nightlife : Development News

A Howard County barbecue joint is cooking up expansion plans.  Smokin' Hot Bar and Grille, which offers pulled pork, pit beef and chicken, plans to enlarge its space and add live music by January.
 
The Glenwood restaurant received approval from the county to expand the restaurant from 2,740 square-feet to 4,100 square-feet. In its expansion, the restaurant will expand to the location next door in the Inwood Village Center. Owner Brett Arnold says he could invest as much as $50,000 in the expansion.
 
In its current configuration, the restaurant's dining space becomes too crowded during the nights that the restaurant offers live music, Arnold says.
 
The space will be used to accommodate the bands that play as well as providing a retail space for the restaurant selling a variety of barbecue sauces and t-shirts, says owner Brett Arnold.
 
Smokin' Hot's sauces have names like Texas Red and Alabama White, and range from the mild Brown Sugar Baby to smoking hot Black Jack.
 
Menu items include Texas braised beef and chilies, pulled pork BBQ, beef stew, corned beef and cabbage, and vegetarian BBQ. While the restaurant is known for its barbecue, Smokin Hot also sells appetizers, seafood such as shrimp scampi, salads, a variety of side dishes and desserts.
 
The restaurant currently employs 30 people and plans to add additional staff after the expansion.
 
The restaurant opened nearly three years ago and Arnold says he's considering expanding the restaurant to other locations including Sykesville, Baltimore, and Washington.
 
"We're always looking, but it has to be the right thing," Arnold says.
 
Source: Brett Arnold, owner
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
 
 

Restaurants in Little Italy will get a new neighbor this winter.
 
Following a total renovation, a new restaurant, Ozra, plans to open at 806 Stiles St. in December. 

The restaurant will focus on Mediterranean and Persian cuisine, serving lamb, beef, and chicken kabobs and Greek desserts, in a contemporary and simple setting, says Reza Holland, a partner in the project. Dinner entrée prices will range from $12 to $22.

"We're surrounded by nice restaurants but we didn't want to compete with Italian food, we wanted to do something complementary," Holland says.

The 2,100-square-foot restaurant near Vaccaro's Italian Pastry Shop will feature outdoor, terrace seating and bar on the second floor. An additional bar is planned for the first floor. 

The owners hope to create a contemporary and clean look inside the restaurant with neutral colors and an emphasis on exceptional lighting. Additionally, one of the partners in the project is an artist who has done architecture and design work and will use that expertise in the design of Ozra, Holland says. 
 
Holland says a group of investors chose the location due to its proximity to the Inner Harbor and an assortment of additional fine dining establishments. Holland says the investors purchased the property in 2009 after it had changed hands many times due to its prime location.
 
Holland says the owners are in the process of selecting a New York chef to develop the menu and train the staff. 
 
From 1906 to 1981, the location was home to Impallaria/Gramigna Bakery, with 18 years of closure during the mid-60s and 70s, according to The Baltimore Sun.
 
According to state property and taxation records, the property was purchased in 2009 for $275,000.
 
Source: Reza Holland, partner, Ozra
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
 

Big changes are in store for Pike's Diner on Reisterstown Road in Pikesville.
 
The restaurant is now known as Pike's Crab House and Grill and is less of a diner and will have a greater emphasis on seafood. The restaurant still serves prime rib, ribs and fried chicken.

Pike's Crab House and Grill opened after $50,000 in renovations that includes two new bars: one indoors and one outside with an 80-foot awning.

Owner Wil Reich says he has also added a wall dividing the restaurant and bar from a 3,000-square-foot area that will hold a store selling wine, beer and liquor. The 7,000 square-foot restaurant is now 4,000 square feet to make room for the retail operation.

Rich says he hopes that excitement about a new concept and demand for a liquor store will draw more customers. Because of the proximity of many other restaurants on the block, Reich says he believes there is a great demand for customers to purchase beer, wine, and liquor after getting carryout. 

Located at 921 Reisterstown Road, the restaurant is on the same block as Jilly's, Mari Luna, and Vernisage Restaurant, among others. Reich also owns Jilly's. 
 
Dinner entrees such as the crab cake platter top off at $25. The breakfast menu will still be available as well during specific hours.
 
Reich has owned the movie-themed diner for six years. The business features life-like statues of various movie stars to pay homage to the building's previous life as a single-screen movie theater. It will continue to feature live music on Saturday nights. The restaurant expects to add an additional 10 employees to the restaurant's current total of 20 employees.
 
Source: Wil Reich, owner Pike's Crab House and Grill
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
 

After a season of closure for renovations, the Belvedere's the 13th Floor will open Oct. 4 with a new design and concept.
 
Known for its dramatic views of Baltimore, the restaurant and lounge located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood has been closed since April.
 
The restaurant's parent company Belvedere Restaurant Group focused on creating a new look and approach for the space by hiring local PR firm Vitamin to rebrand the spot, Owner Sondra Goad says. The restaurant group is spending $500,000 on the renovations. 
 
Interior designer Joley King hoped to design a space that combines a modern aesthetic with reminders of the building's historic past including some of the original steel columns. The building will also feature custom designed stained glass as well as artisan steel furniture in a tribute to Baltimore's steel history, Goad says. 
 
"The 13th Floor will be a place to unwind, to talk, and to connect, while being above the daily grind in one of Baltimore's most historic landmarks," Goad says.
 
Goad says the bar and restaurant will cater to an upscale crowd as well as expanding the uses of the space to focus on private, catered events and wedding parties.
 
A Beaux Arts style building, the Belvedere is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The former hotel was the premier lodging in Baltimore in the first half of the 20th century with guests such as John F. Kennedy, Woodrow Wilson, and Clark Gable. In 1991, the building converted to condos with restaurants and bars remaining open to the public.
 
Other businesses inside the building, now a condo complex, include the Owl Bar and Truffles Catering.
 
Source: Sondra Goad, owner of Belvedere Restaurant Group.
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]

Construction on the historic Senator Theatre could begin the end of this month or early September now that it has the city's go ahead, says Kathleen Cusack, a co-leasee of the property with her father, Buzz Cusack.

The new Senator with its four movie screens and wine bar could open March 2013, depending on the construction schedule. The city's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation OK'd the Cusacks' plan earlier this month. The entire project is costing $3 million, of which the Cusacks are investing $1 million, and the remainder is from a commercial bank loan and city and state funding.

The Cusacks are now in the process of restoring the main lobby. The original wood paneling and mural are under restoration and professional artists have been hired to do the work, she says. Cusack says the restored theater and its additions will open together, and not in phases. 

The Senator Theatre occupies about 65 percent of its lot, leaving a small area for parking in the rear. Cusack says they are expanding the theater by “filling in the corners” of the lot with the construction of the three new theaters and the wine bar.

The main theater “needs a lot of work,” Cusack says. It formerly seated between 800 to 900 people, but the original seats are being replaced with seats that are larger and more comfortable and she expects its seating capacity to be 770 when the work is done.

Cusack leases The Charles Theater, 1711 North Charles St., in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District. But Cusack says that plans for the Senator are quite different from the Charles.
 
“The Charles is an art house,” says Cusack, and plays films that are often not shown in other venues in Baltimore.  “The Senator has never been an art house. It has always played big Hollywood products. And, we don’t want to compete with the Charles.”
 
After a competitive process in which four proposals were submitted, Baltimore City last year awarded the Cusacks a 40-year lease on the property. The city bought the theater three years ago after it went into foreclosure. 
 
One of the new auditoriums will have a seating capacity of 150; the other two auditoriums will seat between 60 to 80 people each. “It will be like any movie theater with multiple screens. The auditoriums will play national movies,” like the Senator itself, she says.
 
The wine bar will serve light fare and feature outdoor tables along York Road.
 
“Our vision is to restore the Senator as a beautiful Art Deco movie palace,” says Cusack.
 
Source: Kathleen Cusack, The Senator Theatre
Writer: Barbara Pash

Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant is spending $3 million to open a 329-seat eatery in Harbor East, becoming the latest new establishment to call the growing nightlife and shopping destination home. It's also one of the many breweries and beer-themed restaurants enjoying brisk sales. 

Known for its German lagers, Gordon Biersch will open its third Maryland store at 1000 Lancaster St. Oct. 22. The restaurant will employ around 80 and have at least six beers on tap, says Kelly Wilson, Gordon Biersch’s director of marketing. The building houses Charleston and Harbor Bank of Maryland.

“Harbor East is an attractive urban location that is home to numerous business headquarters as well as hotels to accommodate the business traveler,” the company’s Vice President of Real Estate John Tugman wrote in an email. “Harbor East has potential for growth.”

J. Crew, Anthropologie and MAC Cosmetics recently moved to the area. Last year, the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore opened last, along with celebrity-chef led restaurant Wit & Wisdom. It added outdoor seating for its Wit & Wisdom bar and welcomed Japanese restaurant PABU this year. The hotel also features artisan coffeehouse Lamill Coffee.

Gordon Biersch executives say they will continue to focus on the Baltimore area after having had success in other mid-Atlantic areas. Beer-themed eateries were the fastest-growing restaurant segment last year, according to Chicago food consulting firm Technomic Inc.

Gordon Biersch' sales grew 22 percent last year. The Chattanooga, Tenn., company operates about 30 restaurants in 20 states. Its two Maryland sites are in Annapolis and Rockville. 

Two years ago, private equity firm Centerbridge Capital Partners acquired the chain, now a subsidiary of CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries. 

Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Kelly Wilson and John Tugman, Gordon Biersch 

Phaze 10 opened this month in Mount Vernon and plans to offer American food, specialty drinks and live entertainment such as jazz and open-mic nights. While the business will start in Baltimore, the company eventually plans to expand to additional locations outside the area, Managing Partner Tony Randall says.
 
The restaurant currently employs 24 and is hiring for additional bartenders, servers and cooks. 
 
The multi-level, 6,000-square-foot, upscale restaurant and carry-out grill at 855 N. Howard St. offers Southern food with a Caribbean twist including barbeque spare ribs, salmon and crab cakes, Randall says.
 
Prices range from $15 to $25 for an entree in the restaurant, and entrees from $5 to $15 in the grill carryout location.
 
Randall wants to create a location for a mature crowd that enjoys the atmosphere and nightlife of D.C. or Philadelphia, but with the unique spirit of Baltimore and closer to home.
 
"We tried to create a place that we imagined we'd like to go to," Randall says.
 
The restaurant will focus on bringing live jazz and neo-soul acts in addition to open-mic nights and comedy. It has live entertainment slated Wednesday through Saturday nights.
 
A Baltimore native and graduate of Morgan State University, Randall has long been involved with the music and entertainment industry in Baltimore. A 30-year IT professional, Randall and his business associates founded a computer-consulting firm, TT Systems Inc. and the partners have invested in the new business together.
 
Source: Tony Randall, managing partner of Phaze 10
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
 
 

 Federal Hill's Blue Agave will have a different feel when it reopens later this week.
 
New owners took over the Mexican restaurant last month and are wrapping up renovations to the 2,500-square-foot space. The two-week renovations began last week and during that time the restaurant has been closed, General Manager Adam Pashkevich says.

As part of the changes, the restaurant plans to open up the space by tearing down some walls, and making the exterior more inviting for customers. The restaurant will get new floors, a complete bathroom renovation, and a new bar surface, Pashkevich says.

While the changes won’t expand the space, Pashkevich says he believes more open space will create a better experience for guests. There will also be more server stations for faster food delivery.

Some changes will happen on the menu, such as adding fajitas, taking away less popular items, and some lower prices on food items, but the restaurant will stay true to its original concept of authentic Mexican food. The restaurant will also be open daily instead of Tuesday through Sunday. To accommodate the changes, some new staff will be added to the restaurant’s current staff of 20.

The new management previously worked at Macky’s in Ocean City, and each member of the team brings over 10 years of restaurant experience, Pashkevich says.
 
Source: Adam Pashkevich, general manager
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
 
 

Highlandtown businesses want to offer you a seat outside this summer.
 
Six restaurants and businesses in the Highlandtown Merchants Association submitted applications to the city's zoning board this month for outdoor table seating. The move is an attempt by area businesses to boost sales and beautify their neighborhood with outdoor seating.
 
The applications for outdoor seating were part of a plan, two years in the making, to create a more inviting space for diners and shoppers in the area, says Jody Rosoff, treasurer of the Highlandtown Merchants Association and owner of Docs Smokeshop on Eastern Avenue. Rosoff wants outdoor seating in front her business. 
 
Other businesses that want to have outdoor seating include the Creative Alliance, Filippo's Pizzeria, Mi Viejo Pueblito, and Little Morocco Cafe.
 
Rosoff says that outdoor seating for restaurants and other businesses will add dimension to storefronts and create a more "charming" atmosphere. The tables will also invite guests to stay around to shop and dine.
 
The Highlandtown Merchants Association paid for the $250 initial permit fee per business to encourage businesses to participate in the outdoor seating campaign, Rosoff says.
 
But the total cost of having outdoor seating is likely an investment of several thousand dollars for the expense of the tables and additional yearly fees.There are 300 businesses that are part of Highlandtown Main Street. 
 
As part of the permitting process, each merchant had to present a document with the proposed outdoor seating in front of their business. Each business will go before the city’s zoning board to determine if the business will be allowed to have outdoor seating. The city’s zoning board has yet to set a hearing date on applications from merchants in Highlandtown.

The Creative Alliance was already putting together an application for outdoor seating when they were approached by the merchant's association. The performing arts venue wanted to add outdoor table service for its new restaurant project in partnership with Clementine. Clementine at Creative Alliance, a full restaurant, will open May 17, says Andre Mazelin, theatre and rental manager at the Creative Alliance. 
 
 
Sources: Jody Rosoff, treasurer of the Highlandtown Merchants Association and owner of Docs Smokeshop on Eastern Avenue.
Andre Mazelin, theatre and rental manager at the Creative Alliance. 
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
 

Just in time for baseball season, Pratt Street Ale House is ready to unveil its three-story expansion.
 
A new addition to Pratt Street Ale House will open this week leading into the Baltimore Oriole's season opener April 6. The ale house is located downtown, across the street from the convention center.
 
After three months of renovations, Pratt Street Ale House will open two new full-service bars adjoining their existing location. The 5,800-square-foot addition also allows the company to reserve space for private parties and events without sacrificing floor space for walk-up customers, says Co-owner Justin Dvorkin.
 
The renovations were timed to coincide with the opening of the Orioles season and are a key part of the company's future growth, Dvorkin says.
 
The new space will serve as an extension of Pratt Street Ale House and will offer the same menu. A banquet menu will be offered for private parties who book the location in advance, Dvorkin says.
 
Additionally, the ale house has been actively hiring and training 15 new employees for its opening.
 
Oliver Breweries, which brews beer onsite for Pratt Street Ale House, opened at the restaurant location in 1993 with the aim to create authentic English ales.
 
Earlier this year, Oliver Breweries was involved with a local brewing cooperative that plans to open a large-scale brewery in Waverly. The company is no longer involved with the project however, and plans to continue expanding brewing with their own onsite equipment, Dvorkin says.
 
Pratt Street Ale House is located at 206 W. Pratt St. 
 
Source: Justin Dvorkin, co-owner of Pratt Street Ale House
Writer: Alexandra Wilding, [email protected]
 

A Baltimore businessman will open a Middle Eastern restaurant and smoke shop in Upper Fells Point, not far from the Brass Monkey Saloon, Asahi Sushi and the Latin Palace.

Akram Ayyad will invest between $20,000 and $50,000 to open a 1,200-square-foot restaurant and smoke shop at 1611 Eastern Ave. The plan awaits approval from the city's zoning board, expected next month. Ayyad has yet to determine a name for the venue. 
 
Ayyad hopes to create a upscale casual venue that will serve light fare falafel and hummus, soft drinks and desserts. The business will also offer tobacco products such as cigars and possibly hookah. No alcohol will be served.
 
No major renovations are expected even though the building was used formerly as a clothing store, Ayyad says.
 
Ayyad plans to run the business with his brother. Together the brothers also operate additional business ventures such as a deli, and a small towing company. Ayyad moved to Baltimore 12 years ago from Jerusalem to join his extended family that has been here since the 1950s.
 
Baltimore’s zoning board rejected Ayyad’s initial application because unlike tobacco shops, smoke shops are not listed as permitted or conditional uses in Baltimore.
 
Smoking in restaurants has been banned in Baltimore since 2008 and is currently regulated by the Baltimore City Health Department. However, some businesses can apply for exemptions from the indoor smoking ban such as retail tobacco establishments.
 
A retail tobacco establishment can qualify if at least 75 percent of its revenues come from non-cigarette tobacco products, and the entry of minors is prohibited.
 
If the appeal goes through, tobacco products will make up 75 percent of sales at the yet unnamed restaurant with the remainder on food, Ayyad says.
 
Pending approval for the zoning board and other city agencies, Ayyad hopes the establishment will open in late May.
 
 
Source: Akram Ayyad, business owner
Writer: Alexandra Wilding
 

Camden Yards is hoping for a home run off the field this season. 

The stadium is building on the winning combination of beer and baseball by creating a brewpub and on-site brewery inside Camden Yards. 

The new restaurant planned for Oriole Park at Camden Yards will be a family-friendly brewpub with a sports focus and will open around opening day this spring, says Delaware North Cos.' Food and Beverage Director Adrian Sedano. Delaware North Cos. provides food, beverage and retail merchandise services at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
 
While the name and menu of the restaurant is still being determined, the brewpub plans to brew its own beer on-site and offer a traditional brewpub menu including burgers and sandwiches. Sedano says he can't yet disclose the number of seats or square footage. 

Oriole Park at Camden Yards hopes to become a year-round destination by creating concession areas that overlook the baseball field. In late December, the Stadium Authority requested $1.8 million from the state's Board of Public Works to renovate picnic-areas and create a year-round "park-like destination."  
 
Delaware North Companies Cos., a hospitality and food service company headquartered in Buffalo, is receiving consulting on the restaurant from Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Inc. a corporation in Chicago that owns restaurants in Illinois, Nevada, Washington, D.C, Minneapolis and Arizona. It owns Bethesda French bistro Mon Ami Gabi. 
 
The restaurant has started the hiring process and expects to employ between 30 and 50 employees at its location at 333 W. Pratt St.
 
Sedano says he thinks the future brewpub will be a place where families can come to enjoy a great sports atmosphere, in-house brewing, and a view of Camden Yards.
 
The brewpub concept with on-site brewing is the first of its kind for Delaware North Cos., Sedano ays.

Source: Adrian Sedano, food and beverage director for Delaware North Companies
Writer: Alexandra Wilding

BangBang Mongolian Grill, a create-your-own stir-fry restaurant that touts its heart-healthy fare, will open Valentine's Day in   Canton's Can Co. building.

Midwestern snowstorms delayed the shipping of equipment for the 4,000-square-foot restaurant, pushing the expected opening from last fall until now, says Dr. Shawn Dhillon managing partner for the restaurant. Additionally, the restaurant didn't want to hasten their building process to compromise quality, says Dhillon.
 
Bangbang Mongolian Grill replaces the former Austin Grill, which closed over a year ago at The Can Company.
 
Additionally, the restaurant plans to employ 45 to 50 people on its staff from workers in the kitchen to managers. The majority of the hiring has been completed, says Dhillon.
 
Dhillon expects the second Mongolian Grill to open in early March at 15752 Annapolis Rd. in Bowie.
 
Along with his partners, Dhillon plans to open an additional four grills and is currently scouting locations in Annapolis, Washington, and Virginia.
 
The format of the restaurant allows patrons select from their choice of chicken, beef, pork, seafood, and vegetables with choices of spices and sauces making for a meal that Dhillon believes is healthy and balanced.

Writer: Alexandra Wilding
Source: Dr. Shawn Dillon, BangBang Mongolian Grill

The building that houses the WindUp Space and Cyclops among others in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District will soon be ready for its close up.
 
The façade of the entire North Avenue Market building will undergo a $1 million renovation starting in April, says Carolyn E. Frenkil, co-owner of the space.

Used bookstore Cyclops will renovate to make way for a coffee shop. The market is also poised to add a new tenant within the next two months in a vacant gallery space. Frenkil expects the yet unnamed tenant to plan various events, shows, and exhibits to bring additional visibility to the market.
 
The North Avenue Market building, built in 1928, also houses Liam Flynn's Ale House and Baltimore Print Studios.
 
"You can't tell a book by its cover, but if it doesn't have an interesting cover, who's going to open it?" Frenkil says.
 
Some of the planned renovations include a new paint job, additional lighting for the building, and opening up long-covered exterior windows.

Cyclops' renovations are expected to begin when the façade renovations commence, Frenkil says.
 
The Reinvestment Fund, a Philadelphia-based developer, is working with the owners of the North Avenue Market to finance the renovations.
 
Frenkil hopes the facelift will help to generate business for all of the establishments in the Station North Arts District as part of the resurgence in development of an area has long been affected by crime, vacancies, and urban decay. 
 
"When people drive up Charles and hit North Avenue the lights will be on and people will say 'Something is happening on North Ave'," Frenkil says.
 
Frenkil wants North Avenue to develop organically into a unique destination arts district where customers will find the products of the creative energy of Baltimore's residents.
 
"Why mimic someone when you have an opportunity to create something?  We want to create a destination, not a drive-by. If we do what others do, what makes us different? Why come to North Ave.?" Frenkil says. 

Writer: Allie Wilding
Source: Carolyn Frenkil, North Avenue Market

A two-story restaurant and event center offering live music, dinner theatre, and comedy shows is slated to open in late February in Baltimore's Cherry Hill neighborhood.

Angels Event Center aims to provide a place for local talent to be showcased in a community that doesn't have many dining and entertainment options, Owner Julie Mosteller says.

"If you provide something, people will come,” Mosteller says. “Everyone has an opportunity to change. I want to be part of that positive change.”

The downstairs of the building will be a restaurant – whose menu is still being developed -- and the upstairs will hold entertainment. Mosteller says two jazz groups are lined up to perform and that she plans to provide an intimate and authentic dinner theatre experience.

Mosteller, a Baltimore native, graduated from Western High School and spent five years working as a Baltimore police officer. She also served in the military and is using some of her veteran’s benefits to start the business. Mosteller declined to disclose the amount she's invested in the event center, but the project is her first restaurant. 

Additionally, Mosteller hopes to empower people in the community by offering events at the center such as financial literacy workshops.

Angels Event Center is located at 1810 Cherry Hill Rd. in Baltimore.

Writer: Alexandra Wilding
Source: Julie Mosteller