Two Baltimore hotels are refreshing their restaurants as they renovate their properties.
A new hotel restaurant will come to downtown Baltimore in late April once the
Baltimore Tremont Plaza Suites Hotel converts to Hilton’s Embassy Suites. And the
Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards is rolling out a new menu and farm-to-table concept this month after hiring Executive Chef Bill Downes from the Mayflower Renaissance in Washington, D.C., for its restaurant the Yard.
Brickstones will open first in Baltimore and then expand nationally in other Hilton properties, Project Manager John Hardy says. His Atlanta company,
the John Hardy Group Inc., is overseeing the construction as the Tremont’s makeover into an Embassy Suites. The concept revolves around an open show kitchen with pizza and rotisserie ovens and made-to-order omelets and buffet stations for breakfast. The restaurant will also serve lunch and host a managers’ reception in the evening at the bar with drinks and snacks.
Designed by Hilton with
Next Step Design serving as the food and beverage consultant, Brickstones Grill will replace Tug’s Bar and Grille.
The new restaurant is part of an overall renovation that will include updates to the lobby, health club and 300 guest rooms.
The Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor is relying on
One Straw Farm,
Albright Farms and other local suppliers as it rolls out new signature items, Downes says. The idea is to take classic Baltimore dishes and put a modern twist on them. His creations include crab pot pie topped with phyllo pastry and a brownie sundae topped with
Goetze’s Candy Co. caramels.
The hotel wants to “elevate” the sports bar to suit local tastes that have become more sophisticated and boost the food and beverage sales at the 524-room hotel, General Manager Onahlea Shimunek says. The changes will hopefully help it appeal to locals and not just guests.
Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: John Hardy, the John Hardy Group; Bill Downes and Onahlea Shimunek, Marriott