With summertime’s lazy days and beach weekends behind us, Baltimore’s restaurants are kicking into high gear. This week, that means new menu items, wine dinners, fun pop-ups and more.
Here’s a look at what’s coming up:
Openings and announcements
In late August, Fells Point welcomed a new restaurant, B3, a bistro that opened in the former home of Bad Decisions. The menu includes small plates and sandwiches.
Last July, Carney mainstay The Barn closed its doors. On Tuesday, Sept. 11, Das BierHalle will open in its old space. The German-style beer hall will offer 24 beers on tap and about 60 beers in cans and bottles.
LB Tavern, in the Lord Baltimore Hotel, is now open for lunch. The restaurant has daily specials, including a great one using “Miss Pat’s” fried chicken, which is slightly spicy, very crunchy and some of the best in the city.
Fall is coming
With cooler temps on the horizon, local restaurants are updating their menus to honor the season.
Order & Chaos has a handful of new drinks on its menu, including a spiced black tea latte and a smoked butterscotch latte.
16 on the Park launched a new menu this week, including a seafood tower for two, a new burger and a handful of new specialty cocktails.
Bacon Jam at Power Plant Live!
On Saturday, Power Plant Live! celebrates the crispy stuff with, Bacon Jam, a festival of bacon, bourbon and music. In addition to local jam bands, the party will include bacon-themed games, bacon dishes and bacon-inspired cocktails, plus bourbon sampling.
Garrett-Jacobs Mansion Taste & Tour
Architecture buffs who also love cocktails have something to look forward to on Tuesday, Sept. 11, when the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion (home of The Engineers Club) opens its doors for a tour of the mansion, with a signature cocktail included.
If you can’t make Tuesday’s event, the mansion will be open for the docent-led tours again on Oct. 23 and Nov. 13.
Global inspiration
A couple fun pop-ups celebrate food from around the world this week.
Sunday, get to know the food of Laos when Mayuree Thai Tavern hosts Laos in the House, benefiting relief efforts helping families in need following the dam collapse in Laos.
On Monday, Sept. 10, the Filipino street food makers from Calasag will pop up at Ground & Griddled in R. House; they’ll be back on Monday, Sept. 17.
Wine all week
This week is a spectacular one for lovers of the grape, as several local restaurants have excellent wine dinners on their calendars.
On Tuesday, Sept. 11, Cinghiale offers a multi-course meal paired with wines from Tuscany’s Felsina estate. The meal includes seasonal dishes like salami and pecorini Toscano with a salad of frisee and roasted late summer tomatoes, paired with Felsina’s 2014 I Sistri Chardonnay.
Wednesday, Sept. 12, Bar Vasquez teams up with Bodega Catena Zapata for a meal highlighting the wines and foods of Argentina.
And on Thursday, Sept. 13, Foraged Eatery hosts the winemakers behind Lombard Champagne. The Hampden restaurant will serve a five-course tasting menu designed to be paired with Lombard’s wines.
Julia Turshen makes the rounds
Cookbook author Julia Turshen will be popping around town on Friday, Sept. 14, in support of her new book “Now & Again,” which focuses on “reinventing leftovers.”
At 5:30 p.m., she’ll be at Greedy Reads; Cocina Luchadoras and Sporty Dog Creations will also be on site to feed the crowd.
Later in the evening, starting at 8 p.m., Turshen will be hanging out at the bar at Ida B’s Table. Stop by for a drink and something to eat and to chat with the author.
Great ready for the Baltimore Seafood Festival
The fifth annual Baltimore Seafood Festival takes place at Canton Waterfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 15.
The party includes food from a ton of local restaurants, including The Local Oyster, Faidley Seafood, Avenue Kitchen & Bar and Jimmy’s Famous Seafood. As the festival’s name suggests, the emphasis will be on seafood ranging from oysters to crabs and fish. There will also be over 40 wines, cocktails and brews, plus live music, shopping, a family zone and cooking demos from Horseshoe Casino chefs.
Planning Ahead
Here are a few events to look forward to over the next few weeks:
September 15: Brunchfest
September 22: Charm City Night Market
September 30: Mermaid’s Kiss OysterFest
