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I took this photo in the Long Bar at Golden West Cafe a few months ago. I was there having dinner with some friends and wandered back to see the bar because I knew they'd recently renovated it. The space is lovely with new stools, a little more lighting and how nice that they still have this lounge-y area in the way back. One of my favorite little vignettes in Baltimore.
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BAKER'S DOZEN Q&A with Some Local Food & Bev Favorites
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Tae photo by Colin Marshall and Jaime photo by Joe Giordano
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THE BUTTONWOOD The Bun Shop's New Restaurant in Mt. Vernon
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The Bun Shop, the super cool (picture it: dark wood, very dim lighting) coffee shop with locations in Mt. Vernon and Towson, has opened a restaurant and retail shop inside the former home of Sascha's on Charles Street. I hope to visit soon!
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CLAVEL MARGARITAS AT HOME Is This Real Life?
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So, yeah, I have a few Clavel marg photos on my phone. Okay, six. It's my favorite one in the city. Which is not to say that I don't love most margaritas you put in front of me. This one is simply the best. It's different, yet approachable. Highly crushable, but you savor each sip.
When I saw Clavel's IG post saying they were selling kits to make their margaritas at home, I was so happy. But then I knew as a one-person household with no hosting on the horizon, I would likely not order one – yet, I was SO HAPPY FOR ALL THE PEOPLE. I stopped into Clavel's shop inside their nixtamalería (where they make their tortillas in the restaurant) to get the skinny on the kits. Each kit makes about 13 drinks and comes with everything you need to make margaritas or mezcalitas at home, including garnishes. There is also an option to make them spicy with their Tres Chiles shrub. Order HERE.
Hey, maybe I need to have a party? Margs for all!
And...did you see the December issue of Bon Appetit? Lane Harlan (the creator of Clavel's fab house margarita) is featured. HERE is the recipe for Lane's Mezcal Margarita. YUM. And here is one of the photos from the article.
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OVENBIRD BAKERY'S NEWEST LOCATION Another great addition to Highlandtown
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From my very first visit, I've had a major crush on Ovenbird Bakery. Even though I have to limit gluten in my diet (I can have it, just not a lot of it), I love bagels. "Do you want to marry them?!?" Yes, I want to marry them. And Ovenbird's are my jam. Soft, chewy, great flavor and texture all around. I also love the fact that they opened right smack dab in a neighborhood, how great for the folks who live in Little Italy. I started making regular Sunday morning visits to Ovenbird early on and some of my favorite things besides the bagels (lox sandwich when I'm feeling fancy) are the croissants and focaccia.
I have only met the owner Keiller Kyle once or twice but he's just the best. Such warmth and kindness. He's assembled a very, very talented team and I feel like their stuff will only get better and better. They have a location in the new Lexington Market and it's been open about a year now. And the whole time they were getting that location up and running, they've been building out their third location in Highlandtown. It officially opened last weekend. Another neighborhood spot, love it. And this location is a true game changer because it is also their new (huge!) production kitchen. As Keiller walked me around the space a few weeks ago, he pointed out that their walk-in cooler in Highlandtown is roughly the same size as the entire Little Italy shop. That's wild! I can't imagine how happy this makes Keiller and everyone who's working in the space. Keiller's wife Nadire who works in cancer research here in Baltimore, is Persian, so you will see lots of colorful accents in the big, beautiful, new Highlandtown shop. There is also a bar area that they hope to start using in the next few months. It seems like this entire space will be a really nice gathering place for the neighborhood. Congrats, Keiller!
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CAFE DEAR LEON NEWS Canton Bakery to Open Italian Restaurant
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I don't know many details about this new Italian restaurant but I'm betting it will be very popular! Cafe Dear Leon's tamago sandwich (Japanese egg sandwich) is truly a thing of beauty. Everything I've had there has been lovely, honestly. I'm very excited to see what they do with fresh pasta in the former Shiso Tavern space.
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CREAMY MUSHROOM SOUP (But no cream necessary, just use coconut cream!)
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Jenn's recipes are excellent and I especially loved this soup. I skipped the croutons and just dipped thick crusty bread in and it was mighty satisfying!
By Jenn Segal
"Cozy, rich, and just right for any meal, this cream of mushroom soup delivers deep, satisfying flavor."
Servings: 4 to 6 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes Total Time: 1 HourINGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup chopped shallots medium shallots 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped ¼ cup all-purpose flour 1½ lbs mixed wild mushrooms (ex. shiitake, oyster, portobello), stemmed, roughly chopped ½ cup dry white wine, divided 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ½ cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives, for garnish Homemade or store-bought croutons, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS In a large pot melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about four minutes. Add the garlic and cook for two minutes more.
Stir in the flour and cook one minute more, then add the mushrooms, ¼ cup of the wine, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender.
Using a slotted spoon, remove about 2 large ladlefuls of the mushrooms and set aside (don’t worry if there are some shallots mixed in there). Using a handheld immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth. (Alternatively, let the soup cool slightly and use a blender to puree in batches.)
Stir in the cream (or like me, swap this out for a can of coconut cream), the remaining ¼ cup of wine, the thyme, the sage, and the reserved mushrooms. Bring to a simmer, then taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Ladle into bowls and top with the chives and croutons.
- This soup will keep nicely in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
ps. I used baby portobellos and also lowered the salt to from 1.25 tsp to 1 tsp.
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CARRIAGE HOUSE FARM + TWO OCEANS TRUE FOODS An excellent local source for fish, eggs, chicken and more
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If you're in the market for high quality frozen fish, pork or poultry and farm fresh eggs, you need to go see Gaylord Clark in Greenspring Valley. So great to have my freezer stocked with fish ready to go. Best way to reach out: call, text or email to see when you can go shop in the barn. What a treat! (ps. I love a farm doggo.)
Carriage House Farm / Two Oceans True Foods 1704 Hillside Road, Stevenson Phone: 410-415-5846 Email: glaclar@comcast.net
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OTHER THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW Let's call these odds and ends and random thoughts?
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I've heard consistently good things about Medium Rare, the new steak frites place at the Rotunda. A friend said the brunch is especially good, French toast not to be missed.
Catalog Coffee, owned by Dave Sherman of Ground & Griddled, will be opening on the Avenue in Hampden sometime soon. Soon-ish is all I can tell you. He's getting there.
Same for Nana, coming soon to Anneslie (just south of Towson). Carlos Raba of Clavel has been working hard to open. I love that he's working with local artisans like LukeWorks and other talented folks to create a unique and welcoming space on York Road.
When people ask me "When is XYZ ever going to be open?" my answer is this: Opening a restaurant is extremely complicated and you have very little control over how long every little thing takes. Hundreds of little things. Every owner wants to be open ASAP. They want to feed you. They want to contribute to a neighborhood. They want to make money. You have to be patient. Best to just not ask questions like, "What’s taking so long"?
I keep hearing from restaurant industry folks that we will likely see more restaurant closures in 2024. PPP money is running out (or long gone) for those who received it and food costs are still sky high. And, no, me going to a restaurant will not save it forever, but every bit of support – emotional and financial, alike – helps to lift the spirits of owners and employees. This is just to say that we need to be mindful that the effects of COVID will be long-lasting.
One recent restaurant closure that was a gut punch was that of The Local Oyster. Read this beautifully done love letter to The Local Oyster by Lydia Woolever of Baltimore Magazine. Make sure you read all the way down to the bottom and watch the video. Pretty sure it’s my favorite Nick Schauman memory of all time (nice work, Meredith). "Hey guys, we're here with a duck!"
I have known Nick a long time now. As many of you know, he is a very kind, hardworking and his energy is infectious. And now that he will focus most of his time on catering and private parties, I highly recommend throwing a party and having Nick come and take care of the food. Have you ever had his shrimp salad? YUMMMMM. His crab cake is also fantastic (I'm very picky on those) and his raw oysters are always shucked nicely.
Man, this newsletter was so overdue. I have been focusing on my new job and I also just write when I want to write. It's different than writer's block. I need to feel inspired. Also the holidays are not my favorite so sometimes I struggle to be positive and upbeat this time of the year. Happily, today I was inspired. It always feels good for me to be creative, to help you find good places to support here in Baltimore and just to think and talk about food. Isn't food the best?
I hope you enjoy my newsletter. It feels good to write it.
xo -
Amy
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