Peaches, ice cream, oysters and more – this week offers something for every kind of food lover in Baltimore. Here’s a look at what’s on tap:
Openings & announcements
Federal Hill’s Moo Moo Cows has been named the sixth best ice cream shop in the country by Yelp. The Shop opened in 2020 and quickly became a favorite in the neighborhood and beyond.
On Thursday, Blue Moon Café celebrates 27 years in business – almost three decades! Congratulations to the entire Blue Moon team on a huge achievement.
Restaurant Weeks
Summer’s regional Restaurant Week promotions wrap up this week. The Baltimore City and Howard County events ended last week and Baltimore County’s is over on Sunday, Aug. 6.
However, Maryland Vegan Restaurant Month is just getting started. The promotion, which kicks off on Aug. 4, lasts throughout the month and features specials and an extra focus on vegan dishes at a variety of Baltimore restaurants.
The Charmery turns 10
Somehow, it’s been 10 years since The Charmery opened its first shop on The Avenue in Hampden. The fun ice cream company has now grown to five locations in Maryland and its team still manages to create interesting flavors, often collaborating with other local businesses and personalities to do so.
The crew is celebrating the big anniversary with a bunch of specials and deals, including limited edition flavors honoring Baltimore-area musicians, and a “Mix Tape Sundae” made of five baby scoops of any flavor, plus one extra scoop for free.
Plus, on Saturday, The Charmery will host a series of music events at or near its Columbia, Hampden and Union Collective locations. In the morning, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., there will be an all-ages dance party with Two Turntables & an Ice Cream Cone + Good Kid-izen and DJ Darian Granger at Colorburst Park in the Merriweather District. At 12:30, Caleb Stine will perform an acoustic set in the courtyard of St. Luke’s, near the Hampden location, and at 7:30 p.m., Lowland Tropics will collaborate with Liquid Lights by Jay Dutta for a cool instrumental show.
National Oyster Week
National Oyster Week wraps up this weekend, so now is the time to take advantage of specials at local restaurants, while supporting the Oyster Recovery Partnership. Many Baltimore restaurants are involved and offering great incentives to eat some oysters – like Gertrude’s, which is donating $1 from every oyster platter, fried oyster Caesar salad, oyster poboy or dozen raw oysters to ORP, and The Local Oyster and True Chesapeake Oyster House, which are both offering BOGO oyster shooters.
A Night in Vienna
On Thursday, Chef’s Expressions presents A Night in Vienna, a wine dinner benefiting Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland. The dinner, which takes place at the Gramercy Mansion, includes several courses of Viennese fare paired with Austrian and German wines. Courses include pairings like schnitzel with braised fennel and wild mushroom cream sauce with a 2021 Villa Wolf Pinot Noir from Pfalz, Germany.
Peachy
August is prime time for peaches in Maryland – and local restaurants are making the most of the season.
Fenwick Bakery is using peaches from Harding’s Orchards for its peach cake, which has earned a spot on just about every list of “iconic” Baltimore foods.
At Silver Queen Café, the peaches come from Susquehanna Orchards via George’s Farm Market, and they are all over the menu, from a peach mint julep cocktail and a summer salad of peaches, tomatoes, cucumbers and chevre to burrata with pickled peaches and a peach pork belly pizza.
Silver Queen is also celebrating First Friday in Hamilton on Aug. 4 with $2 off appetizers (with an entrée purchase) and $10 crushes.
At The Corner Pantry, peaches, sumac cumbers and burrata are dressed with roasted chili vinaigrette; the salad is available for breakfast or lunch.
Planning for the future
Mark your calendars for:
Aug. 13-14: Baltimore Food Crawl with Crust by Mack, Urban Oyster & Our Time Kitchen
Sept. 29: Maryland Italian Festival
