Hot Plate: Food at the Fells Point Fun Festival & Italian Heritage Festival, Taste of Hampden, Oktoberfests and more

From Fells Point fun to tasting Hampden, this week offers tons of options all over town. Here’s a look at what’s coming up in the Baltimore restaurant world:

Openings & announcements
Check out Charming Elephant, a sweet new Lao spot on Boston street. It’s the first Lao restaurant in Baltimore and so far, has gotten terrific reviews.

Baltimore’s restaurant scene took a hit earlier this year, when Henninger’s Tavern’s closed. The Upper Fells Point space won’t be empty for long, though; a new spot, Little Donna’s, is slated to open later this year.

Blue Moon Too – the Federal Hill outpost of the iconic restaurant – celebrated six years in business on Sept. 30. Congrats to the Blue Moon team!

Zen West, near Belvedere Square, quietly celebrated 15 years in business last week – a definite milestone and a lot of wings and chips.

With sports betting coming to the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore, the casino is making some changes to its space and offerings, including the introduction of The Brew Brothers brewpub.

Ida B’s Table, which closed earlier this year, is now semi-open; the restaurant is catering events, both onsite and in other locations. The former Ida B’s chef, David Thomas, is also out and about, having started H3irloom Food Group, a catering / food company, with his wife Tonya.

Fells Point Fun Festival
The Fells Point Fun Festival makes its triumphant return this weekend – which means tons of great food available in the streets of Fells. Keep an eye out for local favorites like Papi’s Tacos, Pie in the Sky, The Urban Oyster, EKIBEN and Thames Street Oyster House.

Italian Heritage Festival
Fells isn’t the only neighborhood throwing a party this weekend. On Sunday, Little Italy hosts its Italian Heritage Festival, along Stiles and Exeter streets. The event includes food, family-friendly activities, a sausage-eating contest and more.

Old Bay Malt Vinegar
Keep an eye out for something new from McCormick: Old Bay Malt Vinegar seasoning. The seasoning, which is only available for a limited time, sounds like the perfect topping for fries, among other things.

Market Wagon delivers locally
Market Wagon, an online farmers’ market and delivery service, is now available in the Baltimore region. Market Wagon customers place orders for a variety of locally grown and bred products for home delivery – it’s an easy way to support local farms and makers.

Oktoberfest season
Oktoberfests start in September but now that it’s October, the season is in full swing.

Guinness Open Gate Brewery’s celebration lasts through Oct. 3 and includes Oktoberfest-themed beers, beer steins for drinking and traditional German fare.

Saturday, at the B&O Railroad Museum, tons of food trucks will sidle up alongside Lone Ark Farm Brewery and the crew from local bar The Back Yard for a family-friendly Oktoberfest party featuring music from Rufus Roundtree and Da B’more Brass Factory and Kraken Duo.

The Four Seasons Hotel will host an Oktoberfest party on Sunday afternoon, including local brews and classic German dishes including potato pancakes with applesauce.

Still time for a Bee’s Knees
Bee’s Knees Week isn’t quite over; it lasts through Oct. 3. To participate, simply drink a Bee’s Knees cocktail made with Barr Hill Gin at home or at a participating local bar (there are tons of them) and post a photo to social media, tagging @barrhillgin. Barr Hill will then fund the planting of 10 square feet of pollinator habitat (for every photo posted).

Shucktober
On Sunday, head downtown to Phillips Seafood for the second annual Shucktober Fest, an all-you-can eat party featuring a variety of oysters, prepared several ways, plus other Chesapeake region favorites, like crab soup and fried chicken.

Boards and Bevs
On Wednesday, Mama’s on the Half Shell hosts Boards in a Box for a fun build-your-own charcuterie board event. 

Taste of Hampden
The Hampden Family Center’s annual fundraiser, the Taste of Hampden, will be at Whitehall Mill this year, on Thursday, Oct. 7. The party features food from many of the neighborhood’s terrific restaurants, including Papi’s, The Food Market, Gundalow Gourmet, Luigi’s, The Avenue, Blue Pit BBQ, Chuck’s Trading Post, Heritage, Crust and Golden West Café.

Maryland seafood with John Shields
On Thursday, Gertrude’s chef/owner and Chesapeake watershed expert John Shields returns with another episode of his virtual series Farm & Bay to Table. This week, he talks – and cooks – seafood with one of the owners of Cambridge’s JM Clayton Company. The presentations are put together in partnership with the Harford County Public Library.

Welcome back, Juniper Culinary Apothecary!
Juniper Culinary Apothecary, the very special spice, tea and superfood shop, is reopening. The team will celebrate the relaunch of the store with a party at Good Neighbor on Friday. Stop by for food, music, the release of Tortuga Kombucha’s Lucid Dream kombucha and spirit-free botanical cocktails.

Backyard box dinner at Prigel
On Friday, Prigel Family Creamery hosts a backyard box dinner event, featuring hot dogs, sausages and chili – plus pie and ice cream – to eat outside, around the fire. The dinner is BYOB and open to everyone, though tickets are required.

THB goes pink
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, THB will donate a portion of sales from every Box of Bagels and every dozen bagels sold will be donated to Lifebridge Health’s Baltimore-area breast cancer centers. Plus, from Oct. 11 to Oct. 15, the bagelry will sell special pink bagels to raise money for Lifebridge.

Planning for the future
Mark your calendars for:
October 10: Feastival benefiting Cystic Fibrosis Foundation 
October 16: Das Best Oktoberfest 
October 18: Ekiben Collaboration with Emily & Emmy Squared