With Hurricane Florence largely out of the way, local food lovers can spend this week focused on food, not wind. That’s a good thing, too, as it’s a busy week with lots of fun events planned. A look at what to expect:
Openings and announcements
An ambitious new Old Goucher café/beer garden/coffee bar complex slated to open this fall has a name and tentative opening timing (for parts of it, at least). The complex, which as a whole will be called Socle, will include Sophomore Coffee, a farm-to-table café called Larder and Fadensonnen, a beer garden with a second-floor sake and natural wine bar. The beer garden, which is a new project partly helmed by Clavel owner Lane Harlan, will open in late October.
Timonium-based Mobtown Fermentation (maker of Wild Kombucha) is releasing something new: Blueberry Yerba Maté. Starting Sept. 22, the drink will available locally at Whole Foods and MOM’s, among other places.
Connie’s Chicken & Waffles, which has locations in Lexington Market and Charles Plaza, is gearing up to make its mark on the nation’s capital. The waffle maker’s red velvet chicken and waffles will be featured on The Watergate Hotel’s new breakfast menu, starting later this month.
V-NO Wine Bar in Fells Point has new owners, a new menu and an updated interior (with more renovations to come).
Parts & Labor, which announced last month that it would be closing, is finally saying goodbye. Its final service will be tomorrow, starting at 4 p.m.
The owners of Station North Arts Café announced on Facebook this week that the 13-year old café would no longer remain open in its original location. They are in the process of securing a new spot for the restaurant and, in the meantime, their café Nancy by SNAC, located in the MICA building at 131 W. North Ave., remains open.
Festival season
September and October are always packed with fun food festivals around the region. The season gets started, in earnest, this weekend.
On Saturday, the fifth annual Baltimore Seafood Festival takes place at Canton Waterfront Park. The party includes food from a ton of local restaurants, including The Local Oyster, Faidley Seafood, Avenue Kitchen & Bar and Jimmy’s Famous Seafood. There will be tons of seafood and more than 40 wines, cocktails and brews, as well as live music, shopping, a family zone and cooking demos from Horseshoe Casino chefs.
However, due to uncertainty around the path of Hurricane Florence, a couple events originally scheduled for this weekend have been postponed.
The Perry Hall Apple Festival, originally slated for this weekend, will now take place at Chapel Hills Farm & Nursery on Sept. 23.
Brunch Fest at Harbor Point, which was supposed to be on Saturday, will now be Saturday, Sept. 29.
The Maryland Wine Festival, previously set for this weekend at the Carroll County Farm Museum, has been shifted to Saturday, Oct. 13.
Welcome BSC
Baltimore Spirits Company’s brand new distillery and tasting room at Union Collective opens officially this Saturday. The company is celebrating with the launch of its third batch of Epoch Rye, plus a party with music, food from Dooby’s, a special ice cream made in collaboration with The Charmery, cocktails to spike made with Vent Coffee Roasters products and, of course, Union Craft Brewing beers.
Viva Mexico!
La Calle will toast to Mexican independence on Saturday with Viva Mexico!, a party celebrating our southern neighbor’s freedom from Spanish rule.
The evening will be BYOB, with a prix fixe menu featuring updated versions of authentic Mexican dishes, including sopa de tortilla and mole poblano prepared with Cornish game hens.
Ida B’s at one
Ida B’s Table celebrates its first anniversary all week long, with food and drink specials starting on Tuesday, Sept. 18. The celebration will culminate in a Saturday night dance party on Sept. 22.
Fundraising Thursday
Thursday, Sept. 20, might be the single most philanthropic night of the entire year in Baltimore, and one of the best-tasting nights, too, as the evening is packed with food-centric events benefiting great causes.
The Four Seasons will host Passion for Food and Wine, a fundraiser benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Maryland. During the evening, guests will dine on meals prepared right in the Four Seasons ballroom by top local chefs, including from Ouzo Bay, Wit & Wisdom, Mintwood Place, The Food Market, The Capital Grille, La Cuchara, Cunningham’s, Magdalena, Volt, La Scala, Tagliata, Bar Vasquez, The Elephant, Copper Kitchen, The Corner Pantry, Loch Bar and Azumi.
Mermaid’s Kiss Oyster Fest, which takes place at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, raises money for the Oyster Recovery Partnership. In addition to oysters (lots of them), the evening will include food from Blackwall Hitch, The Capital Grille, Faidley’s Seafood, Gunther & Co., Loch Bar, Lib’s Grill, Ludlow Market, Thames Street Oyster House, Vida Taco Bar, Woodberry Kitchen and The Classic Catering People, plus beer, wine and spirits from several local makers.
Sept. 20 is also when Baltimore’s restaurants host Dining Out for Life, a citywide fundraiser with participating restaurants donating a percentage of their proceeds from dinner–and sometimes breakfast and lunch–to Moveable Feast. Dozens of local restaurants are participating, including several that are also included in Passion for Food & Wine and/or Mermaid’s Kiss.
It’s going to be a busy night–and a generous one–all around!
Chocolate & Honey Wine
On Thursday, Sept. 20, Pure Chocolate by Jinji will pop up at Charm City Meadworks for Chocolate & Honey Wine: An Evening of Decadent Sensation. The chocolate and mead pairing event will include matches like Retire by the Fire mead and black-and-white pepper dark chocolate, and Mango Comapeño and mango turmeric white chocolate.
Origins at Artifact
Also on Thursday, Artifact Coffee hosts an installment of the Origins meal-and-conversation series. This week’s event focuses on sourcing and buying locally. Panelists include Scott Nash, CEO of MOM’s Market, and Tracy Ward, executive director of the Easton Economic Development Corporation and Chesapeake Harvest.
Junior reporter contest at The Greene Turtle
The Greene Turtle has a fun contest underway: Between now and Dec. 2, Greene Turtle diners between the ages of 6 and 14 can enter to win a contest to become a junior reporter for the Ravens.
To enter, kids must create a 15 to 90 second video in which they ask a football-related question they would pose to a Raven or one of the coaches. The videos must be filmed at a Greene Turtle location. Complete guidelines and information about the prizes, including the junior reporter prize, located here.
Planning Ahead
Here are a few events to look forward to over the next few weeks:
September 22: Charm City Night Market
September 24: Farm to Chef Maryland
October 13-14: Oysterfest at Ryleigh’s Oyster
