The upcoming week promises to be cozy and fun around Baltimore, with several spirit-forward events and lots of new autumnal menu items. Here’s a look at what’s on tap:
Openings & announcements
After a successful pop up last week, Porto Pizza is now taking up a permanent Saturday residency at Hello Trouble in Hamilton.
Pepper House has joined R. House as a new permanent vendor. The official grand opening celebration is Saturday evening and includes free dan dan noodles and Chinese music and dancing.
Giving back with oysters
October is National Seafood Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. With that in mind, Rusty Scupper is making a donation to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation for every Pink Lady oyster sold.
Baltimore Taco Festival
On Oct. 10 and 11, Power Plant Live! gets spicy with the return of the Baltimore Taco Festival. The ticketed event includes over 30 food vendors featuring tacos and other goodies, margarita bars, a tequila expo area, kids’ activities, and more.
Witch-tober at Sally O’s
Sally O’s is kicking off a calendar full of witchy activities on Monday, Oct. 12, with a craft night. Head to the restaurant for dinner and a drink and to make a fragrant cinnamon broom.
Heritage at John Brown’s
Fans of the now-shuttered Heritage Smokehouse have something to look forward to this week. On Thursday, the crew is popping up at John Brown General & Butchery. Eventually, Heritage will have a more permanent location at John Brown’s but until then, they are popping up around the area with their excellent smoked meats and more.
Spirit Series at Silver Queen
On Thursday, Silver Queen Café hosts a fall installment of its Spirit Series cocktail dinners. This one includes three courses of seasonal fare – dishes like a roasted pumpkin salad and roast pork loin with habanero mushroom cream sauce – along with cocktails and samples from Catoctin Creek Distilling.
Nigerian American Festival at Guinness
From Oct. 16-18, Guinness is partnering with The Nigerian Center on a celebration of Nigerian culture. Nigeria is one of the biggest consumers of Guinness worldwide and this partnership honors that and will showcase food, arts, entertainment and more from the African country.
OktoBEARfest
The Maryland Zoo’s popular annual OktoBEARfest party, featuring lots of seasonal beers and ciders, starts the evening of Friday, Oct. 16 then extends into the day on Saturday.
Fall flavors
New autumnal menus are in full effect all over town.
The new fall menu is live at Miss Shirley’s. It includes the return of old favorites, like crab soup and chicken and corn chowder, plus seasonal drinks like a Caramel Cider Crush.
At Bluebird Cocktail Room, fall is in a coupe, with the return of the Squash Sidecar made with local squash along with Catoctin Creek Applejack, ginger, lemon, and honey.
Johnny’s October lineup includes treats like the cookie of the month – apple butter whoopie pie.
The Corner Pantry’s new lineup includes dishes like a fire-roasted sweet potato salad with pepitas, kale, and mustard vinaigrette.
Charleston is leaning into mushroom season with recent dishes like white truffle fettuccine with royal trumpet mushrooms and aged Reggiano.
Thames Street Oyster House has a beautiful new dessert menu with options like apple and walnut crostada and spiced pumpkin crème brulee.
Clavel is honoring the changing seasons with a new cocktail – a bitter mezcalita.
The Manor Tavern has all kinds of seasonal fare on its menu, from butternut squash soup to pork tacos.
One of Sotto Sopra’s new dishes is a nod to fall: roasted pumpkin risotto with scallops satimbocca.
Cosima’s new fall menu includes dishes like duck ravioli with crispy kale.
Seasonal cocktails at Ryleigh’s include a pumpkin spice espresso martini and an apple cider-based Aperol spritz.
Planning for the future
Mark your calendars for:
October 21: Chef Carlos Raba at Boordy Vineyards
October 22: Wine Dinner at Seppia
October 24: Culinary Walking Tour of Greenmount Cemetery
