One of my favorite stories from this series belongs to Danny and Brenna of Amadeo’s in Little Italy. It reminded me of something I recently heard from Chris and Kate of Sisu Bar & Bottles, just around the corner: they came to Baltimore and fell in love with our city. As a lifelong Baltimorean, I will never ever get tired of hearing that.
Danny and Brenna first visited Baltimore in late 2023 after hearing about Hotel Ulysses in Mount Vernon. Longtime admirers of the Ash Hotel Group, they wanted to see it for themselves. One visit led to another and soon, they found themselves more drawn to the city. The love affair was fast, as Brenna and Danny were living here in Charm City in March of 2024.
Originally from California, the two dated in high school before eventually marrying and moving to New York nearly 20 years ago. There, they launched Brooklyn Tailors, the business they still run today alongside the restaurant.
“Baltimore sort of reminded us of the old Brooklyn in a way,” Danny says. “Lots of young, energetic, creative people. Scrappy people, most without a lot of money. You could start a business and be successful, and that’s just not possible in Brooklyn now. We didn’t fall out of love with New York, but the intensity was a lot. Baltimore just felt like the right place for us.”
When I asked what surprised them the most when they bought the restaurant in an old school neighborhood like Little Italy, Brenna didn’t hesitate.
“Oh, how close-knit the neighborhood was. Everyone knows everyone,” she says. “You don’t want to mess up. I mean, you don’t want to change things too much, but you also want to make the place your own.”
That transition was made easier by Amadeo himself, the restaurant’s longtime owner.
“When we first met Amadeo, we really liked him and became close,” Brenna says. “He’s held our hands the whole time as we got acclimated—especially with the space and, of course, the neighborhood. As new restaurant owners, we had so much to learn.” (ps. If your server is Becca, that’s Amadeo’s daughter. She is amazing!)
For Danny and Brenna, part of the appeal was finding a place with history already built into it. “We didn’t want to rent a white box and build it out,” Danny says. “There’s a patina to this place and we love that.”
And then there’s the Caesar salad. I have to say, it’s one of my favorites in the city. When I asked Brenna about it, she laughed. “There have been so many iterations of that salad since we opened,” she says. “It started with croutons, and now the croutons are breadcrumbs, so you get a little crunch in every bite. So many places serve a Caesar salad—why not make it yours?” I wholeheartedly agree.
“We have so far to go as to where we want to end up with the restaurant,” they say, “but so far it’s going great.”
I’d have to agree with that, too! These are good, good people. I hope you enjoy Brenna and Danny’s answers and will get yourself to Amadeo’s soon.
Cake or pie? And, what kind?
Brenna: An ice cream sundae. Extra nuts.
Danny: I don’t choose sides in this particular debate. That said, the pie I probably think about the most is the Key Lime pie at Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami. The cake I’ve gone out of my way for is the red velvet cake by Cake Man Raven. His bakeshop used to be in our neighborhood in Brooklyn. I don’t usually like red velvet cake, but I love his, which says a lot.
Your most prized possession?
Brenna: The building that houses Amadeo’s. We had to close our previous storefront in Brooklyn due to COVID/rent hikes and we never wanted that to happen again. We scrimped and saved and were able to buy the building, so our destiny is in our own hands now. On a smaller scale, various rings Danny has given me over the years, especially the panther ring he gave me for my 40th birthday.
Danny: A necklace I inherited from my grandfather, who I was super close with. He wore it every day.
What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?
Brenna: Raw fish in any form (sushi, crudo, ceviche, etc.), a medium-rare steak, and an ice-cold dirty vodka martini. Because I cook all day, when I go out, I want it to feel like a treat.
Danny: The classic steakhouse meal – a stiff Manhattan, shrimp cocktail (or in Baltimore, crab imperial), wedge salad, and a steak to share with Brenna.
What’s your favorite thing to cook at home?
Brenna: In the summer we like to grill, in the winter, I love making big batches of soup. We also do a lot of recipe testing at home. We definitely don’t cook at home as much as we used to.
Danny: I got a smoker recently. I’ve been working on my BBQ skills.
What is your morning beverage and how do you take it?
Brenna: Coffee with a dash of whole milk. Nothing special, but very necessary. Danny actually brings me coffee in bed every morning and it’s the best part of my day.
Danny: Too much drip coffee. A little milk. No sugar.
What’s your personal motto?
Brenna: “Burn it to the ground” is the motto we came up with during COVID. The business we had built came to a standstill during the pandemic and we found ourselves in a city that didn’t feel as interesting or welcoming anymore. We also had lots of various obligations that didn’t feel right, so we decided to burn it to the ground. We changed how Brooklyn Tailors was structured, moved to Baltimore where we knew no one and had only visited twice, and started down the path of finding a new career that would integrate us into our new community. We knew it would confuse our family and friends (and it definitely did), but we went with our guts.
Danny: Hmmm I can’t think of one!
What is your favorite holiday and why?
Brenna: Thanksgiving. Because we go home to California for Christmas, we are on our own for Thanksgiving. Sometimes we stay home and cook for friends, sometimes we hop on a plane and celebrate some place new — we’ve spent two Thanksgivings in Spain, one in Japan, one in New Orleans. My birthday also falls on Thanksgiving sometimes, so that’s fun.
Danny: Christmas. We try to get into the spirit. And, we always travel home to California to be with our families. It’s nice to take a break and have everyone together.
Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?
Brenna: “Do it while you can.” My uncle is a world traveler who has encouraged me to travel when you can because life circumstances change. Your health or financial status or flexibility could change and you could miss your chance. I like to think of this as more of a blanket “if not now, when?” for all things in life.
Danny: Do something with your life that excites you. Now, I don’t think I was ever given this advice explicitly by a particular person. But I think it was expressed to me implicitly by my parents, and other people in my life. I always felt like I had the license to try new things and I never felt like I had to follow a path I wasn’t interested in. I was encouraged rather than forced.
What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?
Brenna: Amadeo’s. Not everyone is brave enough to move to a new city and open up a restaurant with literally zero experience in their early 40s. It’s been scary and exhausting at times, but I am incredibly proud of what we have built.
Danny: Opening up Amadeo’s. Opening up a restaurant is hard no matter what. But, to do it for the first time, and start a completely new career in our 40s….it’s been a lot to say the least! And to see how well it’s going in our first year, it’s kind of mind blowing. The number of things we’ve had to figure out in such a short amount of time. We’re definitely feeling proud and giving ourselves a pat on the back.
The last text you sent?
Brenna: To our BFF and bartender, David King. I thanked him and sent him a Venmo for picking up various things over the last week, including our fish order and hot dogs from Attman’s (omg those are the best hot dogs ever).
Danny: “Will be there in 2 min and will findnit” “Find it” (in reference to the Wifi password at the restaurant).
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Brenna: Sitting at a cafe table outside watching the sunset, drinking a bottle of white wine in Italy with Danny. Bonus points for an ocean view, a light breeze, frito misto on the table, a stray cat or dog at my feet.
Danny: There’s a lot of things that contribute to happiness. But, I think the two things that matter the most for me are people and a sense of purpose. The more love, friendship and community you have in your life, I think the happier you’re likely to be. And, for me it’s also super important to have a strong sense of purpose. When you wake up in the morning, to know what your goal and mission is that day and in the long term.
What do you love most about food?
Brenna: Food fosters community. There is nothing better than sitting cramped together in a busy restaurant with loud music, eating delicious food and drinking strong cocktails with the people you love most.
Danny: Food has the ability to bring people together. The act of sitting around a table and sharing a meal together with friends, family or even strangers, is incredibly meaningful and essential in my opinion. Especially in an age where we’re increasingly replacing in-person interaction with digital interaction. Restaurants do something more than just serve you a meal. They offer a place for people to gather for a communal, shared experience.
Your favorite place in Baltimore?
Brenna: I have so many. All of Lane Harlan’s places, especially Fadensonnen on a beautiful afternoon or The Coral Wig late at night. I love the sculpture garden at the BMA. I love all of Mount Vernon, especially the Peabody Library and the homes around the monument. I love everything about The Prime Rib — bury me under the piano draped in their bathroom wallpaper. I love how Little Italy is so close knit. I love Second Chance, I love The Walters, I love having an early drink at Penny Black and watching the boats. I love playing tennis on the courts at Druid Hill Park all summer long. Would you like me to go on?
Danny: Druid Hill Park tennis courts. We’re not good but we love to play. When we lived in New York, playing tennis was either really difficult (long commutes, wait lists) or really expensive. The Druid Hill courts are free and open to everyone, and there’s a big community of people that meet up there and play almost every day. You can show up there as a beginner or pro and people will welcome you. It’s an example of the strong sense of community and welcoming spirit that we’ve found in Baltimore in general. It’s where we made our first friends having just moved to a new city where we didn’t know anybody.
