Pen & Quill, a Station North restaurant known for its creative menu of New American fare, will close for good on Friday, co-owners Helmand Karzai and Naomi Hope Karzai posted on Facebook.
Opened in 2014, the business took over the former home of the Chesapeake Restaurant, a fabled dining destination that was one of the top spots in the city during the 1950s and ’60s.
The highly anticipated sale of the Village of Cross Keys to local owners is expected to be final on July 21.
Robert Connors, president of the Roland Park Civic League, disclosed at the organization’s monthly meeting yesterday that a date has been set for the property to be sold to an affiliate of Caves Valley Partners, the local developer that began negotiating last year with the current owner, New York City-based Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp.
Though the reopening of the Baltimore restaurant scene hasn’t been all smooth sailing, the past few weeks have brought some good news in terms of openings, collaborations and upcoming events.
Here’s a look at what’s happening locally:
Maryland U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin joined Virginia U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner in calling on the USDA to send $16 billion in aid to oyster and clam farms along the Chesapeake Bay to help them recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The city has launched a grant program to reimburse the fees restaurants had to pay to start or expand outdoor dining during the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young announced today.
The Small Business Rebate Program will pay back up to $800 to eligible restaurants for the cost of outdoor dining permits.
On Monday night, after video from a Black woman showed her son being denied service at Ouzo Bay because of his attire, even though a white boy who was similarly dressed had just finished his meal, the restaurant’s owner, Atlas Restaurant Group, released a statement promising to change.
The company called the incident “disturbing” and pledged to revise its controversial dress code, which critics had already decried as racist, so it doesn’t apply to children age 12 and younger.
Atlas apologized to the woman who posted the video, Marcia Grant, and her son, Dallas, and said the manager seen enforcing the dress code had been placed on indefinite leave.
Night Shift 2.0, the East Baltimore nightclub that opened last September with the goal of creating an “adult entertainment experience” where anyone in the LGBTQ community would feel welcome, has closed for good.
Managers posted a notice on Facebook to thank staffers and patrons and say they won’t be coming back after the state-imposed shutdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“It is with a heavy and sad heart to announce that whenever the Coronavirus pandemic is over, Night Shift 2.0 will not be reopening,” the message said, in part.
A pandemic may not be ideal circumstances for opening a new restaurant, but New Orleans-based chain Felipe’s Mexican Taqueria is moving forward with a new location at the Shops at Kenilworth in Towson.
“The restaurant industry has always been known for literally taking lemons and making lemonade,” Charles Arinder, a manager at Felipe’s home office, said in a statement. “And it is our hope that the Towson community and Baltimore County neighbors see our resilience and dedication to being a true part of the community, even when it’s hard.”
Fells Point resident and architect Bryce Turner wanted a way to give back to his local Baltimore community amid the coronvirus pandemic.
As restaurants begin to resume outdoor dining after months of being closed to the public, Turner saw an opportunity to help convert parking spaces into dining areas for Fells Point restaurants.
“We certainly want to help wherever we can … We have a little extra time right now, so we’ve been able to do it and we’re really pleased to do it. I live in Fells Point, so it’s a little bit about trying to think globally and act locally,” said Turner, who is the president of BCT Design Group.
Small businesses and non-profits are especially hard hit during the coronavirus outbreak. We get it! Baltimore Fishbowl is a small business, too. To help small businesses and non-profits, we will provide regular updates to let you know how they are coping.
The following is an update from Dominique Youngblood, Owner of JuneNique Wig Boutique, LLC, on how she is adapting and coping during these times.
How have you altered your business to adapt to the quarantine?
I have conducted virtual consultations to help women with natural hair tips during this quarantine, helping to educate them, and having open/fun discussions.
