Spring is here, Baltimore, and with it, tons of restaurant news, from the opening of a swanky new chop house to the return of a beloved brunch to food-related classes popping up all over town. Here’s a look at what Baltimore’s restaurants have to offer this week:
Whether it roars in like a lion, or tiptoes like a lamb, in the Mid-Atlantic, March brings Spring with it. Slowly, the earth softens, and things get green. Clumps of bulbs – snowdrops, crocus, daffodils – push up through the mulch. Evergreens relax, their leaves uncurling. Buds broaden with potential. Early bloomers burst like fireworks, presaging the months of color to come.
This week is all about gearing up for the spring holidays. Passover and Easter fall essentially at the same time this year, so you’ve likely got plenty of invites to all kinds of gatherings in the coming week. Meanwhile, don’t forget about the great goings-on about town as your schedule fills up.
Ready to cast off the Uggs and galoshes for snappy spring footwear? Whether it’s actually warm enough to wear them or not, bringing home a new pair or two of fresh styles can brighten up your wardrobe (and your mood) considerably. Perfect for when the weather isn’t exactly ready to brighten up itself. Ma Petite Shoe (one of of very favorite spots for the most unique and feminine footwear out there) has just received a whole host of great new looks for the coming season.
Although there is still plenty of snow on the ground, and the temperatures are supposed to drop to the low teens again this weekend, signs that spring is coming are all around us. From the sun setting at almost 6:00 p.m. to the flip of the calendar page on Sunday, spring’s is almost here!
It’s hard to believe that the clocks change next week, and for many of us, that’s cause for celebration. Yes, we will have to endure some dark mornings, but really, what are you doing at that hour anyway?
Have you started thinking about your garden yet? All winter long, we’ve been perusing seed and bulb catalogues like the one from White Flower Farm in Connecticut. They always have a great selection of annuals, perennials and roses. How about this gorgeous rose named after Princess Charlene of Monaco?
If you didn’t remember to plant your bulbs last fall, it’s a little late to do it for this year. But if you’ve planted bulbs in the past, you might begin to see shoots from them in the next few weeks. In England, the first thing to burst through the frozen ground are the snowdrops. Meadows and woodlands are blanketed with beautiful and tiny white snowdrops.
Spring is simply the best time of year for those of us who love plants. With leaves unfurling and flowers in bloom, one just can’t get enough time in the garden—or enough space for all of those plants we love to take care of. Feed your inner botanist with a shopping spree at the Cylburn Arboretum’s 46th annual Market Day plant sale. You can get your hands on a huge variety of annuals, perennials, native plants, and even vegetables. Whether you’ve got a certified green thumb, or have yet to successfully keep a house plant alive, this plant sale has something for everyone—particularly because the arboretum’s own garden professionals will be on hand to offer expert advice on how to incorporate plants into your space, and then how to keep them healthy and beautiful.
It seems like only yesterday we were cheering the Ravens on to a Super Bowl victory and parading in the streets for weeks afterward, celebrating our city’s triumph. Since then, another football season has come and gone, but our pride and love for the Ravens is, of course, always there. This weekend, you can get a little football fix at the Spring Football Festival being held at McHenry Row this Saturday afternoon.
From Cool Progeny – Spring… are you out there? One local family turned Disney’s hot snowman song into a melodic plea for warm weather with a side of funny.
This column, That Nature Show, is about the nature right under your nose: in our backyards, playgrounds and parks! Stop and look around, you’ll be amazed at what surrounds you.
This Sunday, February 2 is Groundhog Day (Grundsaudaag, Murmeltiertag) a holiday in the Pennsylvania German folkloric tradition of assessing when spring is coming based on the emergence of a ground-dwelling rodent.
They are my people, the Germans (not the rodents) on my mother’s side. My grandfather’s grandfather was a brewer outside of Pittsburgh, so as a child I was a big believer in the predictive abilities of Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, Punxsutawney Pennsylvania’s most famous resident and a star of the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray.
My outerwear was determined by a groundhog. In late February with ice still on the ground I’d say to my grandma, “I don’t need a cardigan, Punxsutawney Phil said its going to be an early spring.” Like that carried weight.
Like you should trust the largest member of the squirrel family? Most certainly you should not. Research shows Phil’s “spring predictions are less accurate than chance.”
The first weekend in May is always busy in Baltimore. This weekend, there are too many great events to mention in one post, so we’ve added links to the many that caught our eye. You’ll wish, as we do, that you could go to them all. Happy Spring! – The Eds.
From the Baltimore Fishbowl events page…
Kinetic Sculpture Race
Saturday, May 4th, 2013
From THE AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM–a race of wacky, imaginative, TOTALLY HUMAN-POWERED WORKS OF ART, DESIGNED TO TRAVEL ON LAND, THROUGH MUD, AND OVER DEEP HARBOR WATERS, constructed out of used bicycles, gears, and parts, created by a lunatic genius who tinkers around in the garage or backyard (do you know this person?)! The machines can be simple, small crafts, piloted by only one brave soul, or they can be over 50 feet long, extremely well-engineered, sophisticated vehicles powered by a team of pilots. Pilots (“Kinetinauts”) compete for the most coveted award, THE GRAND EAST COAST NATIONAL MEDIOCRE CHAMPION (awarded to the vehicle that finishes right in the middle), and the highly prized NEXT TO THE LAST AWARD (finishes, well, next-to-last), and other serious trophies including ART, ENGINEERING, and more. Race starts at 10am at the American Visionary Art Museum (arrive early to take part in Opening Ceremony and Blessing of De Feet!). Other great spots to see the vehicles are the 1st checkpoint atop Federal Hill; the water entry at the Korean War Memorial Park in Canton; the uphill mud-pit in Patterson Park; the not-so-quick-sand pit in Patterson Park; and, of course, anywhere along the 15-mile route through Baltimore. For more information–including past race photos, inspiration, and a handy Spectator’s Guide–visit http://kineticbaltimore.com.
Flower Mart 2013 – Friday and Saturday, May 3 & 4
Ladew Garden Festival, Saturday, May 4
Donate Used Books at Books for Kids Day, Saturday, May 4
Free Comic Book Day!, Saturday, May 4
Damn Yankees, Gilman School Musical, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 3, 4 & 5
Meet Me in St. Louis, Memorial Players Musical, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 3, 4 & 5
