Corned beef, cabbage…and crab. This week is shaping up to be a fun one in Baltimore, with St. Patrick’s Day specials plus much more. Here’s a look at what’s coming up:
Openings and announcements
La Calle’s new home has been announced. The Mexican restaurant, which closed its downtown location a few months ago, will reopen in Marketplace at Fells Point.
Dave Sherman, the guy behind beloved but now closed places like Café Cito in Hampden and Ground & Griddled in R. House, will open a new café on The Avenue in Hampden. Keep an eye out for the new spot opening this summer.
Sadly, Full Tilt Brewing in Govans has announced that it will close after business this Sunday, March 12. The brewery is on a farewell tour this week, saying thank you to the many patrons and collaborators who have helped make its run a fun one.
St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day is Friday, March 17 but here in Baltimore, celebrations start much earlier – and they’re not all about green beer.
The St. Patrick’s Day parade, which starts at the Washington Monument and ends where Pratt Street meets President Street, is on Sunday afternoon, so you can expect plenty of festivities around the downtown area all day long.
Mick O’Shea’s on North Charles Street is a prime home base for the parade, as it marches right past the pub’s doors. On parade day, the pub opens at 11 a.m. and will have live music starting at 5 p.m. On St. Patrick’s Day, it will open at 11 a.m. again and will have live music and Irish food specials all day.
Guinness Open Gate Brewery’s celebration of St. Pat started earlier this month. The Irish Village at Guinness is up and running every Thursday through Sunday during March, and the brewery has live music, beer releases and a special Irish menu.
With their traditional Irish menu – including excellent breakfast options – and Irish beers on tap, Slainte Irish Pub is a great St. Pat’s stop. The Fells Point pub will be celebrating the holiday after the parade and extending the celebration from St. Patrick’s day itself all through next weekend.
Ryleigh’s party starts on Wednesday, with a lesson in how to build the perfect Guinness, followed by Guinness beer dinner and pint glass engraving.
On St. Patrick’s Day itself, James Joyce Irish Pub will open at 8 a.m. to serve a classic Irish breakfast buffet with lots of potatoes and sausage – plus Irish coffees and more.
Also on St. Patrick’s Day and throughout the weekend after, Towson Hot Bagel will be selling its popular green, orange and white bagels. They’re available to pre-order online starting on Wednesday.
March 10 through the end of the month, Mama’s on the Half Shell has a menu of St. Paddy’s Day specials, including corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie and Bailey’s cheesecake. During that time, you can also order your Guinness Blondes turned green.
From now through St. Patrick’s Day, Explorers Restaurant in the Royal Sonesta has special green drinks on the menu, including a green apple sangria and an Emerald Sunrise.
On Thursday, Elkridge Furnace Inn is hosting a multi-course dinner with Irish whiskey pairings. The Howard County venue is following that up with another dinner on Sunday, March 19, with Irish dancers as entertainment.
Note: this year, the big celebration in Canton takes place the day after St. Patrick’s Day, so you can keep the party going.
Crabby
Baltimoreans will jump on any reason to celebrate the crab – and National Crabmeat Day is no exception. The official “holiday” was Thursday but Pierpoint Restaurant has extended the celebration into the weekend with a dinner featuring all kinds of crabby goodness, from crab fluff to crab soup to crab dip.
Ggoma Supper Club
On Monday, Chef Tae Strain brings his Ggoma Supper Club pop-up event to JBGB’s, where he will partner with the crew from the restaurant plus staff from The Bluebird Cocktail Room for a special meal. Chef Strain’s pop-ups travel around the city and are small by design but highly creative.
Sunday dinners
Sunday is a fun night to go out to dinner. Not quite as crowded as Saturday and more relaxed than any weeknight. Plus, local restaurants add interesting menu options to close out the weekend.
Cosima has a new Sunday night menu addition: a multicourse dinner for two. Each meal includes salad, rigatoni in sauce, wine and cannoli for dessert.
At Cypriana, diners seated at the bar can order from a special street food and burger menu on Sundays.
Planning for the future
Mark your calendars for:
March 30: Women’s History Month Whiskey Dinner at Silver Queen Café
April 22: Lock House Craft Beer & Wine Fest
May 11: Bourbon & Bowties
