For Foodies : Buzz

It's not a roadtrip through California wine country, but it's just as good. Using Woodhall's Cabernet Franc as the launching point, a New Yorker has a surprisingly good weekend in Charm City.

Here's an excerpt:

"Then again, if I've learned anything from Baltimore over the years, it's that it is surprising. Known far and wide for many things that do not perhaps add up to a justifiable reason to run into its arms � kooky icons like John Waters or as the setting for multiple David Simon projects, to name two � there is the Baltimore the world sees, and then there is the city behind the image, just dying to be let out. Relaxed, modern, fun � far more appealing than the pile-up of depressing commercialism down on the Inner Harbor. Also, because it is Baltimore, people are generally really friendly.

If you haven't been to Harbor East recently, then you've been missing out on the latest additions to one of Baltimore's most dynamic communities. The city's newest neighborhood continues to evolve and gain kudos for Baltimore.

Here's an excerpt:

"In the last six years, in the hands of the Baltimore-based H&S Properties Development Corporation, the area has sprouted towering condo, hotel and office buildings along with gleaming restaurants and shops, some of which possess a spiffed-up, cookie-cutter Mall of America feel.

Harbor East has proven such a draw that its borders have expanded far beyond what was first planned as an eight-block area, bumping up against neighboring Little Italy."

Read the entire article here.

Local piemaster, Rodney Henry, has added another layer to his sweet and savory empire by taking his treats on the road with a new food truck. There's only one problem: you'll have to take a 45 minute drive to find it as it roams the streets of Washington, D.C.

Here's an excerpt:

"The District's newest food truck, Dangerously Delicious Pies, enjoyed its first full day today on the campus of the George Washington University in Foggy Bottom. Headed by operator Lloyd Blanchard, the truck offers an assortment of savory and sweet pies as well as quiches."

Read the entire blog post.

Synergy can be a really good thing bringing together two seemingly disparate partners, Emily's Desserts and Pizzaz Tuscan Grille. Especially when the results are Baltimore's first wine and cupcake bar.

Here's the deal.

Tom Sietsema is a household name to foodies in Maryland and Virginia. Though the Washington Post restaurant critic usually sticks to reviewing eateries in and around the nation's capital, sometimes he recognizes a Baltimore establishment.

This time, it's Charleston, the Harbor East restaurant with reknown chef Cindy Wolf. The restaurant was featured in the Washington Post's Fall 2010 Dining Guide. It's highlighted along with popular D.C. haunts like Jaleo and Minibar.

You can check out the guide here.

Its status as Baltimore's first State-designated arts district got the neighborhood revitalization started, but it's the area's small businesses that keep the place humming.

Check out a few pics from the NY Times slideshow.

Keeping it local is good way to get the vacay you need at a stacay price. Less than 30 miles away, Annapolis is an excellent option.

Here's why:

"The Reynolds Tea Room and Tavern is the oldest tavern in Annapolis and one of the oldest in the United States. Enjoy this historic and charming setting for lunch (selections to $12) or high tea, which ranges from tea with scones at $7.90 to Colonial High Tea (tea plus a choice of soup, salad or quiche) at $20.95."

Read the entire article here.

If you've been to the B&O American Brasserie at the Klimpton's Hotel Monaco, then you know how good the eating is there. You're in good company it seems, as Bon Appetit magazine has included one of the restaurant's flatbreads in it's September 2010 "Restaurant Issue."

Here's an excerpt:

" B&O's menu offers everything from juicy steaks to local seafood, but our money's on the brick-oven pizzas (or flatbreads, as they're called at the restaurant). Savor the arugula, asparagus, and fried egg version while taking in the scene at the restaurant's downstairs bar."

Check out the recipe here.

The number of spices home cooks use to prepare meals for family and friends has increased exponentially since the 1950s. The CBS Evening News takes views behind the scenes at McCormick spices to see how the company keeps up with the demand for ever more exotic spices.

Watch the video:

It's hard to imagine, but there are actually people out there who haven't experienced Baltimore's wonders. This blogger finally made the trek and left planning to return.

Here's an excerpt of her travels:

"Baltimore has always been a dream destination for me, and this past weekend I finally made it there. It has a reputation as a quirky city, and it did not disappoint. Soon after we pulled into the downtown area, the streets were full of really strange characters, all dressed up in outrageous costumes. It took us a while but we finally figured it out�an anime convention was taking place that weekend.

We drove to Fells Point and one of the first things we spotted was this little beauty:

Read the entire post here.

If you haven't been able to cop a ticket to a Stew dinner, here's a peek at a recent dinner and the trend that is spreading across the country.

"A Stew meal is not elaborate. The main course is soup; tonight it's a choice between vegan spring onion and rabbit with dumplings. Tickets to the event are $10 each. But there's more to this meal than the composition of a plate of radishes, or of the next course: spears of roasted asparagus, pleasantly salted, arranged to form squares that overlap at the corners.

Stew is the brainchild of the Baltimore Development Cooperative (not to be confused with the Baltimore Development Corp.), which was started in 2007 by three recent MICA graduates, all artists now in their late 20s: Scott Berzofsky, Nicholas Wisniewski and Nester. They wanted to use food to foster community and stimulate activism."

Read the entire article here.

If you haven't made it to one of the many farmer's markets in the Greater Baltimore area, you don't know what you've been missing...

"Vendors at farmers' markets in Baltimore, Howard and Carroll counties can only sell what they produce or what they make from something they grow, such as soap or baked goods. Goods travel no further than 50 miles to get to market.

The only drawback of shopping at local farmers' markets is you will only find foods that are in season.

"When you go to the markets in May, you won't see corn because corn isn't seasonal in this area until summer," Zimmerman says..."

Read the entire article here.

Ah spring! It's undoubtedly one of the most loved times of the year for those into local produce. What better way to celebrate the coming cornucopia of locally grown goodies than with a celebration of one of the season's first offerings -- asparagus.

Here's an excerpt:

"As the only crunchy vegetable locally harvested this early in the season, it's easy for asparagus to become the center around which meals are built. Perhaps too much for some people, but not for me. Of course, I'm not eating it alone for weeks, but still, I'm eating quite a bit.

Spro Cafe, a new coffeeshop in Hampden, offers a $13 cup of coffee. Two CNN writers wonder in these economic times, what's up with that!

Here's an excerpt:

"Times are tough, which is why most Americans are taking their coffee with two tablespoons of cheap. Inexpensive coffee is being poured by the bucketload at fast food restaurants like McDonalds, with its successful McCafe line, and Burger King, which is planning a nationwide Seattle's Best roll-out this summer.

Even slightly swankier Starbucks is offering totally credible coffee that's no more than a buck and change. So what could possibly make a cup of joe worth $13?

According to Jay Caragay, speaking to The Baltimore Sun, it's "very fruity, juicy, good mouth feel, [and] full bodied." And Caragay should know, because it's his Baltimore coffee ship Spro that's selling a 12-ounce cup for $13. Apparently, even during lean times there are fat cats prowling for novel luxuries."

Read the entire article here.

When Woman's Day magazine wanted to know the best places to go on a weekend trip to our fair city, they turned to resident Allison Buchalter to get the inside scoop.

Here are a few of Buchalter's picks:

"1. Best crab house: L.P. Steamers
"It's a fun, casual place with a real neighborhood feel. Sit on the deck, drink a beer and eat delicious crabs. It's hard to get bad crab anywhere in Baltimore."

2. Best park: Linkwood Park
"There's lots of green space and the playground is newly remodeled. Plus you can go 'creek walking.' The Stony Run stream goes through the park�you can either walk on the trail next to it or walk in the stream. My kids stop along the way to make little dams and collect rocks."

3. Best way to see the city: Ed Kane's Water Taxi
"Baltimore is a city defined by its harbor, and the water taxi is a great way to see Inner Harbor and also get to dozens of attractions, like the National Aquarium and the Maryland Science Center. Even the locals take it."

Read the entire article here.