In November 2009, Tony Foreman, co-owner of Charleston, Baltimore’s award-winning-est restaurant, told STYLE Magazine that he would “be pissed off every single day until we’re on that list [of Forbes/Mobil five-star restaurants].” Well, a year and a half is a long time to stay pissed — but hopefully Charleston’s recent Five Star Diamond Award (not awarded by Mobil, alas) will help assuage the pain somewhat.
And maybe Charleston should maybe stop hogging all the awards. There are only 150 restaurants in the U.S. that have received a four-star rating from the Mobil/Forbes travel guide (the closest relative we’ve got to Europe’s uber-prestigious Michelin stars); Charleston is the only one in Baltimore, and has been since 2007. Last year, only 22 restaurants in the entire country received five-star ratings. It’s impressive company to aspire to.
The Five Star Diamond award, while it may sound more expensive, isn’t quite so rare, but they certainly don’t skimp on adjectives in their press releases:
“Each year the Academy bestows its coveted International Star Diamond Award exclusively to five star establishments that are deemed to be the pinnacle of quality by its esteemed Board of Trustees. The International Star Diamond Award is the most prestigious emblem of achievement and true quality; an award many strive for, but few obtain.”
So congrats to Charleston’s chef and co-owner, Cindy Wolf and to Foreman. Even if this wasn’t the particular five-star award they were looking for, it’s gotta still feel pretty good. Stop by Charleston’s regular Wednesday happy hour from 5:30 – 7PM to enjoy $10 flutes of champagne and complimentary hors d’oeuvres to celebrate!
