This week brings lots of good news for Baltimore restaurants, plus fun events to help keep your mind off the raging heat. Here’s a look at what’s coming up:
Openings & Announcements
Maximon, the new Mexican restaurant opening in the former Four Seasons Hotel home of Wit & Wisdom, has hired an executive chef. Colin King comes to Baltimore from New York, where he was the director of culinary operations with the Empellon restaurant group.
Atlas Restaurant Group, which is opening Maximon and owns several other Harbor East restaurants, announced this week that Choptank, its hotly anticipated Fells Point seafood spot, will open next month.
Terminal A at BWI is getting some new eateries, including a Miss Shirley’s Café. It’s slated to open in late 2020.
Atelier Culinaire, the student-run downtown restaurant managed by Stratford University, has reopened, with seating Wednesday through Friday nights.
Whitehall Mill, the new market opening in Hampden, has announced a killer lineup of vendors, including Roggenart, Ceremony Coffee, FireFly Farms and Gundalow Market. The mill will also include restaurants True Chesapeake Oyster House and Heritage.
An arcade and restaurant from the crew at Secret Sauce Co. will open in the old Red Emma’s space on North Avenue.
Sadly, Bar Liquorice, the well-respected Riverside bar, has closed permanently.
Max’s at Wishbone
Max’s Empanadas is popping up for one night only at Wishbone Reserve on Falls Road. Head to the fun vintage shop tonight for music, wine and excellent empanadas.
Summer veg cooking
On Saturday at 10 a.m., learn everything you need to know about cooking with summer vegetables at Gertrude’s’ New Chesapeake Cooking class. You’ll learn from the best in Joan Norman of One Straw Farm.
Not only will the class be educational, it’ll also be tasty. It includes a three-course brunch, with dishes like crispy rockfish tacos.
Anniversaries
Happy first anniversary to downtown Mexican spot La Calle, which turns one on July 23.
The restaurant will celebrate its birth with a party starting at 6 p.m. that will include complimentary tacos and special tequila giveaways.
Lobo also has a big birthday this month. Last Wednesday, the Fells Point bar, which also has terrific food, turned five. Congrats to them!
Artscape
Artscape runs from today through Sunday, and that means a couple things. One, it’s going to be hot (it always is), and two, there’s a ton of good food and drink to be had.
This year’s options include classics like Otterbein cookies, crab cakes and crushes, alongside more interesting fare like Filipino-Soul food fusion, brick oven pizza from an actual trolley car and, for the bold, deep-fried watermelon. And don’t be afraid to drink a lot; it’s for a good cause, with all beverage sales benefiting the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts.
Foodscape
Artscape is this weekend, which means its culinary counterpart, Foodscape, is also back. Mt. Royal Tavern is hosting the celebration of food-themed art running until July 29.
Cunningham’s farm dinner
Cunningham’s has rescheduled its farm dinner, which was cancelled due to weather last week. It’s now set for next Wednesday, July 24.
Trifecta comes to town
The always hotly anticipated Trifecta Food Truck & Music Festival rolls into the state fairgrounds in Timonium on Saturday, July 27.
The festival features more than 40 food trucks, including local favorites like Gypsy Queen, Smoking Swine, Mexican on the Run and Pasta la Vista, plus tons of live music, a kids’ zone and additional vendors.
Domino on wheels
One Trifecta attendee is especially interesting: the Domino Golden Food Truck is a brand new truck from the sugar maker that will be popping up around town over the next week.
Today it’ll be stopping at the Halfway to Mardi Gras Gathering in Owings Mills, and on Sunday you’ll find it at Kinder Farm Park for the Maryland Food Truck Festival.
The truck will make a few more stops before wrapping up its tour of Baltimore and other cities at the Trifecta festival.
Planning Ahead
Here are a few events to look forward to over the next few weeks:
August 2: Baltimore Summer Restaurant Week
August 8: Dog Days of Summer at Birroteca
August 10: Flower Farm Dinner at Two Boots Farm
