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They put away the crayons

Laura Vozzella

May 4, 2008

No less an authority than Rolling Stone declares that Baltimore has the nation's best "scene." Really. "Hotbed for rap and art rock," it says.

Part of the appeal: Golden West Cafe, "the late-night post-show hangout."

There's also some stuff about "electronic party starters," unlicensed concert venues and "Wire-inspired Hamsterdam mixtapes." But frankly, the only thing I grasped was the restaurant. And even that confused me.

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Isn't Golden West a family-friendly, crayons-on-the-table kinda place? It is, managing partner Samantha Juengel assured me. But one with an edgy alter ego.

"Earlier in the evening, you get a lot of families with young kids," she said. "You need a place where your kids can be loud and crazy and it's totally tolerated and welcomed. ... We have crayons. We have little kid menus, kids books in the vestibule."

But the late crowd -- Golden West is open until 2 a.m. -- doesn't dance to Raffi.

Juengel hopes the magazine mention will bring more late-night business. Some Maryland Film Festival hipsters already have found their way to the place.

"Filmmakers have come in and said, 'I actually saw you guys in Rolling Stone,'" Juengel said. "It's kinda nice."

Just a bunch of guys kind of touching base

Another bit for anybody out there monitoring the (pick one) promise/ threat of a Bob Ehrlich comeback: the ex-Gov's "Theme Team" is back together.

Since his days in Congress, Ehrlich has had a group of supporters by that name. An ex-Theme Teamer who is not part of the group's latest incarnation tells me they called radio shows and wrote letters to the editor to help push Ehrlich's message.

Ehrlich aides Greg Massoni and Henry Fawell suggested that the theme stuff has flowed in the other direction -- people to pol, not the other way around.

"There's a lot of pent-up anger about record tax increases, rising electricity prices," Fawell said. "It's an opportunity for people to talk about themes."

In any case, about 40 members of the current team gathered at a house in Perry Hall last week with Ehrlich and his former State House communications gang. Massoni and Fawell said the theme that night wasn't really about Ehrlich's possible rematch with Martin O'Malley.

"This is more of a push Andy [Harris], push [John] McCain get-together," said Massoni.

If the Republican candidates for Congress and president were the main theme, it eluded George Rew, a longtime supporter who participated in the meeting.

"The theme is the way Bob ran his administration and tried to deal with things," Rew said. "Just, like, an update of where things are headed, what polls look like ... and how many people seem to be very disgruntled with the tax increase and shenanigans down in Annapolis. ... He's just kind of touching base with everybody."

There was no talk of letter-writing or call-in campaigns, Rew said. In fact, Rew wasn't even sure why they were called the Theme Team.

"I guess they had to call the group something," he said, chuckling.

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They put away the crayons

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