New Owners for Tark's Grill: City Cafe's Bodie and Cardinale

Come October 1, 2016, Gino Cardinale and Bruce Bodie, owners of City Cafe will take over ownership of Green Spring Station's -Tark’s Grill.  City Cafe has been a success and a neighborhood staple in Mount Vernon for 22 years and will remain, continuing to grow.  Cardinale and Bodie’s plans for Tark’s Grill will  slowly evolve. At this time, the name will not change, but interior renovations will take place in 2017.

City Cafe’s popular ala carte brunch will soon be arriving to Tark’s Grill once they take ownership.  James Jennings, executive chef of City Cafe, will partner with Cardinale and Bodie on this new venture. Jennings was recently chef de cuisine at The Food Market and sous chef under Michael Mina in San Francisco. All Tark’s staff will be retained, including kitchen staff, who will work under Jennings come October 1. For those concerned, Tark’s gift cards will still be honored.

Tark’s namesake and co-owner Terry Arenson said Tark’s has always been a labor of love. “We’re Valley area guys and our first priority has always been to do right by this wonderful community. We’ve had a great run, but the time has come to pass the torch. In our careful analysis, City Cafe came up first-rate across every metric. We’re confident that they bring the experience and reputation necessary to succeed.”

Patrons can soon enjoy recent renovations to the courtyard at Tark’s, completion scheduled in September. Tom Peddy, principal at Foxleigh Enterprises, an owner at Green Spring Station stated, “The outdoor area connected to Tark’s will soon be a one-of-a-kind place with a fountain featuring both fire and water. The Italian-made pergola will give those who love dining al fresco the chance to do so for nine months out of the year.”

Fun Factoid:

Tark’s Grill, has had a successful run since 2008, taking over the restaurant spot that once was Harvey’s Restaurant @ The Green Spring Station owned by Harvey Shugarman.  It was also Shugarman who was the food and beverage guru at the old Girard’s night club that occupied the same space, wait for it, City Cafe.  

Tark’s Grill is located at 2360 West Joppa Road in Lutherville/Timonium - Baltimore County and City Cafe is located at the corner of Cathedral and Eager Streets in Baltimore City.

New Autumn inspired lunch menu at Wit and Wisdom Tavern

The new Autumn menu at Wit and Wisdom Tavern is two parts, the casual menu comes with a pencil so you can tick off your choices on the Make Your Own Salad (choose up to 10 items for $13), Signature Salads, Soups & Sandwiches or the Mix & Match (Soup and ½ Sandwich). For a heartier salad choose a protein from hard boiled eggs to seared rockfish.  

Personally, I couldn’t resist the new Oyster Po Boy, crispy fried oysters with the Old Bay rémoulade and dill pickle, that and a bowl of their chicken noodle soup to take that edge off the autumn chill.  The new cocktail on the lunch menu is the Fig Pimpin 2.0 – Nikka Coffey grain whiskey, yellow chartreuse, maple, Carpano Formula Antica, lemon, house fig jam – shaken (not stirred) in a Collins glass with a fig seemed to be the choice of my lunch companions and a sip of theirs proved their good taste.  Since one cocktail can put me out, my beverage of choice was the yuzu mocktail. My two hostesses created their own salads and had the very rich crab bisque. By the way, their bread is to-die-for especially with the honey butter.

Read the full story and watch the slideshow at Examiner.com / Dining

The Dish's latest Baltimore restaurant news - get the sizzle

8 Ball Meatball coming to Fells Point – rumor has it that it will be located on Thames Street. Nothing more than a ‘coming soon’ on their webpage www.8ballmeatball.com/

Don’t forget Thursday, October 1 Wiggle, Wine and Dine Burlesque show at 13.5% Wine Bar + Food.  They will be breaking in the new stage at the Hampden hotspot at 9:30 p.m.

Taste of Mason Dixon - Saturday, October 10, 2015 (12 noon – 3:00pm) at Boordy Vineyards in Hydes, MD. Taste food samples from past competitors of The Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament, including 2015 Champions My Thai Baltimore! Tickets include food samples, a glass of Boordy wine, and live music from The Jazz Cats. Tickets are just $10 each (plus service fee), and must be purchased in advance through the Boordy website at www.Boordy.com

So much more happening in the Baltimore restaurant landscape - Read the complete story at Examiner . com / dining 

Giada De Laurentiis and husband call it quits

The Food Network star of Giada at Home, cookbook author, chef  Giada De Laurentiis has been separated from her husband of 11 years since July.  In a statement on her Facebook page De Laurentiis commented that her husband, Todd and her have decided to end their marriage

It was approximately 16 hours ago when Ms De Laurentiis posted on her Facebook timeline.

“After an amicable separation since July, Todd and I have decided to end our marriage. Although our decision to separate comes with a great deal of sadness, our focus on the future and overwhelming desire for our family's happiness has given us the strength to move forward on separate, yet always connected paths. Todd and I share a beautiful daughter and a lifetime of great memories that we both treasure more than anything. We are so thankful for our friends and family, and really appreciate the support in this time of change”

Her most recent endeavor is her first restaurant, Giada at the Cromwell Las Vegas Boutique Hotel and Casino part of the Caesars Entertainment Corporation.  The Rome, Italy native, Giada, is the granddaughter of film producer Dino De Laurentiis and daughter of actress Veronica De Laurentiis.  Ms De Laurentiis studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

Dishing on the Baltimore restaurant scene: Family Meal, Bagby Pizza, Ryleigh’s Oyster and more

Verde fig and prosciutto pizza

A recent visit to Washington DC for a private party hosted by www.StarChefs.com, a precursor to their Rising Star Gala, was held at Chef Bryan Voltaggio’s Range restaurant.  Chef Voltaggio, definitely qualifies as a ‘star chef’ with his Top Chef creds, his award winning Volt Restaurant in Frederick, Range and Aggio in DC, and another Italian themed Aggio restaurant located on the land locked side of the Power Plant Live in downtown Baltimore.  Chef Bryan Voltaggio had a quiet moment to chat before all the guests arrived.

The hot topic for our discussion is his newest restaurant in Baltimore, Family Meal, and the concept is re-invented classic American diner fare with a nod to local specialties, traditional comfort food and the merging of immigrant cultural flavor profiles. This time Voltaggio has his newest restaurant on the harbor side of Power Plant Live in the former Houlihan’s space at the end of Pier 4.  One can expect to find Shrimp & Grits and Fried Chicken or a Soft Shell Crab Sandwich. Come the warmer months enjoy al fresco dining at Family Meal with a nice view of the harbor.

Family meal is close to opening, still waiting on final permits and inspection but I would guess Family Meal will be open mid-January or possibly sooner. 

The Bagby Pizza Company, the first in the restaurant concepts from the Bagby Restaurant Group that brings you Ten Ten American Bistro, Fleet Street Kitchen, Cunningham’s and Cunningham’s Café and Bakery announced back in November that they were going to be expanding their fast-casual version of its Harbor East Bagby Pizza Company restaurant. Hot off the press release, the first Bagby Pizza expansion will take place at the Festival at Woodholme Shopping Center in Pikesville moments off the the Beltway’s Reisterstown Road exit towards Owings Mills.   

Get all the complete story HERE on the restaurant happenings in Baltimore. 

Dining Dish Radio Program kicks off.

This past summer I did a radio interview on Baltimore Internet Radio with founder Dave Custy. We had great fun, told fun stories and connected on wanting to put a voice to the food community both here in Baltimore and with a national slant. Recently I ran into Dave and Janice Kaufmann, his partner in crime, at a media event.  Dave said I want to talk to you about doing a food-centric program. After a meeting and a lesson at home how to record a program I was on my way. The next step is learning how to record interviews from my home via Skype which will make for better programming. Interviews will be both local and on a national platform with the likes of cookbook authors, chefs, food producers etc.

My thoughts are doing two kinds of shows, one based on the food news in Baltimore and another based on national food news. Baltimore Internet Radio covers all things Baltimore, national and international.

Have mercy on me for this first program, I promise to become better and have more voices on the program tha other than my own. As we get rolling there will be advertising opportunities.  As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day, so give Dining Dish time as we learn to craw and grow.

Listen to the first  Dining Dish program on Baltimore Internet Radio  HERE.  

Roy's invites you to eat creative

It was the world renowned restaurateur and James Beard award-winner Chef Roy Yamaguchi, who in 1988 with his first Roy’s Restaurant in Hawaii was a pioneer in establishing Hawaiian regional cuisine. In the years that have followed, his regional Hawaiian cuisine has shown brightly at his twenty plus restaurants throughout the United States but the culinary tide has changed. Roy’s is no longer just Hawaiian cuisine that is the center of their plate, but the flavors of the Pacific Rim; Malaysia, Japan, Korea, Vietnam , Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand.  One of the best places to taste Roy’s creative cuisine is an upcoming Pinot Noir Wine dinner at a majority of Roy’s restaurants with details listed below.

With Roy’s new Pacific Rim influences one can enjoy starters of Misoyaki Butterfish Lettuce Wraps, Beef Short Rib Bi Bim Bap or the Canoe Appetizer for Two that takes you on a Pacific Rim culinary tour with Thai Peanut Chicken Satay, Vegetable Spring Roll, Szechuan Ribs, Spicy Tuna Roll, Kim Chee and Shrimp.  

Check out the Pinot Wine Dinner Menu, slideshow, and full story HERE.

Kooper’s Tavern to open new restaurant

Kooper's Tavern will expand to Jacksonville, Maryland, in The Manor Shopping Center servicing Fallston, Dulaney Valley, Hunt Valley/ Sparks and the Monkton area.

Kooper's Tavern was originated in 1997 when Patrick and Katie Russell renamed the former Thames Street Tavern after their beloved yellow lab, Kooper. Success led to expansion and in 2009, Kooper's Chowhound Burger Wagon hit the streets as Baltimore’s first gourmet food truck.

Read the full story HERE.

Restaurant news from Hampden

The first day of summer was beautiful weather and an inspiration to hop in my car and go check out the comings, the arrived and the remodeled in Hampden. .

Get the scoop on The ChaRmery, Paulie Gee's Hampden, Choux - Ma Petite Shoe Cafe, Cafe Hon, and Birroteca HERE

Charm City culinary stars shine at legendary James Beard House

I stepped into the former home of the late cookbook author James Beard, where a number of folks were gathered in the foyer as well as the front anteroom. I spied the open kitchen in the New York brownstone, pausing to take photographs and watch the chefs hard at work.

What the Emmys are to television, the Oscars to the movies is what the James Beard Foundation Awards are to the culinary industry. Snagging a nomination for the highly coveted award is a badge of honor.

Read the full feature story at BMoreMedia.com and check out the snapshots HERE

Where has David Derewicz gone?

The man who was for more years anyone would like to think about was the face of one of Baltimore’s premiere restaurants, The Prime Rib, had disappeared.  We, in the related food businesses, kept asking where has David Derewicz gone? No response, nothing on Facebook, LinkedIn – no one had a clue.

Not long ago, David reached out to me to respond on a story that I was writing about what patrons steal from restaurants.  Not only did he share a juicy tidbit for my story but told me he was going to work for a restaurant group in Baltimore but at that time couldn’t share which one. 

Find out where David is - click HERE for the full story.