From baseball to bunnies, this early spring week promises to be a fun time to dine out in Baltimore. Here’s a look at what’s happening:
Openings and announcements
Matriarch Coffee is opening in Harborplace on Wednesday, March 27. Matriarch has been operating online for a few years and this is its first brick-and-mortar location.
Gundalow Gourmet is expanding its Kenilworth shop, opening an offshoot called Gundalow Designs and Gifts. The original shop will still offer excellent food to take home and the new gift shop will feature both new and antique items, including products from local makers like Kate Rowe Creations, Hon’s Honey and Starbright Farm.
Alma Cocina Latina has a new executive chef: Hector Romero. Chef Romero, who moved to Baltimore from Venezuela, has reworked the menu and is already gaining fans.
Sotto Sopra has reinstituted lunch hours. The Mt. Vernon restaurant will open for lunch Wednesday through Saturday, starting on April 3. The owners are also looking for feedback about what the community would like to see on the lunch menu.
Of Love & Regret also has new lunch hours, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Thursdays and Fridays.
Zeke’s + Mr. Trash Wheel
Mr. Trash Wheel turns 10 this spring and as part of the celebration, Zeke’s Coffee is debuting a new coffee blend. The blend mixes dark roasted Mexican beans and lightly roasted Ugandan beans, and will be available starting on April 20 – the day of Mr. Trash Wheel’s 10th birthday party.
Paris at Charleston
Charleston chef/owner Cindy Wolf has just returned from a trip to France. Now back in Baltimore, she has been inspired to create a ‘Paris in Springtime’ menu at Charleston, including dishes like white asparagus with quail egg and fresh black winter truffle, and roasted guinea fowl with slow-roasted pork belly.
Ramp season
Early spring, when ingredients pop in and out of seasonality quickly, is a fun time to be in the dining room – or the kitchen – at Foraged Eatery. The restaurant has just issued its annual reminder that ramp season is nearly upon us – so keep an eye out for the tender vegetables on the Foraged menu.
The Foraged crew also transplants ramps each spring and right now, they are crowdsourcing – asking for advice about wooded spots that might be good places to plant new ramps.
Wine club at Café Campli
Café Campli has created a fun and educational wine club. Each month, the restaurant will select three wines for purchase (to take home) – wines that typically aren’t available in shops. They’ll be sold the last Thursday through Saturday of the month and, along with the bottles, the restaurant will provide tech sheets for each, so you can learn while you taste.
Tickets to purchase the wine are available from the beginning of the month – and there’s no long-term commitment necessary.
Rioja at La Cuchara
On Sunday, La Cuchara is hosting a Rioja wine tasting showcasing the wines of Bodegas Tierra. The winemaker will be on hand to discuss five wines. Tickets also include shared tapas to accompany the wines.
Brunch at Le Comptoir
On Sunday, Le Comptoir du Vin is hosting a pop-up brunch event with food from Ali Dryer and coffee drinks from Sophomore Coffee. The brunch will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will be walk-in only (no reservations). The menu includes dishes like Ostrowski’s kielbasa with eggs, sourdough, butter and cocktail sauce, and walnut maple sticky buns.
Boards & Bubbles at Perennial
At Perennial in Towson, brunch this weekend has an extra splash. It’s a Boards & Bubbles weekend, which means brunch-goers can order four different brunch boards paired with sparkling cocktails – and there are special discounts on bottles of bubbly, too.
Maryland Day
Maryland Day is on Monday, March 25, and a few spots are doing fun things to celebrate.
At The Brass Tap on Mt. Royal Ave., all 60 taps will featuring only Maryland products. The list includes beers from 40 different breweries, plus a draft cocktail made with Sagamore Spirit products and draft nitro coffee from Ceremony Coffee Roasters. This change is actually already underway – the lineup debuted on March 21 – and it will last through Monday.
THB is bringing back its Maryland flag bagels for the occasion. The red, gold, black and white bagels will be available in store on Sunday and Monday.
Opening Day
The Orioles’ home opener is on Thursday, March 28 – and the city is already celebrating.
To honor the occasion. Monument City Brewing is launching a new seasonal IPA developed as a collab with former Oriole Adam Jones. The beer, called Simply AJ, is a 6% IPA designed for easy spring and summer drinking.
Outdoor spot Hampden Yards will reopen for the season on Wednesday, with a grand opening party featuring new drinks and food. They’ll also be screening the game on opening day – for anyone who can’t make it to Camden Yards.
A new German biergarten, Boots & Brats, is opening in the outdoor space at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor. The biergarten, which will be right across from the Eutaw St. entrance to OPACY, will operate from Friday to Sunday when the Orioles are in town.
Zanders + BSC
On Saturday, March 30, Zander’s will team up with the crew from Baltimore Spirits Company for a four-course whiskey cocktail meal. Tickets are available now and very limited – so grab them while you can.
Easter plans
Easter Sunday is early this year – on March 31 – which means it’s time to make brunch and dinner reservations, if you haven’t already, and to stock up on local goodies for Easter baskets. Fortunately, there are a lot of options available.
True Chesapeake Oyster Co.’s Easter brunch includes the regular brunch menu plus classics like deviled eggs and ham and cheese croquettes, plus a cupcake decorating station that promises to be a ton of fun.
The Food Market has an Easter ‘take & bake’ option: a meal for four to six people that can be picked up the day before Easter and heated at home for the holiday. It’s built around a classic baked ham but also includes some Food Market favorites, like soft pretzels with beer cheese fondue.
La Cuchara’s Easter prix-fixe includes options like the restaurant’s lovely pan con tomate and an entrée of wood-grilled salmon over spinach with roasted tomato.
Sotto Sopra will serve its regular menu for Easter but has special hours, from noon to 8 p.m.
Similarly, Citron will offer its a la carte menu from noon to 8 p.m. on Easter, with some brunch items until 2 p.m. The Easter Bunny will also make an appearance at the Quarry Lake restaurant.
Prima Dopo is open for Easter brunch and has some private event space available for larger parties.
For baskets and hostess gifts, Sacré Sucré has special Easter treats available, including a beautiful dark chocolate egg filled with truffles and almost streusel.
Planning for the future
Mark your calendars for:
March 30: Charm City Heat Festival
April 11: Art with a Heart Benefit at Gertrude’s
April 17 & 18: Boujee Junk Food Dinner at The Food Market
