Baltimore magazine - Food & Dining

Winging It

Baltimore magazine — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:31:58 +0000

Without much training or education, Bill Bateman has turned a tiny bar into a multi-million dollar franchise.

By Mike Unger

Bill Bateman never donned a cap and gown, never shifted the tassel from one side of the mortarboard to the other, never clutched a diploma.

He’s revealing this, the regret evident in his eyes, as he sits at a table sipping a glass of HobNob Pinot Noir at the Parkville restaurant that bears his name. There are 17 other such restaurants scattered from Edgewater to southern Pennsylvania, a mini chicken empire that has rendered Bateman’s name synonymous with Buffalo wings in this city.

Sweet Spots

John Lewis — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:08:28 +0000

Local candy companies pull back the curtain and reveal how they're the real Willy Wonkas of Baltimore.

By John Lewis

Around the Christmas and Valentine’s Day holidays, a curious thing happens outside a Wilkens Avenue row house near Saint Agnes Hospital. Before sunrise, people brave the frigid temperatures and line up in front of what appears to be a garage behind the house. Outfitted in winter garb, they’re in surprisingly good spirits despite being exposed to the elements. Baltimoreans have been making this pilgrimage for decades, because the row house—its blinds drawn and curtains pulled—doubles as a candy factory, and the garage houses the city’s legendary candy shop, Rheb’s.

Grapevine: January 2012

Baltimore magazine — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:37:51 +0000

Break the ice with these wines

By John Farlow

Freezing conditions outside inspire us to have a closer look at ice wines. These decadent dessert wines are made from the juice of frozen grapes. Since most of the grape’s moisture is locked up as ice, only a small amount of sweet nectar is extracted when the grapes are crushed.

Off the Eaten Path: The Lost City Diner

Baltimore magazine — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:30:40 +0000

By Martha Thomas

The Lost City Diner in Station North has finally revealed itself after being unwrapped from the brown paper that clad the building for, oh, so many years.

And whether you are in the mood for a juicy cheeseburger with fries slathered in gravy, a roasted pepper stuffed with quinoa and walnuts, or an authentic egg cream, you’re in for a treat.

Catering to a Dream

Baltimore magazine — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:26:55 +0000

Larry’s 1332 reflects its owner’s vision

By Karen Nitkin

Before the massive sandwiches arrive, but after the Maryland crab soup with knuckle-sized crab lumps is devoured, Larry Schwartz emerges from the kitchen at Larry’s 1332 (1332 Sulphur Spring Rd., Arbutus, 443-304-2841), the cafe he opened last summer. He’s dressed charmingly casual in a worn black sweatshirt as he stops at each table, not seeking praise but instead asking what he can do better. Sorry, Larry, but we wouldn’t change a thing.

Out of India

Suzanne Loudermilk — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:13:30 +0000

The Verandah lands in Hampden

By Suzanne Loudermilk

Radhika Sule, owner of The Verandah (842 W. 36th St., 410-889-0999) in Hampden, says “good timing” allowed her to open her cheerful Indian restaurant last August. When Soup’s On closed its doors on The Avenue, Sule was immediately ready to take over the space and offer home-style Indian fare. “I had been at farmers’ markets for years,” she says.

High Time for Tea

Suzanne Loudermilk — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:04:00 +0000

Historic mansion shop is steeped in tradition

By Suzanne Loudermilk

Maybe Julia Faye Briggs should have read tea leaves to reveal her future. She would have found out that she was going to have a second career after she retired as an IT specialist for the government. Serendipity led Briggs to an empty space in The Stone Mansion (4901 Springarden Dr., 410-367-8253), an 1863 rambling home in the city’s modern-day Coldspring Newtown neighborhood near Sinai Hospital. “I wasn’t looking to open a business,” she says. “It was looking for me.” She opened Tea by Julia Faye Tea Room & Tea Store in 2010.

Dining Review: Bond Street Social

Suzanne Loudermilk — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:56:03 +0000

A Fells Point restaurant provides a congenial setting for mingling over food.

By Suzanne Loudermilk

We were smitten from the beginning when a server brought warm mini-cornbread muffins with a dish of jalapeño butter “from the chef.” The kitchen was sharing a complimentary amuse-bouche. Soon, we were sharing, too.

In the Kitchen With: Donna Hamilton

Baltimore magazine — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:31:30 +0000

Cooking in a renovated ’50s space gives Donna Hamilton purpose.

By Jane Marion

With its wicker baskets, comfy couches, and piles of pine cones, Donna Hamilton’s Dickeysville home is warm, homey, and casual—a real reflection of the WBAL-TV anchor herself. “I can’t afford ostentatious,” she says with a laugh.

Say Cheese!

Suzanne Loudermilk — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:36:02 +0000

A new shop specializes in all kinds.

By Suzanne Loudermilk

There was a need for cheese, explains Sharon Johnson of Federal Hill who recently opened Cheese Galore & More, a new stall at Cross Street Market (1065 S. Charles St., 410-244-5515). Johnson had been in sales and food management for 20 years before becoming the victim of company reorganizations and the economy. "Food is in my blood," she says. "I decided to try this." The shop's case is filled with delectable goat cheeses, Bries, Taleggio, and Stiltons. (The mango-ginger has been a sellout.) Even stinky Limburger is popular, Johnson says.

Hot Stuff

Mike Unger — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:35:59 +0000

Sophia's Place has Polish favorites from the oven.

By Mike Unger

For a quarter century, people pining for a taste of Poland headed to Sophia's Place in Fells Point's Broadway Market. In September, the deli packed up its meats, cheeses, sausages, and jars of sauerkraut and mustard, and relocated from the market's north building to the newly refurbished south one (1641 Aliceanna St., 410-342-6105).

Grapevine: December 2011

Baltimore magazine — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:34:56 +0000

Drink and be merry with a holiday splurge.

By John Farlow

Once in a while, it's nice to go a little overboard on spending, especially during the holiday season. We hunted down a trio of luxurious wines that will make a special gift for the wine lover in your life—or for you.

Off the Eaten Path: Barrett’s Grill

Suzanne Loudermilk — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:32:31 +0000

By Suzanne Loudermilk

It's in a sprawling mall in the 'burbs. And it looks homogenized. But locally owned Barrett's Grill, surrounded by chain restaurants you'd recognize anywhere, has managed to carve out its own identity, offering a reasonably priced American menu that will appeal to the nearby movie crowd or visitors to the complex grandly called Hunt Valley Towne Centre.

The restaurant, in the space previously occupied by Greystone Grill, won't dazzle diners with fussy fare. This is food that Grandma would recognize: cheeseburgers, crab cakes, ribs, and meatloaf. What's not to like?

Dining Review: Roy's

Suzanne Loudermilk — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:58:02 +0000

Roy's celebrates 10 years at Harbor East.

By Suzanne Loudermilk

"What?" "Huh!" "I can't hear you." That pretty much describes the noise level at Roy's Baltimore and a lot of our conversation during a recent dinner there. The cacophonous din is a sharp contrast to the soothing mango colors, soft golden lighting, and dreamy artwork of island flowers and palm trees in the restaurant's dining rooms. But if you're not there for a cozy tête-à-tête or to negotiate world peace, you can count on Roy's for a memorable meal that blends seasonal foods with the allure of Hawaiian cuisine and classical preparations.

Dining Review: Indigma

Suzanne Loudermilk — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:50:19 +0000

Indigma survives in a nearby Mt. Vernon location.

By Suzanne Loudermilk

What do you do if your successful restaurant is suddenly gutted by a raging fire? If you're chef/owner Tony Chemmanoor of Indigma, you take matters into your own hands and move across the street.