This week has a little bit of everything for Baltimore food lovers: Valentine’s meals, Super Bowl festivities, and lots of great news about openings. Here’s a look at what’s coming up:
Openings & announcements
Fire & Rice, the Hamilton restaurant that has been in the works since last year, is finally opening! The restaurant, which will offer a Japanese small plates menu – and which will have a full bar program – is slated to open next week.
Angeli’s Pizzeria is branching out. The Little Italy pizza shop announced this week that it will take over the Govans space that formerly housed the much-missed pizza place Toss.
The Brewer’s Art downstairs bar reopened this week, after 697 days of COVID closure – great news for fans of Resurrections and rosemary garlic fries.
Linwoods will once again be open for lunch, starting on March 1.
Char’d City has finally, officially, received a liquor license. So look for changes in the works there, as they add bar and lounge seating (and a full bar menu).
Sadly, In Like Flynn Tavern announced this week that Saturday will be its last day in business. The Locust Point pub will be missed.
Showing love for first responders
Last week, several local restaurants, working with the Signal 13 Foundation, quickly organized a fundraising event to generate funds for the families of Lt. Paul Butrim, Lt. Kelsey Sadler and firefighter / paramedic Kenny Lacayo, the three firefighters who lost their lives in the row home fire earlier this month, as well as the children of Officer Keona Holley, who was killed in December.
The foundation partnered with Jimmy’s Famous Seafood, Little Havana and The Bygone, hosting ticketed events and auctioning off events to raise money.
They’ve raised over $65,000 for the families and are still collecting donations via the Famous Fund.
Union ChocolateFest
On Saturday, ChocolateFest makes its sweet return to Union Collective.
During the daytime event, Union shops will go all out with the cocoa, including chocolate brownie sundaes at The Charmery, s’mores pizza at Well Crafted Kitchen, mocha lattes (and much more) at Vent Coffee, wine and chocolate pairings at The Wine Collective, a new chocolate and chili pepper liqueur at Baltimore Spirts Company, and chocolate casks at Union Craft Brewing.
Mardi Gras prep
Sobo Café has king cakes available for pre-order – but only through Feb. 11, so get those orders in immediately.
Valentine’s plans
Monday is Valentine’s Day, which means that celebratory events and specials have already started and will last through the weekend.
Sally O’s is going for pot pies this holiday, offering lobster pot pies and duck and mushroom pies to take home and reheat this weekend, or on Valentine’s Day. Cozy and romantic!
Angeli’s has a sweet Valentine’s Day special, including a heart-shaped pizza, bottle of wine, champagne glasses and a pizza cutter. They can also turn any pizza into a heart for just $1.99.
On Sunday morning, Jimmy’s Famous Seafood is hosting a brunch just for the singles. The event includes bottomless drinks, a DJ and a professional photographer on site.
In time for the holiday, DuClaw has released a new citrusy, hopped sour; Rose Colored Glasses is inspired by the French 75 cocktail.
Towson Tavern’s Valentine’s menu includes dishes like lobster bisque, oysters on the half shell, and a whole steamed Maine lobster.
Limoncello’s menu includes options like diver scallops over spinach with a touch of sambuca and squid ink linguine with shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops, calamari, crab and lobster tail.
Though Tapas Teatro isn’t usually open on Mondays, it will be open this week, just for Valentine’s Day.
Bondhouse Kitchen’s Valentine’s special is available now through Monday. The deal includes a shared starter, two entrees and a bottle of wine or two specialty cocktails, all for $75.
Citron’s Valentine’s prix-fixe includes options like Tuscan white bean soup with truffle oil and a French-braised lamb shank. The Quarry Lake restaurant also has a fun list of special holiday cocktails, like the Forever Yours, made with cognac, lemon and almond orgeat.
At The Gourmet at Kenilworth, Valentine’s cocktails include the Heartbreaker (Sagamore rye, strawberry puree and ginger beer) and the Smokeshow (cucumbers and grapes, blackberry vodka, lemon and simple syrup).
The three-course Dutch Courage menu will be available Feb. 11, 12 and 14 and includes options like lobster pierogies and duck confit over a baby greens salad, plus optional cocktail pairings with sweet names like The Love Affair and Hoodoo You Love.
Petit Louis’ four-course Valentine’s meal includes options like lobster bisque with chive oil and bacon-wrapped quail with preserved cherries.
Of Love & Regret’s Valentine’s specials start on Feb. 11 and last through the following Monday. The menu will include a three-course dinner for two and craft bar options.
From Feb. 12 through Feb. 14, Alma Cocina Latina will offer a three-course dinner with optional wine pairing, including dishes like red snapper ceviche and arroz con pollito.
Cinghiale will offer a four-course meal with optional wine pairings.
At Topside in the Hotel Revival, a special menu will be available on Feb. 12 and 13. The multi-course menu includes dishes like mushroom soup with chili oil and crispy mushrooms and scallops with squid ink pasta, gouda cheese sauce and crispy prosciutto.
Johnny’s will offer food and drink specials on Feb. 14, including a three-course prix-fixe including options like Virginia oyster stew and a honey-rosemary pork chop.
Tickets for H3irloom Food Group’s Feb. 12 dinner, dubbed “How Does It Feel?” are available through Feb. 5. The meal will be a five-course dinner with wine pairings focused on “the rollercoaster of emotions” associated with love.
At The Milton Inn, the extravagant four-course meal includes options like shrimp bisque with fennel pollen and duck confit with lamb merguez.
Whitehall Market’s FireFly Farms Market has a variety of sweet and savory foods and drinks to enjoy at the market or take home for Valentine’s Day, including a cute heart-shaped brie-style cheese made with goat milk, and a beautiful rosé Grand Cru champagne.
Charleston’s Valentine’s menu allows guests to choose their four courses, and to enjoy optional wine pairings.
Dylan’s Oyster Cellar is accepting pre-orders for a Valentine’s “Bubbles, Brine & Bae” take home special, including 25 oysters and a bottle of sparkling rose. While the restaurant will not be open to dine in on Valentine’s Day, you can pre-order shucked oysters for pickup that day, or make a reservation for Saturday, Feb. 12.
The Urban Oyster’s Valentine’s Day menu includes options like fried lobster curry and New York strip in a red wine mushroom cream sauce.
Reservations are required for Darker than Blue’s Valentine’s prix-fixe, which includes three courses for two and a bottle of wine.
Gunther & Co. will offer a four-course prix fixe menu for Valentine’s Day, with choices like salt and pepper shrimp in shallot-citrus wine sauce, butter-poached Maine lobster risotto, and a banana leaf-wrapped whole roasted fish.
On Feb. 11 and 12, Cosima will offer a prix-fixe Valentine’s menu with optional wine pairings.
Between Feb. 11 and Feb. 15, take home a heart-shaped container filled with tacos, guac, salsa, chips and more, plus a 32-ounce margarita, from Papi’s. The package is available for two people or for four and can be ordered online via the Toast app.
The Pierpoint takeaway boxes are still going strong and the Valentine’s box is now available to order. The box includes a luxe dinner for two, with options like shrimp cocktail and seared tenderloin with shallot demiglace, and an optional bottle of bubbly. (Pierpoint also has a Super Bowl box in the works, so you could make one trip to pick up boxes to stay fed all weekend.)
On Feb. 11, Chef’s Expressions will host its 22nd annual Valentine wine supper at the Gramercy Mansion. The meal includes five courses, each paired with wine, including options like “Love on the Wild Side,” a wild boar chop over sour cherry potage paired with Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir from New Zealand.
Phillips Seafood has a take home lobster bake for two package available for pickup from the Inner Harbor restaurant on Feb. 11, 12 or 13.
Super Bowl plans
Sunday night’s Super Bowl is a great excuse for some snacks, drinks, and wings.
Jimmy’s Famous Seafood is hosting its legendary annual Super Bowl party. Tickets include an open bar, full raw bar, pit beef, turkey and ham, wings, oyster stew and more.
Ampersea turns 4
Happy anniversary to Ampersea, which will celebrate its birthday on Friday Feb. 18, with a party featuring hors d’oeuvres and an open bar.
BORT: Black-Owned Restaurant Tour Week
Get ready for Black-Owned Restaurant Tour Week, which starts next Monday, Feb. 21, and lasts through the 24th.
The event is organized by the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and sponsored by several local organizations, including Visit Baltimore, and takes place in conjunction with the CIAA Basketball Tournament.
Participating restaurants include RYMKS, Darker than Blue, Local, Unity, BLK Swan, Papi Cuisine, Teavolve and Homemaid.
Planning for the future
Mark your calendars for:
Feb. 24: Seed to Still to Sip Discussion at De Kleine Duivel
March 17: Chef’s Expressions St. Patrick’s Day Whiskey Supper
May 28: Brew at the Zoo
