restaurant and catering industry

• Weather

Hermine southeast of Ocean City, could regain hurricane force Sunday

Ocean City remains under a tropical storm warning Saturday and is expected to see significant coastal flooding while the Baltimore region will remain dry this weekend.

• Food & Drink

Bryan Voltaggio: Closing Family Meal in Baltimore 'was no easy decision'

Family Meal, Bryan Voltaggio's modern diner at the Inner Harbor, has closed its doors after less than two years in business. 

By Sarah Meehan

Aug 31, 2016

• Harford

Harford liquor board, lawyers discuss licensing rules, more business friendly relationships

Six lawyers who make regular appearances before the Harford County Liquor Control Board say changes are needed in the board's resident licensee rules, paperwork and personal appearance requirements and in the current setback laws regarding licensed alcoholic beverage establishments and schools.

By David Anderson

Oct 8, 2015

• Politics

Mayor Rawlings-Blake reports $1,300 in gifts

A daily diary, chocolate rainbow cake and a gift basket with skin care products were just some of the $1,300 in gifts Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake claimed on her 2013 ethics forms, according to a review of the filings.

• Baltimore County

Liquor license approved for new Italian bistro and wine bar in Catonsville

Franco's Italian Bistro and Wine Bar, a partnership between two Arbutus restaurant owners and a Catonsville financial advisor, is expected to be open in time for the Catonsville Arts and Crafts Festival Sept. 7

• Baltimore County

Monkton Grille, The Weekender now open

Two new restaurants open in Monkton this summer: The Weekender and The Monkton Grille.

• Baltimore County

Facci owners open Pisco, a Peruvian restaurant, in Elkridge

• Lifestyle and Leisure

Taco Bell launches dollar menu

aco Bell has launched its version of a dollar menu.

• TV

'Real Housewives of New Jersey' recap, 'The Family Business'

• Carroll County Times

Newcomers add to flavor of Restaurant Week in Carroll County

Winery Galloping Goose and The Westminster Grill bring two new flavors to Carroll County's Restaurant Week, which runs through Aug. 24.

• Anne Arundel

Snyder's Willow Grove poised to return to Arundel restaurant scene

Snyder's Willow Grove set to reopen in new location in Linthicum Heights/Glen Burnie

• Maryland

Carroll County Restaurant Week starts Sunday

Whether it's a glass of wine at Galloping Goose Vineyards, a three course dinner at Brick Ridge Restaurant or the County Cork Wine Pub featuring produce from local farms or lunch at J Cafe in Westminster, Carroll County Restaurant Week offers something for everyone and their budget.

• Baltimore County

Mural welcomes motorists entering Catonsville from Beltway

Those entering Catonsville from Interstate 695 may have noticed the brick wall of Perfect Touch Hair Salon & Day Spa on Frederick Road growing more colorful each day.

• Architecture

Columbia Lakefront Whole Foods preps for business

Forty years after it opened as the headquarters of the Rouse Company, the iconic white stucco building on Columbia's Lakefront will officially welcome a new tenant: Whole Foods Market. On Aug. 20, the successful grocery chain, which prides itself on its healthful offerings, will open its 44th store in the mid-Atlantic region — and its first in Howard County. The opening follows an extensive renovation of the landmark building, during which the lower level was gutted and the bottom two

• Opinion

Minor privilege, major disincentive [Editorial]

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's veto of a proposed change to Baltimore's minor privilege system raises the question of whether these fees have outlived their purpose.

• Baltimore County

Weekend waterman from Parkville becomes crab maestro

Tony Conrad started out working in an office on weekdays and crabbing on the weekend to make extra money. Now, he operates four outlets for crabs, including Conrad's seafood market on Joppa Road in Parkville and the new restaurant Conrad's in Perry Hall.

• Baltimore County

Owners of Peace a Pizza to add on a dessert shop

Customers will have a dessert option nearby after eating pizza at Catonsville pizza shop.

• Floods and Flooding

Annapolis, Baltimore lead nation for rise in flooding events

For Maryland's two largest cities on the Chesapeake, flooding that once occurred just a day or two in any given year is increasingly common – more so than anywhere else in the country, according to a recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration study.

• Baltimore City

Rawlings-Blake vetoes bill aimed at reducing small-business fees

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake used her first veto since taking office in 2010 to strike down a bill passed by the City Council aimed at reducing or eliminating many of the so-called "minor privilege" fees the city charges.

• Baltimore City

New walking tours offer glimpse of Hampden history

New walking tours offer a hit parade of Hampden history, from Stieff Silver to abolitionist Elisha Tyson's old house to hidden Hampden Falls, a water source for a former mill.

• Baltimore County

Turnout for Catonsville's Frederick Road Fridays concert series grows

Despite lower turnout last Friday due to the threat of rain, hundreds packed into the parking lot of Peace a Pizza on Mellor Avenue to attend Frederick Road Fridays, an event that continues to grow in popularity among the Catonsville crowd.

• Bars and Clubs

Baltimore's private dining clubs aim to attract new, younger members

Dress codes are easing and lower dues are offered for young members at The Engineers Club of Baltimore in Mount Vernon and The Center Club, Downtown. Both have invested millions of dollars over the last five years to revamp aging facilities and maintain the appeal of exclusivity to attract those with money to spend.

• Lifestyle and Leisure

Fight for civil rights played out along U.S. 40 in Maryland

The 220 miles that make up U.S. 40 in Maryland was an epicenter of historical clashes in the state with resistance culminating with a Freedom Ride less than three months after Kennedy issued his plea. On Dec. 16, 1961, as many as 700 blacks and whites descended upon dozens of still-segregated restaurants along the highway.

• Politics

O'Malley joins U.S. labor secretary to call for higher wages

Gov. Martin O'Malley joined U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez Wednesday at a popular burrito restaurant in Bethesda to praise its higher-than-minimum wages and to promote a raise for other American workers.

• Features

Mini mani pedi: Spas try catering to a much younger clientele

Local day spas catering to more kids and teens

• Harford

Completion of Route 40 upgrade project in Aberdeen delayed to 2015

Completion of a $1.7 million State Highway Administration project to improve the service road between the lanes of Route 40 West (South Philadelphia Boulevard) and Aberdeen businesses along that road has been delayed until at least the spring of 2015, Aberdeen's city manager said Monday.

• Opinion

Where was the beef? [Commentary]

A decision last week by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, upholding federal regulations requiring that meat labels state where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered, is a win for consumers, public health and American meat producers.

• Baltimore City Paper

Eating Along The Way

• Baltimore County

Public parking rates, hours change in Towson

When the Towson Square movie complex opened on July 10, the Baltimore County parking "czar" Kenneth Mills Jr. was ready. Earlier in the month, on July 1, Mills, chief executive of the Baltimore County Revenue Authority, instituted changes in public parking rates and hours with the dual goals of maximizing parking spaces and avoiding the dreaded gridlock.

• Baltimore County

Baltimore County votes to exempt pre-1960 signs from county ordinance

Bevins says move will save 'iconic' signs

• Crime

Inner Harbor P.F. Chang's had credit and debit card security breach

Customers who visited P.F. Chang's China Bistro at the Inner Harbor during two months this spring may be victims of debit and credit card data theft, the Scottsdale-based chain warned today in an announcement of a widespread security breach at 33 locations across the U.S.

• Restaurant and Catering Industry

Company that operates BWI's shops and restaurants sold to German firm

AirMall, which operates stores and restaurants at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, has been sold to a German airport-management company.

• Baltimore County

Chamber of Commerce designing Towson app

Towson Chamber of Commerce is developing a Towson app to five online users access to info about cultural events, movies, restaurants, sports, hotels, nightlife, courts and parking.

• Harford

Ruling Bel Air's Main Street sidewalks

• Food & Drink

Pizza gains sophistication in Baltimore

The best pizza-makers in Baltimore and beyond know how to create charred and chewy crusts in super-hot ovens, which are fueled by wood, coal or gas. They use fresh, flavorful and inventive toppings, often skipping the traditional red sauce or mozzarella. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free pizzas are also in demand, with some Baltimore pizza-makers gamely taking up the challenge while others refuse to dabble in soy cheeses or gluten-free crusts.

• Baltimore County

Towson's new theater protects a somber link to town's past

Towson's brand-new movie palace comes with all the accouterments of modern filmgoing: tiered auditoriums, floor-to-ceiling screens, leather seats, even a choice of wines. But the theater, which opened July 10, also offers guests an unexpected sight from another age: a single, worn headstone from 1834.

• Food & Drink

Iggies, the Mount Vernon pizza cafe, has been sold

'Iggies will be Iggies," new owner says

• Harford

Harford liquor retailers getting OK to dispense beer in take-home growlers

A new state law means Harford County beer lovers can fill up their own containers from the tap at local retail establishments starting Oct. 1, and liquor license holders around the county are starting to receive permission to dispense beer in take-home containers, commonly called growlers.

• Obituaries

Nelson Carey, Grand Cru wine bar owner, dies at 50

Nelson Carey, the genial publican of Belvedere Square whose Grand Cru wine bar has been a popular destination, died early Tuesday of a heart attack at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. He was 50.

• Restaurant and Catering Industry

Tracing success of Green Spring Station through generations [Lutherville-Timonium]

Tom Peddy, and son, Ted Peddy, are second and third generations of success behind Green Spring Station, the Lutherville office and shopping center. Tom's father bought Green Spring Inn in 1936 and Tom later acquired adjacent land to develop Green Spring Station. Father and son are now working on a $2 million renovation of the center.

• Lifestyle and Leisure

Once a 'little dive,' Chaps now a pit beef legend

Pit beef is a long-standing Baltimore tradition but making a business model work hasn't been easy. For a while, the stretch of U.S. 40 in eastern Baltimore and Baltimore County was known as "pit beef row," with Chaps, Big Al's and Big Fat Daddy's calling the strip home. Chaps is still there — and is a Baltimore legend.

• Howard County

Support for county farmers is key ingredient of Film Feastival

Chef-prepared dishes to sample and freshly picked local produce to buy — what could be more appetizing in July when local harvests are peaking?

• Sun Investigates

Lottery agency now holds more authority on illegal slots

Amusement game operators and distributors are fighting the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission's proposed regulations on arcade games, but the agency already has new authority that could affect the side of the game business that operators don't like to talk about: illegal slot machines.

• Casino and Gambling Industry

Battered by competition, Atlantic City casinos offer lesson for Maryland

Open gambling tables and slot machines were easy to find this week at the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, now that the standing-room crowds once common to high tourist season at the world's most famous boardwalk have found other spots to visit and place their bets.

• Baltimore City Paper

Mount Vernon/Bolton Hill

• Baltimore City Paper

Harbor East

• Baltimore City Paper

Downtown

• Laurel Leader

Yasmine Allen charts a medical career course [North Laurel/Savage]

Yasmine Allen may only be going into 10th grade but she is quite impressive. She has set up an internship to work with a local plastic surgeon.

• Maryland

Carroll's Best: 2013 Winners

• Maryland

Carroll's Best: 2012 Winners