It’s Italian: Dine at La Scala and enjoy a Fiat 500 celebration

Chef Nico Germano

Chef Nino Germano of La Scala Ristorante Italiano  (@lascaladining) cordially invites you to view the new 2012 Fiat 500S this Thursday, November 17th.  A special Fiat (@Fiat500C) inspired menu awaits you along with prizes and giveaways the entire evening.

Get the full details and watch the video HERE

Towson’s Dining Gem – Havana Road Cuban Café

Havana Road Cuban Café - I’ve been, I ate and now I have a Cuban accent. There are pluses and minuses for being self-employed and one of the pluses is being able to grab lunch with a friend and take as long as I want to enjoy the food and the company.  Downtown Diane Macklin (@downtowndiane) wanted me to meet Marta Ines Quintana, the chef owner of Havana Road Cuban Café, enjoy her family fresh Cuban dishes and learn more about her Cuban retail products.

Havana Road Cuban Café  (@Havana_Road) just celebrated its first year anniversary in the little cafe at 8 W. Pennsylvania Avenue where both lunch and dinner are served, catering and a burgeoning retail food business.

Check out the cooking video, slide show and full story HERE

Gingerbread house decorating and tea events for children

Creating those special moments for your child, niece, nephew or grandchild are rare, a moment they always remember, look back and treasure the special time shared with you.  It is with that in mind that I write about Maja’s Kitchen Gingerbread House Decorating and Candlelight Teas classes for children ages 5 to 12 and their adult companions.  Each child decorates one house with the help of the adult. Every child receives a pre-built house, a pastry bag filled with Royal Icing, and lots and, lots of candy to choose from to decorate their special Gingerbread House for the holidays.

Get class details and dates HERE

Bart Simpson, Tony Bourdain, Gordon Ramsay – Watch The Food Wife

Mark your calendars for this Sunday to watch The Simpsons.  Bart, Lisa and Marge start a food blog called the Three Mouthcateers, the episode is called The Food Wife. Hubby Homer gets jealous and becomes the star literally hogging the attention.  Tony Bourdain, Mario Batali, Gordon Ramsay make guest appearances along with caricatures of Julia Child, the Swedish Chef, and more...check out the whole story and video HERE

Michael Mina’s Wit & Wisdom Tavern in the Four Seasons Hotel debuts in Baltimore

The only thing missing were the klieg lights for the official grand opening party of Wit & Wisdom, A Tavern by Michael Mina (@witwisdomtavern) and LAMILL Coffee both located in the new Four Seasons hotel (@FSBaltimore).  As we drove to the entrance there were close to a dozen valets waiting to take your car.  After checking in the Four Season’s general manager, Julien Carralero was introduced to us and welcomed us personally.  The restaurant opens officially on Monday, November 14th.

Food, chefs, guests - where does one go first? 

I can’t say enough about the look of Wit & Wisdom, warm tones, cushy seating, two fireplaces and chefs with culinary pedigrees that plan to shake things up in Baltimore.  Mina (@chefmichaelmina), who has created his own restaurant empire, is in the league of other great restaurateurs the likes of Drew Nieporent and Danny Meyer. Bourbon Steak is his signature steakhouse with the closest being in Washington DC.

Read the full story, check out the photo slide show and Michael Mina video HERE 

Save the tomato aspic! The historic Women's Exchange needs your help

Over the years that I worked at the Heart Association of Maryland there were numerous times lunch was spent at the Historic Women’s Exchange.  That was some 40 years ago but I still remember their simple yet delicious lunches of chicken salad and tomato aspic.

On the corner of North Charles Street and Pleasant Street the Women’s Exchange supported women and their crafts for over 130 years.  Things changed in 2002 with others taking over the location.  The goal is to reopen on November 25th. Read the full story HERE

November Foodie Charity Pick of the Month: Signature Chefs Auction of Central MD

Chef John Walsh, Event Chair

A do good evening that feeds your soul and your tummies. On Monday, November 14th the March of Dimes Maryland has an amazing event that is “all about food.”  It is called the Signature Chefs Auction and yes you might bring a chef home with you.  A wonderful culinary walk about to local chef’s food stations but a tremendous auction where if your bid is the right number you just might have that chef in your home cooking for you.

Get the full details HERE   

Chef Picks by StarChefs.com - App for your IPhone

StarChefs.com International Congress: Judging panel - Chefs Pierre Herme, Elizabeth Falkner

Eat like an insider with Chef Picks by StarChefs.com, Off the Beaten Path Edition. Want to find the ultimate noodle bowl, best slice in the borough, or a late-night haunt to satisfy you cravings? Some of the most influential chefs in the country have weighed in with their favorite hidden gems—from mom and pops to strip mall eateries and side street dives—along with the dishes they crave. Eat like a chef in your own city or wherever you travel with recommendations from some of the best palates and finest talents in the business.

Get the full story and link to the application HERE

Shut Up and Get Out – Which Seinfeld star was spotted at a Baltimore restaurant

If you were close by, I would push you and say “shut up”.  A typical character move for Elaine Benes  played by actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus in the television series Seinfeld.  The perky actress, who happened to play a Baltimorean in Seinfeld has been filming the HBO comedy VEEP. Bmore Media reported, “Dreyfus stars as a former senator and newly elected Vice President who finds that the job isn't quite what she thought it would be when she first joined the campaign ticket."

A good source revealed to this writer that Dreyfus was spotted dining at Salt.  Have you seen JLD, let us know and we will report.  Tweet @daracooks and give it a hashtag #VeepJLD. Welcome to Baltimore JLD! This gal won’t say shut up or get out but welcome to Bawlmer Hon!

Nothing says Halloween like Edgar Allan Poe – Let the pendulum swing

Edgar Allan Poe might be “nevermore” but his legacy lives on here in Baltimore and internationally. The writer of The Tell Tale Heart, The Raven , The Fall of the House of Usher, The Masque of the Red Death, The Purloined Letter and more was our first real fright night master.  People travel the world to visit Baltimore’s Poe House and Museum.

Halloween party for Poe - come join the costume party - more details HERE

Cookbook Corner: Lisa Yockelson’s Baking Style – Art.Craft.Recipes

Baking Style – Art.Craft.Recipes reconfirms the passion and dedication of its author Lisa Yockelson’s to baking. This was not an overnight or one year project; this was many years in the making. The attention to detail will make it a “go-to” book for baking.  I lent my copy of Baking Style to my chef friend and colleague; a passionate baker who loved the book, the in-depth attention to detail.

Baking Style is Lisa Yockelson’s most personal baking cookbook, combining the genre of the culinary essay with recipes and their corresponding methods - read the full story

Baltimore based pizza company uses eco friendly, innovative delivery box

Baltimore based Pizza Boli has stepped up their eco friendly game with the help of local supplier, Acme Paper and Supply Company.  Pizza Boli is using Green Box products, the Green Boxes’ innovative design allows customers to dissemble the box and use the parts as plates, cutting down on waste.In addition, the boxes can be dissembled and used as storage containers for leftovers and are made from 100 percent recycled cardboard. Last year, Business Insider magazine called Green Box “One of the 15 most brilliant ideas we’ve seen.”

It’s a pizza delivery morning

Just posted on my National Food column a story of yet another Papa John’s delivery person calling the police on one of their customers – read that story here.  Who will be the first pizza delivery company to offer gluten-free pizza for delivery…there is money to be made my friend.

Pizza delivery person turns in customers for counterfeiting - Papa's in the house

It wasn’t but a week ago that this writer posted a story about a Colorado Papa John’s delivery man who smelled pot at his pizza delivery and called the police on the customer.  Watch out, another Papa John’s delivery person who thought the five ten dollar bills she received for payment for two pizzas and 20 wings were hinky, counterfeit, and called in the law. Papa's in the house.

In the reports, the counterfeiters were using a simple copier printer that we all use with our computers and what might be regular copier paper. Get the full story HERE

Charm City Pedal Mill – the eat, drink*, and pedal pub crawl

Been doing your own pub crawl down in Baltimore’s historic Fells Point and all of a sudden your see 16 people cycling a 17 foot long canopied bar type contraction. You say to yourself, “Self, am I really seeing this or have I been to one too many bars tonight?”  No, you aren’t seeing things, it is a fietscafe,  Baltimore’s Charm City Pedal Mill. In essence, the fiestcafe was invented in the Netherlands as a traveling beer garden, with its own tap allowing passengers to drink, pedal and tour at the same time – a beer bike.

Read the full story HERE and watch the video.

Applefest for the family - A gala of galas

Whole Foods Market in Mt. Washington is kicking off their Applefest on Saturday, October 22 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.  They will selling made to order caramel apples, featuring and tasting apple cider, apple salmon, grilled apple cheddar sandwiches, apple pie, apple dumplings, apple nut butter sandwiches, apple bars, pumpkin ravioli with apples and lots more.

There will be contests, games, kids activities on the patio, Granny Smith storytelling and samples, crafts, tastings, coupons, music and puppets.

Whole Foods Market – Mt. Washington -1330 Smith Avenue – Baltimore MD  21209

PBS unites the best recipes, video and chefs from Public Television at one site

Hot off the stove and right on to your plate is the launch of public broadcasting’s “under one roof” website for recipes, video and chefs we’ve grown to love from Julia to José. Users have the ability to easily search for the best of public television’s local and national food content in one place. From national programs like EVERYDAY FOOD and MADE IN SPAIN featuring James Beard Award winner José Andrés, to a selection of the best local food shows, recipes and blogs from across the country, PBS FOOD (www.pbs.org/food) now offers users a comprehensive directory of more than 150 food and cooking programs from the PBS airwaves.

Read the full story HERE

Meet Master Chef Jacques Pépin up close and personal

If all had gone well I would be on the bus on my way to New York City for the launch at the French Culinary Institute tonight for Jacques Pépin’s new compendium cookbook, Essential Pepin.  Illness had me cancel the trip but it doesn’t mean you can’t meet the iconic chef instructor who broke ground for all the “celebrity chefs” we see today.  Read more on Jacques Pépin’s 700 recipe cookbook,  Essential Pepin.

My first choice

Probably the best opportunity, well the best choice is a luncheon on Friday, November 18th - Get all the details HERE

Cookbook Corner: Essential Pepin – 700 recipes

Master Chef Jacques Pépin has taken the best recipes from his six decade culinary career and updated and simplified techniques and methods, guiding you to use the best ingredients in his latest cookbook ESSENTIAL PEPIN: More Than 700 All-Time Favorites from My Life in Food.  Chef Pépin has always been about taste and technique rather than fussy presentation.

More about Essential Pepin HERE