New Hibachi restaurant opens in Glen Burnie: Sake Japanese Steakhouse

Gather family, friends, neighbors and your high school graduating class, they will all fit inside the 18,000 square foot Sake Japanese Steakhouse. Manager Jack Wang advised it has the most hibachi flat iron grills for teppanyaki, twenty of them, making them the largest hibachi grill restaurant in the country.  Sake Japanese Steakhouse, located in a shopping center, seems to have filled what might have been a supermarket space but most recently a Chinese buffet. 

You will enter and crossover Koi ponds on both sides, with the restaurant’s bar in your sights and the sushi bar just beyond.  To the left, a private party room with its own hibachi tables and to the immediate right a dining room for those who might not wish to partake of the teppanyaki, hibachi grill lunch or dinners, but enjoy their diversified Asian menu items like Pad Thai, Korean BBQ Kalbi short ribs.  To the far right, a dining room, nicely decorated with Japanese theme décor that is designated specifically for the hibachi grill dinners.  

Watch the video, slideshow and get the link to special Labor Day Groupon at Examiner . Com / Dining

Magdalena - The Ivy Hotel's fine dining bistro

 

Many here in Baltimore have watched the restoration and transition to John Gilman’s 19th century Gilded Age mansion in their travels north on Calvert Street into the lush, boutique Ivy Hotel.  The luxury hotel, with its turret and leaded windows pays homage to its past blended with its modern, stylish rooms, suites and common areas. 

The Ivy Hotel’s restaurant Magdalena, situated in the lower level is designed with white washed exposed brick walls and lightly hued floors to give a more open feel to the space. The Garden dining room, where we were seated, home to the bar and a large view of the well manicured courtyard has warmer tones with chestnut brown leather banquettes and recessed wood paneled ceiling. They cleverly put slightly tilted mirrors behind one row of banquettes so people facing the wall can watch all the activity in the room rather than staring at the wall. We toured the other dining rooms: the Treasury Room, the Wine Cellar with its large communal table and the last room, has no name that I can remember, although with the rugs, lighting from the faux windows and hats decorating the walls, had a Moroccan feel.  

Watch the slideshow and read the full story at Examiner . com / Dining

Thirty chefs, thirty farms: Farm to Chef is back.

In my personal opinion Farm to Chef is one of the city’s best “food” charity events – it is always a sellout. It has gotten so big that it has moved from the Visionary Art Museum to the B & O Railroad Museum this year and instead of being September, the event is Monday, October 5^th.  If you hurry and buy your ticket before September 7^th you will save $15.

Read the full story at Examiner.com/Dining

White Hot Party at Sullivan's in Baltimore - A farewell to summer

Here's a last fling for your summer whites. Sullivan’s Steakhouse Baltimore is bidding farewell to the summer season with the annual White Hot Party on Friday, September 4 from 5:00pm – 9:00pm. Guests can dress in their favorite summer white attire and enjoy a night out on the town with exclusive giveaways, summer entertainment and delicious eats, including $7 signature cocktails, select wines and bar menu items.

Kentucky Fried Chicken jumps on the presidential bandwagon

Kentucky Fried Chicken has ressurrected the Colonel Harlan Sanders persona in recent advertising starring with Saturday Night Live former cast member Darrell Hammond. Hammond did a good job. Now the fried chicken dynasty has switched mid-pressure fryer to comedian Norm Macdonald to fill the colonel's white suit. Possibly you have seen both comedians' portrayal of the southern colonel.

Chipotle 1st National Career Day - 4,000 jobs

Restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill looking to hire 4,000 people in a single day at their first ever national career day on Wednesday, September 9^th.  Job interviews will take place at all U. S. restaurants; applicants are invited to register on line for an interview at www.nationalcareerday.com at their Chipotle location of their choice. 

Piaza Fresh opens - fresh made 90 second pizzas

 

The new fast casual concept restaurant Piaza Fresh has opened in Locust Point’s McHenry Row Shopping Center. It is the second Piaza Fresh that has opened their doors, both within months of each other.  The first Piaza Fresh located on the Eastern Shore, Berlin, MD, was nominated just after 30 days of opening for the 2015 Best Pizza by Coastal Magazine. 

Read the full story at examiner.com 

New Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for Maryland

Steve De Castro signing the lease for his forthcoming Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

IHOP dollar buttermilk pancakes benefits No Kid Hungry

 

$1 pancakes at IHOP for charity

Get a short stack of IHOP’s famous buttermilk pancakes for only $1 from 7am to 7pm on Tue, August 25. Half of every dollar raised will be donated to No Kid Hungry (which will provide one child 5 meals). No coupon required.

Seadog Barfly cruise

Join others aboard the Seadog Barfly cruise for an evening of libations and Baltimore drinking history.  Laurie Forster, renown wine sommelier and author will talk about Baltimore's famous citizens the likes of Edgar Allen Poe, Babe Ruth and Francis Scott Key as the Seadog cruises past their old haunts. One cruise left on Thursday, August 27th

There will be 3 stops during the cruise where guests can enjoy a local craft beer, a Maryland wine  and a signature cocktail while taking in the atmosphere of Baltimore's Inner Harbor and surrounding neighborhoods.

Barfly's Seadog History Tour

• Narrated tour from the water of places and neighborhoods that notable Baltimore residents frequented for their favorite libations
• Includes three stops with one drink (a beer, a wine or a cocktail) at each location
• Board: 7:00pm | Cruise: 7:15pm - 8:30pm
• Price: from $39.95 per adult*
  All passengers must be age 21 or older

 
 

A sneak peek at Bagby Pizza in Pikesville

Bagby Pizza will officially open their doors on Thursday, August 13th at their first fast casual location at the Festival at Woodholme Shopping Center on Reisterstown Road just outside the Beltway. I was lucky enough to be part of the "friends and family" invited in prior to opening to test out the staff, the products and that all the equipment was working properly. 

Bagby's Pizza in Pikesville is a fast casual concept, not only do they do pizza they do salads of all types.  Fast casual offers up pre-set items, top sellers BUT allows you to create your own. For friends and family we had a choice of a salad or pizza, a side or a dessert and one beverage.  I went with a pizza, a standard menu pizza of tomato sauce, sun dried tomatoes, goat cheese, prosciutto and arugula. I chose the side of meatballs but was torn, considered the side of burrata. The website isn't up as yet, should be momentarily.  Check out the snaps below - the menu boards are in the slide show. 

Bagby Pizza - Facebook Page @bagbypizza 

443-379-0566 - Festival at Woodholme - Pikesville MD

 

1965 inspired dinner and cocktail party at Ruth's Chris

 

This is a dining and drinking deal you can’t refuse.  Ruth’s Chris Steak House was founded in 1965 in New Orleans and it is the inspiration for their one night only 50^th Anniversary five course cocktail dinner party.  If your calendar is open, call and make reservations for this special evening with food and 1960’s inspired cocktails on Thursday, August 20^th at 6:30 p.m. – call 410.837.0033 for Pikesville, call 410.990.0033 for Annapolis.  

Read the full story and check out the menu at Dining Examiner . com