From sherry to squash blossoms, this week is full of opportunities to enjoy the Baltimore restaurant scene. Here’s a look at what’s coming up:
Openings & announcements
The Charmery has spread its wings outside the Baltimore metro area. The ice cream shop’s newest location, on Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, opened this week.
Dashi Ramen has opened in Cross Street Market.
Peter’s Inn is closed for a summer vacay this weekend. The restaurant will reopen on Thursday, June 29.
Starting July 16, Foraged Eatery will be open on Sundays.
Atlas Restaurant Group announced a new project this week: a cocktail bar called Order of the Ace. The venue will open in Harbor East, next to another Atlas project currently in development, the steakhouse The Ruxton.
This week brought sad news for City residents. The grocery store Eddie’s in Mt. Vernon will close at the end of June, after 24 years in business.
OTT treats
Baltimore’s own Sacré Sucré is getting some love on the national stage. The Fells Point bakery’s monkey bread has been included on Food Network Magazine’s list of the county’s “50 Best Over-the-Top Treats” – well-deserved!
Arts & Drafts at Guinness
On Saturday and Sunday, Guinness Open Gate Brewery gets artsy with Arts & Drafts, a weekend-long festival featuring visual artist vendors, interactive arts stations, live music and special beer releases. The festival, which is organized in partnership with the Baltimore County Arts Guild, includes over 60 arts and crafts vendors and does not require tickets – it is free and open to all.
Plate It! Baltimore
On Tuesday, Baltimore gets a new cooking show. “Plate It! Baltimore,” which will appear on the streaming app Very Local and will feature head-to-head competitions from some of the area’s most beloved and recognizable chefs.
In each episode, the host – Chyno, The Baltimore Foodie – will visit a local market and will highlight regional ingredients. Then, a pair of chefs will be tasked with using those ingredients to prepare meals for the competition, which will be judged by Chyno, Nick Schauman of The Local Oyster, and cookbook author Jessica Formicola (aka Savory Experiments).
The chefs featured include everyone from Sean Guy of Water For Chocolate and Ben Lefenfeld of La Cuchara to Fishnet’s Ferhat Yalcin and Amy Hessel of The Tilted Row – plus many, many more.
Sherry at La Cuchara
On Wednesday, June 28, La Cuchara hosts a Gonzales Bypass Sherry tasting event. During the evening, guests can try several sherries, paired with pintxos, for $35.
Siciliy with La Scala
On Thursday, La Scala is hosting a cocktail reception (RSVP required) to discuss the opportunity to tour Italy with an expert guide. Next fall, Chef Nino Germano will tour Sicily – his home country – with groups of travelers. During Thursday’s reception, the chef will talk about the tours and what to expect.
Summer is here
With the solstice behind us, summer is truly here – and it is a great time to be a food lover in the Chesapeake region. Restaurants are already making the most of the season, with early summer dishes featuring excellent local ingredients.
Magdalena has a local blue catfish entrée that looks beautiful – and helps manage the population of catfish in the Chesapeake Bay, where it is an invasive species.
The Foraged menu includes fried squash blossoms – a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it seasonal treat.
At Silver Queen Café, squash blossoms also pop up on the menu – on top of a summery pizza.
Summer squash is also on the menu at The Corner Pantry. There, the squash itself makes its way into tacos with salsa, Cojita cheese, avocado crema and lime.
Sally O’s is also all about the summer squash this week, with a zucchini carpaccio special that pairs thin slices of zucchini with mayonnaise, almonds, ranch powder and basil.
Thames Street Oyster House has all kinds of local ingredients and flavors on its menu, from pan-roasted rockfish to a crumble made with cherries from Hillside Meadow Farm.
Sotto Sopra’s summer menu also celebrates the sea, including an entrée of branzino with fresh vegetables.
Planning for the future
Mark your calendars for:
July 14: Crab Feat & Bull Roast for Baltimore Station at Jimmy’s Famous Seafood
July 15: Etiquette Brunch at Miss Shirley’s
July 23: Tacopalooza
