect. And I loved the components on the plate: sweet roasted fennel, a very light beet purée and crispy, thin bacon. The flavors worked so nicely together.
Reed suggested Chenin Blanc and it was a lovely pairing. Loved the wine glasses, too. All the details, so well thought out. And, since little details are very important to me, the fact that my water glass was never empty was something I really noticed and appreciated. Service...it's important.
Soon, they'll have tables outside and with spring vegetables coming in, and you know Chris will be taking advantage of more choices from Emma at Moon Valley and Jon at Karma Farm. We would truly be nowhere without our local farmers. |
JFX MARKET Open for the season |
Today was opening day for the JFX Farmer's Market downtown. While I shop at the 32nd Street Farmer's Market each week year-round, the JFX Market is a great resource. I will often go there if I miss Saturday at Waverly or I want something I can only get at the JFX Market. And they have a lot of prepared foods, too. I love the pit beef!
Sundays 7:00am-12:00pm.
April-December
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BAD SAINT IN BALTIMORE DC Filipino fave popping up at Fadensonnen |
DC Filipino favorite Bad Saint is doing a 4-course carry-out drop at Fadensonnen later this month. This means Baltimoreans will get the chance to have a 4-course Bad Saint meal at home and also have the option to grab a a wine pairing. The entire kit is for carry out.
Here is the link where orders go live tomorrow, Monday at 12:00pm. (Menu is not being shared until then.)
Here is the link for wine pairings from Lane Harlan's wine shop Angels Ate Lemons.
Dinner delivery dates are Thursday, April 14 and Thursday, April 28. |
EKIBEN TRUCK Wednesdays at Fadensonnen |
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See you there! (Bird + broccoli for me!)
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This is either the greatest or the worst ever news for me. The bar inside Whitehall Market (in the building where I live) is finally open. Follow The Bar at the Mill on Instagram to stay up-to-date on menus, hours, events and more. Right now, they are open: Wednesday-Friday 4:00pm-8:00pmSaturday 11:00am - 8:00pmSunday 10:00am - 5:00pm Pictured above is the Rosemary Gimlet, which I enjoyed very much – thanks, Skylar! |
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews |
Every so often, I make a recipe that I think will be good and it ends up being great and Melissa Clark's Herby Three Bean Salad is one of those. When I first made this, I didn't have fresh green beans or fennel...so I used frozen green beans and fennel seed -- NO. Don't do this. Get the good stuff, it makes a huge difference here. Make this salad. |
LUCKY BUNS
DC favorite now open in Fell's Point
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I had dinner with some friends this week at Lucky Buns in Fell's Point. Picture this: lots color and plants, tiki-ish drinks, burgers, chicken sandwiches, tots and other bar food. Something you should know: the menu at Lucky Buns is not light, not a lot of veg options. I know going here, I will likely get a burger and they make my favorite kind, smash burgers. When my burger arrived at the table, it was tall, stacked... and once I picked it up and smooshed it, it was perfect. Soft bun, very flavorful meat, simple fresh toppings (the only place I like shredded lettuce is on a burger) and even though it was a double, I finished it! Love that they are loyal to their longtime DC vendors like Gordy's Pickle Jar! So good. Ingredients matter. My drink order was an Another Word, their take on a Last Word and I loved it. Bright, slightly boozy, refreshing. Can't wait to go back and try more cocktails. Our server Nico was super, so nice and took good care of us.
What a fun place. And I like that it's not near all the other bars and restaurants on Thames and Broadway, rather it's on Wolfe, just around the corner from Pitango. Slightly hidden. Fell's Point is my favorite neighborhood in Bmore. Old and new collide. And, cobblestones.
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GREEN NEIGHBOR Hilton Carter and Shawn Chopra |
Photo credit: Green Neighbor |
I met Hilton Carter several years ago through mutual friends here in Baltimore and since then, his world has exploded. With over 500K followers on Instagram, projects with Magnolia Network, CB2, Target and more, he has fully evolved into a plant and lifestyle guru with three books under his belt. Now, he is running his own plant shop at Good Neighbor on Falls Road, Green Neighbor. This is a partnership with Shawn Chopra who owns Good Neighbor with his wife Anne Morgan. If you haven't been to Good Neighbor, it's a coffee shop that also sells beautiful things for the home, as well as books and other design publications and more. It is a gorgeous space! I also find it very calming.
Just up the hill outside the coffee shop is Green Neighbor. They held a grand opening this weekend and the plan is to be open on weekends for a while, as they are making indoor and outdoor changes to the space.
Hilton is definitely someone who inspired me to get into houseplants and two and a half years into having only indoor living space, I now have about 50 plants. They make me feel so happy and taking care of them feels good.Congrats to Hilton, Shawn and the team!
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SUMMER SOLSTICE WINE FESTIVAL
Hosted by Old Westminster Winery at Burnt Hill Farm |
Photo cred: Old Westminster Winery |
I was lucky enough to be invited to Old Westminster Winery's first Summer Solstice Wine Festival at Burnt Hill back in 2019. As someone who loves to meet creative people and learn from them, I felt so lucky to have this opportunity to experience lots of wines at one time at an incredibly beautiful hilltop location. It really is quite stunning. At the festival, all of the wines offered are what is described as "low intervention" and they come from all over the world. Check out the event site for more details. It's so nice that this event can finally happen again. |
WEEKEND AWAY IN CHARLOTTESVILLE |
I went on a girls' weekend back in the fall of last year with my friend Kerry. We decided on Charlottesville and I'm so glad we did! We had such good food and wine and I got to ogle at cows and horses, while Kerry drove the country roads. HERE is my blog post.
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MARK BITTMAN'S SPAGHETTI + MEATBALLS |
Today, I cooked another winner from the amazing Mark Bittman. His "How to Cook Everything" was one of the very first cookbooks I bought in my twenties. Problem was, I didn't really use it a whole lot because I wasn't really interesting in cooking at that point in my life yet. Fast-forward 10 years and I used his recipes all the time and I still do now. Now, however, I get them via NYT Cooking online. I think Mark Bittman's recipes are easy to follow and are very dependable. So many times, you think...oh, that looks good. I think I'll make it...and the recipe just doesn't seem very well thought out. Similar to Ina Garten, you can tell that Mark Bittman tests and fine tunes his recipes very thoroughly. Especially for young cooks, that is key.
HERE is the recipe for Mark Bittman's spaghetti and meatballs. You will need a subscription to view it, but if you cook a lot, it's well worth it.
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I always ask this: PLEASE FORWARD this onto your friends. If you received this via a friend, please consider signing up. I make no profit from this newsletter or my website. I just want to help people find great food and drinks and good people to support. So important. Now that spring is here, make some plans and GO OUT! Need ideas? HERE is my Dining Guide. Want to know a secret? I created this guide and and even I have to look at it when I am thinking about where to go. Tip: Text the link to yourself! Thank you so much,
xo -
Amy
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