Dining deal of the Week – Best of Baltimore Dinner

Make your reservations NOW! Harbor Magic Catering and award winning Executive Chef Bryan Sullivan, CEC, are hosting the “Best of Baltimore” Food and Wine Dinner this coming Saturday, March 5th at the Pier 5 Hotel Ballroom.

For me, what constitutes a great food and wine event are top-notched chefs and restaurateurs, a great menu and a good value for the dollar. This has all three.

Continue reading and see snaps HERE

Downtown Baltimore – Mari Luna Bistro officially opens Thursday, February 24

The husband and I were at the soft opening at Mari Luna Bistro – Cocina Mexicana located 1225 Cathedral Street in the former Spike & Charlie/Robert Oliver location near the Meyerhoff. If you have never made it out to the burbs for Mari Luna Mexican and Mari Luna Latin you are in for a treat.

Turquoise ceilings, yellow walls with orange trim and a black floor brighten a big space. The sunken dining room boasts carpeting and beautifully appointed chairs and banquettes

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Downtown Baltimore – Mari Luna Bistro officially opens Thursday, February 24

Cheftestant Mike Isabella live tweeting tonight during Top Chef

My curiosity is piqued. I just saw Mike Isabella, Top Chef contestant this season state on Facebook, “I will be tweeting live tonight @MikeIsabellaDC to clarify the Bull Sh-t!!!!!!” Well now I must stay awake and watch the tweets as I watch Top Chef tonight.

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Cheftestant Mike Isabella live tweeting tonight during Top Chef - National Food | Examiner.com

Monday, Monday – what a food day - Baltimore dining | Examiner.com

Monday started off pretty good, three appointments and dinner with the culinary sorority gals that evening.

Meeting one: Panera Bread – Pikesville – Help coordinate a cooking/food contest for a local restaurant – you will learn more later. So far, so good

Continue reading:

Monday, Monday – what a food day - Baltimore dining | Examiner.com

Tuesday’s crab cake deal of the day – ½ pound jumbo lump - Baltimore dining | Examiner.com

This is a deal I will be checking out tonight, snow or no snow on the ground. It is a deal I have to taste for myself. No market price on this baby, it is a ½ pound – 8 ounce Jumbo Lump Crab Cake dinner for $11.00 and that is with two sides.

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Tuesday’s crab cake deal of the day – ½ pound jumbo lump - Baltimore dining | Examiner.com

Choose your own prix fixe at Roy’s on Monday nights

Chef Opie Crooks

Normally I don't cut and paste from press release, well maybe a small section or two but never the whole press release. This came in a midnight last night and today is Monday...so I don't want you to miss this. I have 3 meetings and a dinner so otherwise you would have to wait until next week.
This is a very clever idea, you choose your three courses from Roy's menu - Enjoy and sorry for the cut and paste but I have to be out all day.

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Choose your own prix fixe at Roy’s on Monday nights - Baltimore dining | Examiner.com

Dinner, cocktails, and the Red Carpet – Oscar Night in Baltimore

Ladies put on your Dolce and Gabbana gowns and diamonds from Van Cleef and Arpel - Oscar Night in Baltimore is Sunday, February 27. Kleig lights will fill the night sky while the paparazzi flashes illuminate the red carpet at The Charles Theatre next Sunday for Baltimore’s version of Oscar Night.

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Dinner, cocktails, and the Red Carpet – Oscar Night in Baltimore

Baltimore Coffee and Tea on the Food Network

The Annapolis location of Baltimore Coffee and Tea was host to the Food Network last week. The network was there filming a special on gelato. Just saying gelato makes my mouth water – how I indulged when I was in Italy. With less fat, less air whipped in gelato is actually softer and the flavors more intense than ice cream.

Read the full story:

Baltimore Coffee and Tea on the Food Network

New kid on the square – Te Amo

Shhhh, the opening has been very quiet – in fact, they are in their soft opening in the spot that used to be The Cosmopolitan Bar and Grille. Steve Heitzleman , former owner of Sonoma’s Pub in Columbia and Bethann Roberts have created Te Amo.

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New kid on the square – Te Amo

Baltimore City’s Rockfish Celebration – get them while you can

by Dan Simmonds

As a child, way back when, I would fish with my father and I’ve caught my share of rockfish (striped bass) – however hard that it is to believe. Rockfish was always a celebration in our house. My father was a true fisherman, he caught the fish, cleaned them and we all ate them. My mother would prepare them simply, butterflied, topped with thin shavings of carrots, onions, salt, white pepper and butter and baked sealed in an aluminum foil envelope. Wishing I still had the picture of my father holding a 25 pound rockfish he caught for it would be up here for all to see his joy and pride.

Continue reading, get the details and watch the video:

Baltimore City’s Rockfish Celebration – get them while you can - Baltimore dining | Examiner.com

Raise your glasses - Sláinte – Chef Bill Crouse is here

An Irish toast, Sláinte pronounced (slän′c̸hə) translates to cheers, health. And I’m saying cheers that Executive Chef Bill Crouse is at Baltimore’s Sláinte Irish Pub and Restaurant - I should say Gastropub.

In the past, Sláinte Irish Pub and Restaurant had typical bar food, Irish food but when owner, Patrick Russell brought on Chef Crouse, a Restaurant Association of Maryland’s nominee for Chef of the Year 2010, the goal was to make Sláinte a Gastropub. Gastropubs up the ante raising the culinary bar with more refined food.


Read the full story, see the slideshow and watch the video:

Raise your glasses - Sláinte – Chef Bill Crouse is here - Baltimore dining | Examiner.com

Ride for the Feast – nothing like a great bowl of chili

Brrrrr, nothing like a great bowl of chili in this frigid weather but what is even better are great bowls of chili in this weather. You and your family members are invited to sample and vote on the best bowls of chili at Moveable Feast’s Chili Cook-Off on Sunday, February 27th. The event will benefit the third annual Ride for the Feast bike ride which in past years has raised over a quarter of a million dollars.

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Ride for the Feast – nothing like a great bowl of chili - Baltimore dining | Examiner.com

きしょう Happy laughter at Ra Sushi

There hasn’t been a time that I have been to Ra Sushi and not heard laughter and lively conversation. There hasn’t been a time I’ve been to Ra Sushi and the restaurant wasn’t busy – as it was on the mid-week evening I was there for a tasting of new menu items.

Ra Sushi’s customer base is for the up-and-comers not my over-the-hill gang – not that we’re discriminated against it’s the decibel level of the happy laughter that can be distracting.

Continue reading and see snaps: きしょう Happy laughter at Ra Sushi - Baltimore dining | Examiner.com

Foreign food banned on televised Iranian cooking programs.

Yes, you read the headline correctly. Cooking programs that show and teach foreign cuisine have been banned on Iranian television channels. Ali Darabi, the deputy head of Iran’s “state” broadcasting company announced the censor while visiting one of the state run channels.

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Foreign food banned on televised Iranian cooking programs. - National food | Examiner.com

Just call me old Mother Hubbard

Well, maybe I can sneak by with middle-aged Mother Hubbard. I’m going to my cupboard and not for a bone but for non-perishables to help feed the hungry. The Annual Harvest for the Hungry is my excuse to go through my cupboard, clean it out and turn the goodies over to families who need it. Good items like soups the husband picked up that he never ate, canned veggies, fruits, tuna and beans of all colors – I’m non discriminatory.

The 25th Annual Harvest for the Hungry kicks off this Saturday, a prelude to Valentine’s Day. So show some love for mankind,

Continue reading : Just call me old Mother Hubbard - Baltimore dining | Examiner.com

Win dinner and a show: Sotto Sopra Restaurant -TOTEM by Cirque du Soleil

More and more there are movie or live show promotional tie-ins with the local restaurants. In Richard Gorelick’s column just last week he mentioned Caesar’s Den was offering 10% off a pre-theatre meal to Jersey Boys at the Hippodrome if you showed your tickets. I’ve seen similar promotions from multiple restaurants in the Kali Court group and Da Mimmo’s this past year.

Hot off the internet – sizzling hot 

The latest promotion is a Valentine’s Day contest at Sotto Sopra Restaurant who has partnered with Totem by Cirque du Soleil. Get all the details on the contest and look at snaps:


Win dinner and a show: Sotto Sopra Restaurant -TOTEM by Cirque de Soleil

It is World Nutella Day today – yummmmers!

An Italian creation, a paste blend of hazelnuts and chocolate, Nutella has been winning the hearts of many throughout the world. Available in most supermarkets, this spread is great on crepes with bananas or spread on a piece of rustic country bread. Ferraro Company, which makes Nutella. traces its origins to 1946 Italy as a cost-effective post-wartime snack.

Nutella to me is what peanut butter is to others...get all the details and links to recipes:

It is World Nutella Day today – yummmmers!

20th Chocolate Affair Winners

The 20th Chocolate Affair is a night when there is definitely too much chocolate and as a judge I can attest to that. I had to taste in a short period of time over 40 chocolate savory and sweet dishes along with non chocolate dishes and drinks. It isn’t a simple task and I can’t face another piece of chocolate for at least a week. We started at 5:30 p.m. and by 7 p.m. we had to judge in multiple categories.

This is my second year so I was prepared to take a little bite or a little sip and move on.

Read the full story for the winners and watch the slide show: 20th Chocolate Affair Winners

Patron Secret Dining Society Baltimore – the movie

It happened in December, at the Cloisters – a very secret, special dining event put on by Patron. If you follow my column you read my post on the experience, which was amazing.

Curious, I checked back tonight to see if they had posted pictures or video on their site and low and behold there I was on the picture. Also the video was up about the evening.

Check out the whole story and watch the movie:
Patron Secret Dining Society Baltimore – the movie

Perplexed what recipe to fix for Chinese New Year?

For a number of years I’ve been a subscriber to New Asian Cuisine’s FREE e-newsletter. The recipes, photographs and stories about Chinese traditions are fascinating.

It is the Chinese New Year of the Rabbit tomorrow, February 3, 2011 and the New Year’s celebration last 15 days. Did you know that if you eat squid during the Chinese New Year Celebration it means you will get fired and... Get the full story: Perplexed what recipe to fix for Chinese New Year?