Baltimore Diner - A blog about Baltimore restaurant news, Maryland cooking and food

A blog about Baltimore restaurant news, Maryland cooking and food

Have a Memorial Day Sunday lunch with veterans at Mission BBQ

The gang at Mission BBQ is inviting the public to have lunch with a group of World War II veterans visting from California.

Of Love and Regret opening May 30 in Canton

Of Love & Regret - Pub & Provisions, the collaboration between Brian Strumke of Stillwater Ales and Ted Stelzenmuller of Jack's Bistro, is set to open on Wednesday.

More Baltimore area farmers' markets opening every week

Every week another area farmers market kicks off its season.

Pictures: 15 must-try summertime recipes

Pictures: The new crop of grilling gadgets

Pictures: Baltimore food challenges

Pictures: Top places to eat or drink on Charles Street

Jam-packed with history and amazing architecture, Charles Street is also packed, from Charles Village to South Baltimore, with great dining (or drinking) options.

West Ocean City's Shrimp Boat gets beer and wine license

The weekend is so close you can taste it.

Kooper's to open in Lutherville, launch new food truck

The owners of Kooper's Tavern, Katie and Patrick Russell, will open a Baltimore County location in Lutherville's Round Wood Shopping Center. The new location will be called Kooper's North. A new food truck, Woody's Taco Island, is also on its way.

Maryland crabs, hard and soft-shell, all in one bushel

This weekend marks the unofficial kick-off to crab-eating season. We keep all of the Baltimore Sun's crab coverage here.

Patterson Park's annual sunset wine tasting on Thursday

The Friends of Patterson Park are holding their 8th annual Wine Tasting at Sunset event on Thursday night around the historic Marble Fountain and Pagoda.

Pictures: 5 Quintessential Maryland crab houses

Pictures: Baltimore burgers

Find: Baltimore area farmers' markets

Pictures: Restaurants that closed in 2012

Not every restaurant makes it to the finish line. See which restaurants wilted in 2012.

Donna's closes in Columbia after a 10-year run

Word got out on area blogs over the weekend, and it's true. The Donna’s on Snowden River Parkway in Columbia closed Sunday after a 10-year run. “It’s been tough,” onwer Alan Hirsch said about the closing. ““It was a great experience. Our customers became our friends. We had a decent business there but just not enough for us to commit to another 10-year lease.”

Belvedere Square's Demi to close, but Crush remains open

Tae Strain, the executive chef at Crush, is leaving the Belvedere Square restaurant. Saturday is Strain's last day at Crush, which will remain open. But Demi, his separate project on the lower level of Crush, will close after this Saturday's service.

Townhouse Kitchen and Bar announces May 24 opening

Townhouse Kitchen and Bar has announced its opening date. The restaurant will open on May 24 in Fells Point, next door to RA Sushi.

The Preakness still fills up restaurants

I wondered why I wasn't seeing more restaurants in Baltimore offering Preakness promotions.

Sailabration to hold crab cake, cupcake and crab dip competitions

The organizers of the Star-Spangled Sailabration have announced three open cooking competitions -- for cold crab dips, cupcakes and crab cakes -- that will be held as part of Galley Works, a component of the mid-June maritime festival coming to Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Soft-shell crab celebration starts May 17

Some 20 area restaurants will trot out their best soft-shell crab recipes for the fourth annual Soft Shell Crab Celebration. The promotion is organized by Dine Downtown.

Baltimore Sun restaurant critic unmasked!

There's a delicious surprise in the new issue of Sun Magazine.

Pictures: The Foodie Experience with Andrew Zimmern at the Hippodrome

Here's what went down at the third annual Foodie Experience at the Hippodrome on Saturday night.

Baltimore Farmers' Market: Peas, and a new pizza vendor

Three weeks ago we told you that The Pea Man (aka Thomas McCarthy of Woodside Greenhouse, Caroline County) said he should be bringing peas in about three weeks. Three weeks later he brought peas. By 10 a.m. all of his peas were gone. And so was he. He'll be back next week with more peas.

Calle's Cucina closes in Barclay after seven-month run

Calle's Cucina, an Italian restaurant on St. Paul St. has closed. The BYOB restaurant, which opened just last November in the old Yabba Pot space in Barclay, featured traditional Italian menu items like lasagna Bolognese, braciola and chicken saltimbocca.

Brass Elephant property space will reopen as The Museum

Belvedere Square's Crush here to stay, owner insists

Patrons of Crush in Belvedere Square have grown concerned about the restaurant's status. Earlier this week, Crush reverted to a BYOB policy. Its liquor shelves are bare.

Blue Agave in Federal Hill will reopen on May 17 under new ownership

Blue Agave has new owners, Brian Acquavella and Nicole Callender. They closed the Federal Hill restaurant right after Cinco De Mayo for renovations. They plan to have it back open on May 17. In the meantime, they're asking the dining public to weigh in on what the new Blue Agave should be like.

Pictures: Food events for the weekend of May 11-13

document.write (""); The Third Annual Foodie Experience is this Saturday. Farmers' markets are opening in Bel Air, Catonsville and Fells Point. Food trucks are joining the fun at Big Truck Day. And Charles Street will be eaten on Saturday.

Mother's Day dining: A daylong event

You still have time to plan a Mother's Day brunch. But you might not have to bother. According to a new survey, your mother might prefer to make the plans herself.

Dining on the B&O: Baltimore restaurants remember the golden age of rail dining

Maryland Crab Flakes au Gratin, Finan Haddie Delmonico, Ham and Panned Oysters on Toast, Ginger Bread Pudding with Coffe Sauce. Dining on the rails was apparently quite something, with or without Eva Marie Saint at your table.

Pictures: Ravens tackle waiting tables

oe Flacco, Ray Rice and some of the biggest stars of The Ravens traded their helmets and shoulder pads for aprons Monday night. They were helping teammate Matt Birk with his charitable event, Celebrity Server Night at Morton's The Steakhouse.

Food truck rally today at University of Maryland

There is a food truck gathering today 11 a.m.-3 p.m., at the University of Maryland Medical Center. The event is being held in conjunction with the opening day of the University Farmers' Market.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. opens at Harborplace

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. is now open at Harborplace. The restaurant and market takes over the old Phillips anchor space. The restaurant will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.

PABU opens Tuesday in Four Seasons Baltimore Hotel

PABU, the second restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, is set to open Tuesday night.

Hippodrome headliner Andrew Zimmern wins James Beard Award

Andrew Zimmern's "Bizarre Foods" picked up a James Beard award for TV Show, On Location at Friday night's Book, Broadcast and Awards. Zimmern, the headliner for this Saturday's Foodie Experience event at the Hippodrome, won an individual James Beard award in 2010 for TV Food Personality.

Delmarva's Southern Cafe coming to Canton this summer

A new restaurant named Delmarva's Southern Cafe will open this spring in Canton's Harbor Enterprise Center, also known as the Broom Factory.

Name change: Harbor East Greek restaurant will be named Ouzo Bay

The contemporary Greek restaurant coming to the Promenade in Harbor East will not be named Limani. That name was taken, by a Greek restaurant in Roslyn, N.Y.

Woodberry Kitchen steeping Artifact Coffee for June opening in Hampden

Spike Gjerde and the Woodberry Kitchen team have released some more information about its forthcoming Artifact Coffee project, which they plan to have open in June.

About Richard Gorelick

Richard Gorelick was appointed The Baltimore Sun's restaurant critic in September 2010. Before joining the paper staff fulltime, he contributed freelance criticism and features articles about food to area and regional publications. Along the way, he dispatched for short-distance trucking companies, shilled for cultural non-profits, and assisted in cognitive neurology research — never the subject, always the control. He takes restaurants seriously but not himself, and his favorite restaurant is the one you love, too.

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