Out-of-towners might think a snowball is nothing special. Just some syrup on shaved ice. You have one, you’ve had ’em all. Baltimoreans say differently. Likes sports fans, they count the days until snowball season, late spring to early fall. They harbor deep loyalties to their favorite spots, sure...
When we’re looking to celebrate a special occasion, few things are more festive than a meal that’s a little more expensive than usual. Whether it’s a high-end chain steakhouse or that cute Italian place a few towns over, there’s no shortage of expensive restaurants that will be more than happy...
When you open up a seafood restaurant in Maryland and boast that you have the best of a certain seafood item, you’d better live up to the claim. I must admit I was skeptical entering The Walrus Oyster & Ale House, a cavernous and brightly lit industrial-meets-nautical restaurant with circus-like...
If you can’t afford a luxurious getaway this summer, don’t despair. Treat yourself to a meal at Le Comptoir du Vin, where dinner will make you feel like you’re on vacation. And it’s cheaper than an Airbnb in France. First impressions: Step inside the converted rowhouse, formerly occupied by Bottega,...
Not everyone likes oysters. Jasmine Norton wants to change that. In spring 2017, the self-taught chef burst onto the city’s farmers market scene with her Urban Oyster stand. She char-grilled bivalves and loaded them up with cheese, bacon and barbecue sauce, like oysters Rockefeller for the 21st...
Orto, meaning “vegetable garden” in Italian, opened in February in a cozy, plant-filled Station North spot formerly home to Colette and Bottega. The menu, hung in the window, is notable for what it’s missing: Familiar items like eggplant parm, spaghetti and pizza — all but required eating in most...
Butchers Hill gets its name from the butchers and tanners who called it home in the 19th century. Fittingly, La Barrita, which opened in the neighborhood in January, is a steak lover’s fantasy. At the heart of the menu are 16-ounce angus offerings served grilled, topped with Argentine chimichurri...
Jay Rohlfing, put simply, is having a great Wednesday morning. On Tuesday night, he celebrated with an estimated 80-100 people at Cunningham’s, the Towson restaurant where he serves as executive chef, as they watched him win the latest episode of Food Network’s “Chopped.” He said he was “filled...
A chaotic scene overwhelmed the small neighborhood surrounding Tiki Lee’s Dock Bar in Sparrows Point Sunday, flustering police and leaving several people injured. Baltimore County police received calls early Sunday around 12:44 a.m. for a reported disturbance in the 4300 block of Shore Road at...
It’s easy to look back on the past and feel a pang of nostalgia. We all long to revisit the places of our youth, but, unfortunately, many of those sites are long gone. Just like that old drive-in or favorite store at the mall, there’s another major source of nostalgia: packaged snacks that are...
Ouzo Beach, an outdoor extension of Harbor East’s Ouzo Bay, opened on the Baltimore waterfront over the weekend. The 120-seat dining area features a DJ booth and handmade light fixtures from Greece. The Beach serves a similar menu as its Greek-themed predecessor just across Lancaster St., which...
There isn’t a more beloved dressing in the Midwest than ranch, and as one of the major cities, Chicago is no exception to the devotion. We don’t just use the creamy white dressing for our vegetables. Oh, no. We use it as a dip for our pizza, wings, chips, cheese curds and egg rolls; as a marinade...
Howard County beer fans who mourned the closing of T-Bonz Grille & Pub last November can now celebrate the planned arrival of HoCo Brew Hive in the same building this summer. Operating owner Joshua Butts told The Baltimore Sun that he came aboard after being approached by Scott Sciandra, his partner...
Marshall Weston describes the Maryland Foodie Fest as a food lover’s dream. Restaurants, food trucks, breweries and distilleries will pack Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen on June 22, offering samples of their best dishes and drinks, said Weston, president and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Maryland,...
Chips, soda and frozen pizzas tend to be full of salt, sugar and fat, but now scientists are trying to understand if there's something else about such processed foods that might be bad for us. Already, the spread of cheap, packaged foods has been linked to rising obesity rates around the world....
When buying fruits and vegetables, there are a few things to keep in mind. First is how long your produce will last in your fridge. There are ways to make your produce last for longer. But if you’re not going to use it all in time, it might not be worth it to splurge for fresh when you can just...
What do unicorns taste like? Sour, fruity and full of glitter, apparently. A Fruity Pebbles sour ale with edible glitter, “Sour Me Unicorn Farts,” has hit Annapolis. The sparkly beer is in liquor stores for a limited run during June for Pride Month and will be tapped in Annapolis bars on June 29...
In the 19th century, investment bank Alex. Brown & Sons helped finance the B&O railroad, Baltimore Gas and Electric, and other engines of economic growth. With the new Alexander Brown Restaurant in the bank’s former headquarters downtown, Brown’s descendants are hoping to put their family name...
Preserve, the cozy, vibrant bistro midway along Annapolis’ Main Street, is not for you … unless you’d welcome a happy jolt to your restaurant routine. When so many menus, particularly in the downtown Annapolis wall-to-wall restaurant map, seem so much alike, Preserve is busily marching to a decidedly...
When you encounter a really cool restaurant, you may end up selfishly hoping that other people won’t discover it so it can be some longtime secret shared only by a super-fortunate in-crowd. I felt that way after my first visit to Iron Bridge Wine Co., until I realized I’ve never made it into an...
The first time we dined at Petit Louis Bistro years ago, a server scoffed at us — yes, actually scoffed — when we ordered a red wine with fish. He returned later to inform us that he had thought it over and concluded our light-bodied choice might be suitable after all. We thought it over, too,...
A newcomer to Little Italy’s dining scene stands out in a couple of ways: The cuisine isn’t Italian, and the staff showcases students receiving career-training. Atelier Culinaire, occupying a rather elegant space previously home to the Persian restaurant Ozra, also stands out where it matters most...