In Good Taste

Almost Thanksgiving

Suzanne — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:40:52 +0000

Wow, how did that happen? Two weeks from today, we’ll be gorging ourselves on turkey and all the trimmings. My sister is hosting my family’s big meal, and, of course, we’ll bring various side dishes to help out. And being native Baltimoreans, we certainly will have a big bowl of sauerkraut on the table. Locals know [...]

A response from servers

Suzanne — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:48:37 +0000

Like many others, I enjoyed reading the recent New York Times blogs on “100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do,” especially since I’m usually on the receiving end of service. Part one presented such dictums as “Never serve anything that looks creepy or runny or wrong” and “Never touch a customer.” Part two had these admonitions: [...]

Cuban products for now

Suzanne — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:49:56 +0000

Chef Marta Quintana decided to take a detour from opening Havana Road, a Cuban restaurant, in the space occupied by Grano Pasta Bar on The Avenue in Hampden. She is focusing instead on her Cuban line of products, which are available now at Whole Foods in Mt. Washington and Annapolis. But she’s not ruling out having [...]

AVAM restaurant menu

Suzanne — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:40:30 +0000

By now, you probably know that the American Visionary Art Museum finally has a new restaurant. It’s been a long culinary drought, but the intriguingly named Mr. Rain’s Fun House officially opened this week. I was perplexed, though, when I checked out its website. There’s no hint as to what’s actually on the menu, which is [...]

The future of cookbooks

Suzanne — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:25:21 +0000

I’ve been thinking about cookbooks because a friend of mine just released a beautiful one this week called The Brandywine Book of Food. It has recipes, gorgeous photos, and focuses on the culinary terroir of the Brandywine River, which mostly winds its way through Pennsylvania and Delaware. I can’t wait to buy it. But I’ve been [...]

Chef Bryan at Volt

Suzanne — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:55:32 +0000

I had a nice chat on the phone Friday with Bryan Voltaggio, chef/partner at Volt restaurant in Frederick. Bryan is one of this season’s contestants on Top Chef. Out of 17 chefs who started on the Bravo show, only six are left, including Bryan and his brother Michael. It’s getting really hot in the [...]

Southern Living picks Bel-Loc

Suzanne — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:04:51 +0000

Bel-Loc diner is number one among Southern Living magazine’s favorite diners in its November issue. It even includes a recipe from owner Bill Doxanas for rice pudding. While the magazine recommends getting breakfast (blueberry pancakes or raisin-bread French toast) at the Towson spot on Loch Raven Boulevard near the Beltway that opened in 1964, I really [...]

Maybe Mo knows

Suzanne — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:53:35 +0000

Could the Orchard Landing Restaurant on Joppa Road in Towson become a Mo’s seafood restaurant? That’s what a recent Baltimore County liquor-license transfer would lead one to believe. However, none of the principals is talking yet. For months, the Orchard Landing (not to be confused with the nearby Orchard Market and Cafe, which serves Persian food) [...]

Another Harbor East restaurant

Suzanne — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:06:23 +0000

There’s no denying that Harbor East has become a culinary destination with stalwarts like Charleston and Roy’s and newbies like Talara and Bagby Pizza Co. Even the geographical lines are starting to blur as the ritzy 'hood edges into nearby areas. Now, a new restaurant—Milan, featuring eclectic Italian/Mediterranean cuisine—will open late this fall, according to Profiles, [...]

The next Dogwood chapter

Suzanne — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:17:15 +0000

Okay, now the phone number at The Dogwood in Hampden has been “temporarily disconnected.” It must have happened recently. I just called the restaurant a few days ago, and it rang several times, never switching to a voice mail. However, the website says it is “continuing to work to reopen.” It’s been closed since July [...]