Special to The Baltimore Sun
Watch for some changes at Grano on Chestnut Street, otherwise known as Big Grano. In a week, maybe two, Gino Troia will be unveiling a new addition to this larger, table-service version of the original (and still- running) storefront location a few blocks away in Hampden.
The addition, to be called Emporio Grano, is an expansion into what was formerly an Indian clothing store. It will be partly a salumeria, where guests will be able to grab up good meats and cheeses, and partly a showcase for the Italian pastries of Simone Martini, one of Troia's two longest-serving chefs, along with Paolo Santinani. Troia is pursuing a wine and beer license for Big Grano.
Even before the new space opens, Big Grano is a sweet place to grab a midday meal, especially if you pause to consider a few of the non-pasta items, such as the bountiful Insalata Giulia or the gorgeously prepared local sausage and sauteed greens. I'll let you know in this space when Gino Troia is ready for company. The phone number for Grano on Chestnut, 3547 Chestnut St., is 443-438-7521.
Gourmet sequel If Catonsville Gourmet were a movie, it would have qualified as last summer's "surprise hit." It arrived without much fanfare, opened to quick critical praise and quickly found a following for its fresh seafood and bustling atmosphere. My most trusted scouts sing its praises, assuring me that its name is the only thing about Catonsville Gourmet that's uninspiring. Now chef Rob Rehmert and co-owner Sean Dunworth are back with a sequel, Regions, which opened rather quietly two weeks ago just down the block on Frederick Road.
Dunworth describes the 12-table, dinner-only restaurant as "more cozy and subdued" than the atmosphere of Catonsville Gourmet. Think black-trimmed burgundy walls with brass accents. The name refers to the six "regions of focus" — Maryland, Asian, Southwest, French, Italian and Classic American — from which both small plates and entrees will be available every night, on an evolving basis as the seasons change. Customer favorites, Dunworth says, will be put on extended rotation, and an early contender, from the Southwest, is the cowboy steak with chipotle blue-cheese sauce.
Reservations for Regions are encouraged and can be made via the Open Table system, on the restaurant's website, regionsrestaurant.com. Like Catonsville Gourmet, Regions is BYOB, and there is emphatic language on the website about the restaurant's policy of using its tables for dining and not for extended wine evenings. But you'll never be rushed at Regions, Dunworth says. The policy is intended more to cope with that rare group that finishes dinner and sets about commandeering their table for a Saturday night wine party when other parties are waiting. That sounds fair to me.
Regions is at 803-805 Frederick Road. The phone number is 410-788-7005.
Sustainable happy hour Boordy Vineyards launched its summer season of Good Life Thursdays last week to impressive crowds. Billed as a "sustainable happy hour," the event evolved about four years ago from a simple Community Supported Agriculture pickup location into a full-fledged event featuring not only a dozen or so such farmers' market favorites as One Straw Farm, Gunpowder Bison and Rumbleway Farms, but live performances by local musicians.
Clementine Catering is the sole vendor of prepared food. Boordy's director of events, Dottie Bistransin, says events like this one help to put local farmers' products on the tables of local restaurants by familiarizing guests with less-familiar products and produce: "It's good for the family, good for the farm and good for the community."
The hours for Good Life Thursdays, which run through Sept. 9, are 4 p.m. to 8 pm. A full description of the event is on the Boordy website (boordy.com/events.html). The phone number for information is 410-592-5015.
No Kasper
Columnist Rob Kasper is on vacation.