Baltimore Grows

It seems like there have been a bunch of new restaurants and bars opening in Baltimore recently.  Here’s just to name a few:

Langermann’s – Canton – Located at the Can Company in Canton, this place took over what used to be Kiss Cafe.  They seemed to do a much better job of giving the place an identity and atmosphere, something that Kiss Cafe could never do.  It’s an “upscale casual” place, with white tablecloths, but a chill setting.  The bar looks like a cool/cozy place to hang out.  I was able to eat lunch there the other day, and the food was great.  It is pegged as “southern inspired global cuisine”.  The turkey apple and brie sandwich with smoky mountain pepper jam on raisin bread was to die for.  I will definitely be going back for dinner sometime.  http://www.langermanns.com/

Field House – Canton – Also at the can company is the newly opened Field House.  This took over the place where Ray Lewis’ used to be and is described as an “upscale sports bar”.  Field House has another location in Philadelphia. http://fieldhousebaltimore.com/

Milan - Little Italy -  Described as an ”upscale restaurant and lounge” this place just opened along Eastern Ave in Little Italy.  With a motto of “where food meets fashion” it sounds like it is a pretty trendy type of place.  The food is described as “Italian infused with Mediterranean flavors”.  They even have “Italian inspired sushi” sounds interesting!  A large patio make it look like this place will be really popular in the summer. http://www.onemilan.com/

Rowhouse Grille – Federal Hill – Recently opened along Light Street in Federal Hill/South Baltimore this cozy looking bar looks like a great place to pick up a drink and an inexpensive sandwich http://www.therowhousegrille.com/

Miguels – Locust Point – This will be the first restaurant to open in the new Silo Point Complex and they will serve Mexican tapas. http://www.miguelsbaltimore.com/ 

Ullswater - Riverside - From the former owners of The Bicycle, this is more low key than the Bicycle and more of a neighborhood place.  http://www.ullswaterrestaurant.com/

Sam’s Kid – Fells Point – near the food of Broadway, serving pan-asian cuisine.  So far its been getting great reviews.

Poe Boys Oyster Bar and Grille – Fells Point – This has opened up where Miss Irene’s used to be. http://www.poeboysfellspoint.com/

Tapas Adela - Fells Point – The new Spanish tapas place at the corner of Thames and Broadway is a member of the Kalisgroup.  If history rings true, then this place is bound to be successful.  The restaurant actually shares its kitchen with Meli around the corner and has been getting great reviews.

It’s nice to see that so many places have been opening considering the economy.  If you can afford it, please support your local restaurants and bars! 

Don’t forget Baltimore Restaurant Week runs from Jan 22nd through February 7th http://www.baltimorerestaurantweek.com/

Post a reply here if you’re able to make it to any of these places and let us know how it was!  Also if I missed anything, e-mail me and let me know, or post a reply.

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

 Tom Clancy plopped down 12.6 million for three condos at the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Baltimore and the three units will be combined into one mega-condo.  The sale sets a record for the most expensive condo ever sold in Baltimore. 

The sale is also a huge boost to the developers of the project who have been dogged recently with liens resulting from unpaid construction bills.  Only around 20 of the Ritz’s 190 condos have gone to settlement so far.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/real-estate/bal-bz.ritz19nov19,0,4991403.story

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

As someone who lives a block away from the future McHenry Row development, I have a natural interest in the project’s progress.  Here’s a synopsis of what’s happened at the construction site since last October: NOTHING.  Or at least not much more than nothing.  I snapped the photos here back in October of 2008 – almost 9 months ago.  If you drive by today, you’ll see not much has changed.  Developer Mark Sapperstein ran out of financing back in the fall (BBJ article), and apparently is still working on the new funding.

I say the project’s a tease because the amount of buzz and excitement it has stirred up with area residents.  Federal Hill and Locust Point desperately need a decent grocery store.  Unless you have a special taste for moldy produce, the Shoppers at Southside Shopping Center comes no where close to “decent.”  McHenry row promises to bring relief in the form of a sparkling new Harris Teeter.

Additionally, many of us are excited about other tenant names being thrown around like Panera, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and Greene Turtle.  The latter two are both shown on the McHenry Row Website, so there’s likely already a deal in place with those two.  But given the delays, those deals could fall through perhaps.  Green Turtle is particularly exciting.  Having a nice restaurant/bar with outdoor seating and parking in South Baltimore will be a unique luxury.

Get a head start on Mother’s Day with the Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance’s First Annual Tour of Kids’ Spaces on Saturday, May 9, from 10 am to 3 pm, in historic Federal Hill. This self-guided walking tour, which features everything from historic gems to quirky row houses, will showcase the work of urban parents who have transformed limited or awkward spaces into amazing places for kids. It’s a great way to treat an expecting, new, or even seasoned mom!

DBFA counts among its goals attracting new families to Baltimore City and encouraging others to stay as their children grow. To that end, the house tour will demonstrate how parents are raising their children in the city with style. The tour will feature 8 to 10 houses over several city blocks and take approximately an hour to an hour and a half to complete, rain or shine.

WHAT: DBFA First Annual House Tour of Kids’ Spaces

WHERE: Federal Hill and South Baltimore

WHEN: Saturday, May 9, 2009, from 10 am to 3 pm

WHO: Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance

SIGNIFICANCE: The house tour is DBFA’s foremost annual fundraiser, with 100% of the proceeds from ticket sales going toward DBFA’s mission of improving, supporting, and advocating for family life downtown

Event Flyer (PDF)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Cost: $25 per ticket ($5 discount for DBFA members); $30 day of event

Tickets: Purchase in advance at www.dbfam.org/housetour or day of at Spoons Coffee Cafe, 24 E Cross St

Sponsors: Currey Real Estate Group and Indigo Ink Digital Printing

For More Information: To volunteer, nominate a house, help sponsor the tour, or place advertising in the program guide, please see www.dbfam.org/housetour, or email housetour@dbfam.org Continue Reading »

I finally managed to make it over to Corks in Federal Hill restaurant to see the place.  It reopened a few months ago after some renovations and a reformatting.  A lot of the new format had to do with the menu, which now has a good mix of mdeium priced along with higher priced entrees.

The restaurant looks very small from the front, but it opens up to a larger dining room in back.  There’s also an upper balcony for additional seating.  I went on a Friday and business was brisk, although the place was not 100% full.  There was plenty of room to move around, and it wasn’t one of those places where your table is 6 inches away from the one next to yours (thankfully). 

I would definitely recommend starting out with the Merguez Corn Dogs.  It comes with two Spanish sausages, battered (just like at the MD state fair), and served with a really nice spicy mustard.  It’s also served over a bed of popcorn with freshly grated cheese.  It doesn’t seem like it would, but the flavors mix well, especially the spicy mustard with the salty popcorn.

The restaurant has an extensive wine list, which remains fairly pricey, along with multiple selections of Foie Gras.  However, there’s some lesser priced entrees including sandwiches and burgers for around $9-$12. 

I couldn’t resist the Filet Mingon however, which was local and organically raised.  It was advertised as a 10 oz portion, but it had to have been at least 16 ounces…it was huge!  I asked for it medium well, but it had a bit more pink in the middle than I care for…probably because the piece was so gigantic.  The waitress came by to ask if it was cooked to my taste, so could have taken the opportunity to throw it back on the grill, but it was so delicious, I was enjoying it too much to part ways…even if only for a few minutes.   

http://www.corksrestaurant.com

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

The Ritz-Carlton Residences in Baltimore, Maryland recently began welcoming the first homeowners. The project is being developed by New York based RexCorp, after changing hands because of some legal troubles during the construction process. The Baltimore project is the first ever condo project with no hotel component that will be branded and operated by the Ritz-Carlton.

“Baltimore has never seen anything like this,” said Kurt Hornig, sales consultant at the upscale development. “It’s like living in a Ritz-Carlton Hotel without all the guests.”

View of Ritz-Carlton Residences from Harbor East neighborhood

To read more CLICK HERE

The Baltimore Business Journal reported that OZ Chophouse will be opening a location in the new Ritz Carlton Residences.  This will be OZ’s second location.  Their other restaurant is located in Maple Lawn, Howard County (near Laurel).  OZ specializes in steaks and burgers (all made to order).  I’ve only had their burgers at their Maple Lawn location, which were delicious, but can’t comment on their other menu items. 

The restaurant is decribed as “swank yet casual”, but I was suprised that they didn’t come up with something a bit more “upscale” for the Ritz.  I was thinking a 5 star restaurant perhaps?  The BBJ did say that this would be the Ritz Carlton’s “first” new restaurant, so maybe there’s more to come?

Click HERE to read the article

Visit their website:  http://www.ozchophouse.com/

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.

There’s an interesting article on the MD Daily Record website about the proposed Walgreens on Key Highway in South Baltimore.

South Baltimoreans are known for being fiercely protective of their harbor views.

In 2007, when developer Richard A. Swirnow proposed building two 26-story condominium towers next to his HarborView project on the Key Highway waterfront, community opposition was so fierce that Mayor Sheila Dixon stepped in to block the proposal.

But now the community of Riverside, which sits adjacent to Federal Hill, is trying to stymie a proposal by developer Mark A. Shapiro to build a Walgreens drugstore at the corner of Key Highway and Boyle Street because the proposed structure is not tall enough.

“You can’t win with them,” Shapiro said. “They’re anti-development.”

There’s an interesting article on the MD Daily Record site about the Ritz-Carlton development adjacent to Federal Hill.

? “[Our residents] are very busy people,” said Gabe Pasquale, head of sales and marketing for the development. “They’re very active. They’re captains of industry and very engaged in their business. The concept here is anticipating their needs so you can simplify their lifestyle.”

Condos start at $1.3 million and peak at $5.5 million for one of three 5,000-square-foot penthouses, all of which have been sold, according to RexMidtown.

“We have sports figures, people of the arts, people who don’t want to be bothered taking care of themselves,” Rechler said. ”This is a product that Baltimore does not have.”

“Without Ritz-Carlton, without Silo Point, I’m not sure Harris Teeter would come,” Harrington said, referring to the Virginia-based grocer that recently announced it will expand into the Baltimore area. “That’s an upscale grocery. Why would they come if they didn’t think it was an upscale market?”

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