Baltimore Grows

Grabbed this from the MD Daily Record article about the Promenade being nearly complete.  Although on a bike I guess you would have to walk 1/3 of the way – through Harborplace.

John Paterakis’ plans to relocate H&S Bakery seem to be coming closer to fruition, signaling that smells of freshly baked bread wafting over Fells Point may cease as the area is turned over to redevelopment.  The company has purchased land in both Cecil and Anne Arundel counties and plans to build distribution centers there.  Whether either of these locations would be a replacement for the current location is unclear. The area currently occupied by H&S Bakery, along Fleet and Aliceanna Streets, is one of the last remaining industrial sites in the area.  It’s seen as a key link between Little Italy, Fells Point, and the new development in Harbor East.  Whether the land will be developed is not the question, but how soon.  Due to its location, the land has to be worth a fortune.

Click HERE to read the article

A bit of bad news associated with this story: The Whole Foods plans to build a larger market on another empty parcel in Harbor East seem to have been halted due to the company’s struggles in the current economy.  Sounds like we’ll have to put up with the cramped and crowded aisles of the current store for a while longer.

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

I had heard there were good things going on in Baltimore’s Lauraville and Hamilton neighborhoods along Harford Road in the Northeast corner of the city, but never got a chance to make it over there until this weekend.  I was finally encouraged to make the trip by Elizabeth Large’s recent article in the Baltimore Sun about all of the new restaurants, coffee shops, and pubs that are opening in this area. 

Click HERE to read the article

I decided to go to Clementine, which opened within the past six months.  Despite Tropical Storm Hannah, the place was doing a very brisk business.  I was heartened to see signs posted around the restaurant that they would be closed for a day soon in order to complete their expansion (I can’t remember which day it was).  When I inquired, they said they were expanding into the storefront next door, effectively doubling their size.  Sounds like the place is doing pretty good for itself.  It’s easy to see why.  The food is mostly locally grown, inventive, delicious, and reasonably priced.  Can you ask for much more?  Even better, the place is BYOB…helping you keep the cost under control even more.  Most of the entrees were around $20 – $25 and included dishes such as rockfish with crab, strip steak, and Cajun grilled scallops, shrimp, and crawfish.  The menu supposedly changes daily.  Visit their website:  http://www.bmoreclementine.com/

Considering the experience I had at Clementine, I hope to visit some other restaurants in the area.  Can anyone else here comment on other restaurants in Lauraville/Hamilton?

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

We’ve been wanting to add a forum (aka discussion board) to Baltimore Grows for a long time.  I finally found some time to do the work. I’m not sure whether anyone wants another forum or not.  But it’s now there just in case.  Perhaps people are more willing to post to a forum rather than blog posts.  If you do end up using it, please keep it relatively clean and simple.

Baltimore Knows Forum – www.BaltimoreGrows.com/forum

I dug up this rendering of the conceptual design for what would replace the dormant Morris Mechanic Theatre in Downtown Baltimore.? The project is embroiled in disputes between preservationists and planners over whether the building should be saved, and if so, how much it could be altered through redevelopment.?

Click HERE to read the article in the Baltimore Sun

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? jeffcantonite@yahoo.com