For Foodies : Buzz

Since opening late last year, the Four Seasons Baltimore has generated plenty of buzz for its chic design and celebrity-chef-owned restaurant. 

We already told you that the hotel's fancy macarons were featured in the Wall Street Journal. 

Now, Conde Nast Traveler has put it on its Hotel List 2012, which lists 121 new standout hotel properties. 

"You’ll see Baltimore’s gritty side as you drive into town, signs of moneyed Old Maryland as you near the water," the magazine says. 

You can read the rest of the description here. 

Fancy cookies are featured from four different venues in the April 6 issue of the Wall Street Journal. 

And among them is an Oreo Macaron from Charm City's own Four Seasons Baltimore. 

" 'It's an ode to Americana and the French,' " pastry chef Chris Ford tells the paper. A pic of the tasty treat, along with cookies baked in Nashville, Washington, D.C., and Lexington, Ky., can be found here. 

Baltimore's coffee shops has gotten some press from the Huffington Post. The website features a slideshow of local spots to get a java jolt, including Hampden's Spro, Mount Vernon's Koffee Therapy and the Four Seasons Baltimore's Lamill Coffee.

"What is different about Baltimore's coffee renaissance is that it has percolated less through the corporate culture of selling high-end brews to rich people than through home town pride," the Huffington Post writes. "The thinking seems to be that this is the sort of economic development that can keep talented people in a city suffering from brain drain."

You can read the rest of the story here. 

Maryland crab is known throughout the world. And the state's fisheries want to keep their competitive edge by touting its sustainable practices.

They are applying for Marine Stewardship Council certification, writes the Associated Press in an article that ran in Bloomberg Businessweek. 

It is following on the footsteps of Louisiana, which sought certification for its crab harvest. 

"Crabs are the Chesapeake Bay's biggest moneymaker, bringing in $52 million in Maryland in 2009, and many chefs believe they are among the world's best," the AP writes. "The lower salinity of the upper Chesapeake Bay makes the meat sweeter and more tender, and the crabs hibernate over the winter, storing fat that makes them taste richer than nonhibernating crabs from farther south, said Chad Wells, executive chef at Alewife in Baltimore."

You can read the rest of the story here. 

It's no secret that Woodberry Kitchen is one of the most popular restaurants in Baltimore. 

But it turns out that the city's original farm-to-table restaurants is a hit among Washingtonians. 

"The third time I was asked whether I had been to Woodberry Kitchen, the Baltimore restaurant where chef-restaurateur Spike Gjerde walks the talk of locally sourced cooking, I took note," David Hagedorn writes. "All this buzz from Washingtonians, a people who launch into lengthy negotiations just to cross the Potomac for dinner, had to mean something."

Baltimore Fishbowl took note of the Washington Post article, decrying the fact that Charm City residents now have to "fight with the Washington crowd for a table at the hip Woodberry eatery."

But at least owners Spike and Amy Gjerde are expanding their culinary empire with a new cafe and fast-casual restaurant. 

The James Beard Foundation Awards are known as the Oscars of the culinary world.

And this year the foundation has honored three restaurant stars in Maryland. 

The foundation recognized Woodberry Kitchen's Spike Gjerde, Charleston's Cindy Wolf and Volt's Bryan Voltaggio among the best chefs in the mid-Atlantic. Charleston was also honored for its wine program and as an outstanding restaurant. You can see the entire list of nominees here. 

Baltimoreans finally got to see the long-awaited "Kitchen Nightmares" episode featuring Cafe Hon Owner Denise Whiting and her controversial move of claiming ownership of the word "Hon."

And it was as dramatic as expected. 

Whiting was stuck with a public relations nightmare after the trademark. Critics said she was trying to profit from a word that has become synonymous with Charm City itself. 

It was all documented on the show hosted by British chef Gordon Ramsay, who convinced Whiting to give up her trademark.

"In the show’s final segment, Television Chef Gordon Ramsay and his 'team' of culinary experts literally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, transforming the iconic 36th St. restaurant and 'persuading' its insufferable proprietor Denise Whiting to give up her claim to ownership of the trademark 'Hon,'" writes Alan Z. Forman in his Voice of Baltimore news site. You can read the rest of his summary and analysis of the show here. 

Baltimore has a number of chocolate makers in town. And one has earned national recognition.

Complex, an online lifestyle magazine for 20-something men, has named Glarus Chocolatier the sixth best in the nation. 

"Baltimore's Glarus Chocolatier uses traditional Swiss recipes for each of their handcrafted creations," the website writes. "Think a small craft brewery, but with chocolate covered strawberries rather than pilsners and lagers. Got it? We feel drunk already."

It's the only Baltimore chocolate company to earn a spot on the list. 

Baltimoreans all know that Woodberry Kitchen is the city's original and most popular farm-to-table restaurant. Well it seems that word has gotten out to the editors of GQ magazine.

Woodberry Co-owner Spike Gjerde was recently featured in the magazine's food and travel section. Gjerde talks about his favorite spots in Baltimore, which include Hampden's Spro coffee shop, Wit and Wisdom restaurant in the Four Seasons Baltimore and the Thames Street Oyster House in Fells Point. You can read the rest of his picks here. 

It certainly won't be the last we hear of Gjerde. The restaurateur is opening a coffee shop of his own and a fast-casual eatery this spring. 

Esquire contributor John Mariani has featured Baltimore in a new section of his website that highlights good day-trip destinations.

He focuses on restaurants in Mount Vernon, Harbor East and Little Italy, including Tio Pepe, Charleston, Aldo's Italian Restaurant and Chazz: A Bronx Original. 

"A good deal of the charm of the surrounding neighborhoods are its townhouses, built along British lines, with their identifying marble stoops, and there is a thriving Little Italy, adjacent to the Inner Harbor," Mariani writes. 

You can read the rest of his description of Charm City here. 

PR News has recognized Jamie Watt Arnold of Baltimore's Profiles among its 15 to Watch. The weekly publication bestowed the honor on budding public relations professionals under 30.

"To promote client Freshii, a quick-service restaurant, Jamie Watt Arnold coordinated a grand-opening celebration that attracted Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and secured nearly 70 media hits in outlets such as the Baltimore Sun and Style Magazine," PR News writes.

You can read more about the recognition here.

Oriole Park: It's not just for baseball anymore.

Planned renovations to the Baltimore Orioles' home will make Oriole Park at Camden Yards a year-round destination, stadium officials told the Baltimore Sun. A picnic area behind the center field will be turned into a park where visitors can stroll, even when there isn't a game playing.

The plan also includes more concessions and a rooftop viewing area, according to the Sun article.

Getting tired of your usual Thanksgiving repertoire? Well it's too late to turn back the clock, but there's always next year.

And here to help is Sergio Vitale, co-owner of Aldo's Italian Restaurant and pizza place Chazz: A Bronx Original. The Wall Street Journal recently featured his brussel sprouts' recipe, made with sriracha and pancetta, among other ingredients.

Actor-turned-restaurant partner Chazz Palminteri, co-owner of the Harbor East pizza joint, shares the recipe with the Journal's readers.

Luxury, thy name is Baltimore.

After years of anticipation, the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore will open its doors this month. The 256-room property will feature a spa, two restaurants, café and two swimming pools. The chain's debut in Charm City has not only attracted the attention of local media, but national travel publications. Read more about the five-star hotel in Elite Traveler.

Restaurant company Landry's says it is buying McCormick & Schmick's in a $130 million deal, according to an AP story in Business Week.

Based in Portland, Ore., McCormick & Schmick's operates two downtown Baltimore restaurants and another one in Annapolis. Landry's operates Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., which is opening a restaurant in the Light Street pavilion at Harborplace mall. You can read more about it here.