From oysters to ice cream to tequila, this week offers a little something for every Baltimore food lover. Here’s a look at what’s happening in the local restaurant scene:
Openings & announcements
There’s a new option for drinks in the Belvedere Square area: Clandestino, a speakeasy-style spot attached to Zen West.
The Butcher’s Hill spot that formerly housed Salt will soon have a new occupant: Marta, an Italian restaurant helmed by former Bygone and Loch Bar chef Matthew Oetting.
Sadly, Jazz + Soju, the Korean spot in Anthem House, closed last week.
18th Annual Belgian Beer Festival at Max’s
Max’s Taphouse’s annual Belgian Beer Festival, now in its 18th year, starts Friday and lasts throughout the long weekend.
The festival features 60 kegs from Belgian breweries, some of which are only rarely available outside of their home country, plus numerous specialty bottles from Belgium and a few kegs of Maryland beer brewed in the Belgian style.
Max’s will also have specialty food available throughout the weekend, including Chimay Trappist cheese directly from the Abbey where it is created.
Big news for The Urban Oyster
The Urban Oyster and its owner, Chef Jasmine Norton, are having a huge month.
On Friday, Norton will celebrate the fifth anniversary of the company with a party at Layers Loft. The party, which is open to the public, will feature tons of food, including cream of crab soup shooters, oyster and shrimp tacos and chargrilled oysters, plus signature cocktails. Tickets are available online.
Plus, Norton and her other restaurant, Urban Burger Bar in Whitehall Mill, were just featured on the Travel Channel show “Food Paradise.” The episode, called “Smothered Comfort,” aired for the first time last Wednesday and is available via the Cooking Channel app, streaming on Discovery+ and via Amazon Prime.
BORT: Black-Owned Restaurant Tour Week
Black-Owned Restaurant Tour Week starts Monday and lasts through the 24th.
The event, which is organized by the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, shines a spotlight on a bunch of excellent Black-owned restaurants in the area, including RYMKS, Darker than Blue, Local, Unity, BLK Swan, Papi Cuisine, Teavolve and Homemaid.
Margarita Tuesday
Not only is this upcoming Tuesday 2/22/22, it’s also National Margarita Day.
Felipe’s Taqueria is celebrating with two-for-one made from scratch margaritas available all day.
Los Hermanos 1978
Speaking of margaritas…have you heard about Los Hermanos 1978? It’s a tequila company, launched in 2020, from two Baltimore brothers. The company is headquartered in South Baltimore and their blanco and reposado tequilas are available in spots around the region, including behind the bar at Bo Brooks in Canton.
Seed to Still to Sip at De Kleine Duivel
The crew from The Bluebird Cocktail Room and De Kleine Duivel have created an intriguing new event series, The Loves of the Plants, kicking off Thursday, Feb. 24. Each event will include drinks and hors d’oeuvres, plus conversations with local food and drink experts.
The first installment, Seed to Still to Sip, features Peter Elmore of Star Bright Farm. Elmore will discuss using organic herbs in food and drinks, focusing on distilled hydrosols.
High Vis
Guinness Open Gate Brewery has released its newest collaboration in partnership with Black Women Build Better. The beer, High Vis Cream Ale, is a tea-infused brew available in cans and on draft. The brewery’s partner, Black Women Build Better, is a non-profit that teaches members skills like carpentry and plumbing, which they put to use restoring abandoned West Baltimore homes.
Shrek + Charmery
The Charmery has released the newest installment of its popular curated concessions box. This box is designed to match with the movie “Shrek.” Inside, it includes fun treats to bring the movie to life through smells and tastes, plus popcorn, a sticker and a guide to help you make the most of watching the movie.
Planning for the future
Mark your calendars for:
March 5: 9th Annual Chili Cookoff at Swallow at the Hollow
March 17: Chef’s Expressions St. Patrick’s Day Whiskey Supper
May 28: Brew at the Zoo
