Baltimore restaurants are pulling out all the stops this week – for moms and for the rest of the community. Here’s a look at what’s coming up:
Openings & announcements
Atlas Restaurant Group has announced the dining concepts slated to open in the Annapolis Waterfront Hotel. The group has plans for two concepts: Marmo, an Italian chophouse with an extensive wine list, and Armada, a tequila bar and Mexican cantina. Both restaurants are set to open in late summer of 2025.
In April, “Chopped” winner Sammy Davis Jr. opened Yebo Kitchen, a Southern American-Asian fusion restaurant, in the Old Goucher space that formerly housed Church Bar.
Italian restaurant Allora has closed. This comes on the heels of the recent closing of another restaurant owned by Allora’s owners, Zander’s in the Alexander Brown Building.
Tin Roof in Power Plant Live! has also closed its doors, after 10 years in business.
Recognition for La Cuchara
La Cuchara has received a major honor: recognition from the Spanish Embassy. The Embassy has certified the restaurant as part of the Restaurants From Spain program, which supports and promotes restaurants around the world that serve high quality, authentic cuisine from Spanish regions.
Congratulations to the La Cuchara team for this well-deserved honor.
Nostalgia at Silver Queen
This summer marks 15 years since the owners of Silver Queen Café started a food venture: Pig & Pickle, which popped up in Lauraville’s Tuesday market, selling pulled pork, mac and cheese, pickles and more.
This summer, the Hamilton restaurant is throwing back to the old days with specials celebrating those times, like the Pig & Pickle Pizza, which is currently on the menu. The crew is also still at that weekly market – though now it’s called the Main Street Market and it happens on Tuesdays (starting June 6).
Remfest
Remfest is back in Remington this Saturday, starting at noon. The neighborhood festival features tons of vendors and live music – plus food trucks and beers from Peabody Heights.
Five years of Mobtown
Mobtown Brewing Company is celebrating five years in business with a Saturday afternoon block party. The party includes vendors like Raging Rose Hot Sauce and Jewish Jerky, food trucks, live music and more.
Fennec at Artifact
Chef-about-town Scott Bacon, who most recently helmed the kitchen at Magdalena, is popping up all over the region with his “nomadic restaurant,” Fennec. On Sunday and Monday, Fennec will land at Artifact Coffee during the evening hours, offering a menu of shareable plates like grilled asparagus with pickled root relish, berbere spice-cured duck yolk and ramp green curry, and charred Berkshire pork belly with a shellfish glaze, sweet and sour rhubarb and grilled scallions.
An accompanying cocktail and non-alcoholic beverage menu will be designed by Joey Wight of Wight Tea Co.
Mother’s Day plans
Mother’s Day is this Sunday – so if you don’t have reservations yet, now is really the time to make those plans.
At Catalog Coffee, the new Hampden spot, Mother’s Day specials include a toasted rosemary ham and cheese with smoked paprika, thyme cheese sauce and a sunny-side up egg, and Bananas Foster French toast with coffee cream.
The Bread & Circuses three-course prix-fixe menu includes dishes like lobster bisque and a lobster, shrimp and crab-topped eggs benedict.
Mother’s Day specials at Limoncello include Oysters Rockefeller, a filet and crab cake surf-and-turf, and crab imperial-stuffed lobster tail.
The Tilted Row’s Mother’s Day menu includes special drinks (including a mimosa bar) and a brunc menu with everything from short rib hash to a cinnamon roll sundae.
True Chesapeake Oyster Co. will offer it’s a la carte menu for Mother’s Day brunch – with an extra bonus of a cupcake decorating station for the holiday.
Peerce’s will have a brunch buffet with a seafood station, dessert station, Indian specialties (including a range of vegetarian options), and classic brunch fare.
For more Mother’s Day ideas, check out last week’s column.
Preakness Tea at Topside
On Friday, Topside will host High Tea, in partnership with Wight Tea Co., and in honor of the Preakness. The menu will include classic Topside dishes, pots of tea, and a selection of tea-based cocktail specials.
Strawberries & soft shells
It is prime time for a couple of fleeting delicacies: soft shell crabs and in-season strawberries – and local restaurants are ready.
At The Corner Pantry, early season strawberries sit on top of toast with basil ricotta, toasted pistachios and rhubarb maple syrup.
La Cuchara’s strawberries are in a salad with chevre, lomo, asparagus, and ramps (also fleeting!).
Soft shells made their debut at EKIBEN’s South Baltimore location on Thursday, in the form of a soft crab topped with lump crab and melted cheddar, all on a bao bun. They will be on the menu as long as available.
The Milton Inn also has soft shells on the menu – cornmeal-coated and fried then served along local asparagus and Amish tomatoes, with mustard beurre blanc.
Soft crab sandwiches are starting on the menu at Dylan’s Oyster Cellar this week, as well.
Planning for the future
Mark your calendars for:
May 19: Fire Hero Chili Cookoff at Of Love & Regret
June 8: Union Craft Brewing 12th Anniversary Party
June 13: Italian Immigrants Wine Dinner at Tagliata
