Herb & Soul a culinary triple threat

Herb and Soul is a restaurant, a caterer and a farmers’ market vendor – you have three ways to dine on Chef David Thomas’s nutrition-rich edible goodies. Herb and Soul started out as a carry-out in the back of a convenience store in Baltimore County and in that same location the three partners have taken over the entire space. Chef David Thomas, Brandon Taylor and Yuri Chernov have created a local food-ways oriented restaurant offering casual table settings and alcoves with cozy seating groupings, ideal for the weekend musical entertainment.

The “soul” in the Herb and Soul not only reflects chef’s southern heritage, it reflects his passion for locally sourced, seasonally-ready food products on the plate. The new late spring, early summer menu being introduced in the coming weeks has a crab cake starter. Now Herb & Soul’s crab cake starter is “True” Maryland crab meat served with black-eyed pea and lima bean succotash with Sriracha cream sauce. One can drown one’s self in this dish - Check out the slideshow and full story HERE.

Mark your calendar – Farmstead Grill to open Monday, June 16th

The Shops at Canton Crossing is home to the latest dining addition to the Canton neighborhood, the Farmstead Grill which is opening their doors Monday, June 16^th at 11 a.m. and will be offering lunch and dinner service. 

Farmstead Grill’s Chef Galen Sampson, formerly of Harbor Court and his own Dogwood Restaurant in Hampden continues his commitment to farm-to-table dining.  Before taking up the executive chef position at Farmstead Grill,” Sampson says, “I spent almost a year working as an assistant manager on a farm in Virginia. That experience has enabled me to make strong connections with area farmers.”

Read the full story HERE.

Pick your winners now for Top Chef Duels

The culinary reality show franchise Top Chef which has done numerous configurations on the chef competition theme now brings us Top Chef Duels premiering August 6^th.  Bravo just released the names of the competitors in these culinary cook-offs; runner-ups versus runner-ups, winners against winners, finalist against finalist, men against men, women against women and men against women. I wonder if Las Vegas will announce the odds? As an aficionado, avid fan and devout viewer of the Top Chef shows, I’ve picked who I think will win each chef- versus-chef battle.  See the competitors list of dueling chefs below and my picks for winners from each head-to-head battle.   

In Top Chef Duels, competing cheftestants take part in 3 challenges; two based on each chef picking a challenge that will focus on the other’s perceived weakness, i.e. baking, butchering, unlikely international cuisines…we don’t know but it will make it interesting. The third and final challenge decides who moves on to the finale where the 9 duel winners compete for $100,000 prize money. 

Find out who the competitors are and who I think will win HERE.

First ever family-style vegan dinner at Birroteca

Birroteca restaurant and tavern has created a family-style vegan dinner being held on Wednesday, June 25^th at the Woodberry locale.  The menu devoid of any animal products is tantalizing enough for carnivores offering mushroom tartare, fava bean and berry insalata, sweet corn polenta, chai seed panna cotta and more. 

Family-style dining is casual and interactive as you pass platters, serve yourself and interact with other dining companions, making it a social event as well as dining. Get all the details and menu HERE.

Raffle for dinner for eight at your home by Chef Neal Langermann

Chefs and restaurateurs are the most giving souls on this planet. There isn’t a day that goes by that they aren’t donating time, food and services to a plethora of charities. Chef Neal Langermann of Langermann’s and Langermann’s on Light is donating his time, his award winning Southern inspired cuisine to prepare a dinner for eight in the raffle ticket winner's home to benefit The Red Devils. The winner and their guests will enjoy a five course, gourmet feast, replete with wine and prepared by award winning Chef Langermann. 

Watch slideshow, get more details HERE.