COMING SOON
Spirit Run by Baltimore Spirits Company: BSC is on the move, but it’s not going far. The co-founders of the award-winning distillery—currently headquartered at Union Collective in Medfield—are shifting production to a new facility that will include an on-site restaurant on Hickory Avenue off of 36th Street in Hampden.
Set to open within the next year, the new homebase will take over an old furniture store across the street from the American Legion and The Bluebird Cocktail Room. It’s all a part of a plan to “enhance the distillery experience,” says co-owner Max Lents, who hints that the restaurant, whose working title is Spirit Run by Baltimore Spirits Company, will offer a French-inspired menu and vibe similar to distilleries you might visit in Europe.
“The distillery food experience in America is burgers and barbecue,” Lents says. “This is going to be an elevated concept.”
Though the full menu is still in the works, the team is collaborating with a yet-to-be-announced local chef and plans to host tasting events at their current Cocktail Gallery (the first of which is set for June 25) to gauge feedback as the offerings take shape. The food will, of course, complement BSC’s catalog, which includes varieties of its signature Epoch Rye, Shot Tower Gin, Baltamaro, and new Avenue Rum—a fitting name given the new location.
The news comes at an all-around transformative time for BSC, as it recently announced that it has stopped distribution to bars, restaurants, and liquor stores across the country to hone in on quality and the “experience within our own walls.” Cheers to the continuation of that philosophy in the new digs.
OPEN
Kawaii Vida: The next time you visit Franchesca’s Empanadas Cafe in Highlandtown, be sure to pop into this new sister-spot next door. Run by Franchesca’s daughter, Valerie Nuñez, Kawaii Vida is a Japanese-inspired shop offering coffees, matcha, and shelves stocked with Asian snacks. It’s also a DIY craft studio, so while you’re sipping an ube latte or nibbling on macarons, you can customize fresh phone cases, hair clips, and mirrors with charms and gems.
NEWS
Pink Flamingo Gets a New Chef: Chef Ricky Johnson, who readers may remember from his brick-oven pizza concept Forno near the Hippodrome (RIP), took over kitchen operations at Remington’s Pink Flamingo in May, after a stint at Estiatorio Plaka in Greektown. With Johnson at the helm, the menu has been refreshed with dishes like miso-glazed fish and chips, Wagyu flank steak, ceviche, jerk half chicken, and a maitake mushroom sando. Rest assured, regulars. The fan-fave Spam chips and dip and stacked burgers are still on there.
Co-owner Brendan Dorr says the versatile chef—who has already shown Baltimore his range with the flavors of Italy and Greece—was eager to embrace the tropical concept: “He just wants to cook good food,” Dorr says. “He really nailed the flavors and visuals.”
EPICUREAN EVENTS
6/23: Sail250 Friends of James Beard Dinner with Living Classrooms
A star-studded local chef lineup is on board for this collaboration dinner on June 23 to kick off Sail250—Baltimore’s tall ships and airshow in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. Planned in conjunction with Living Classrooms and the James Beard Foundation, the multi-course, wine-paired evening will take place on the water at the historic Frederick Douglass–Isaac Myers Maritime Park.
Dishes will be prepared by featured chefs Spike Gjerde of Woodberry Kitchen, Steve Chu of Ekiben, Jasmine Norton of The Urban Oyster, Carlos Raba of Clavel, Tae Strain of Burnt Hill Farm, Kiko Fejarang of The Duchess, Scott Bacon of The Fishmonger’s Daughter, Jinji Fraser of Jinji’s Chocolate, and Kaity Mitchell of La Jetée. Beverages will be curated by Tony Foreman of Foreman + Co., Dre Levon of Clavel, and Gabe Valladares of Cookhouse, with oysters shucked by Dylan’s Oyster Cellar and The Urban Oyster.
Tickets start at $250 (VIP is $650 and includes an after-party with the chefs at La Jetée) and proceeds benefit Living Classrooms, the James Beard Foundation Legacy Network, and the Novella Center for Entrepreneurship.
SHUT
DMV Empanadas Closes at Cross Street Market: On May 17, the bright yellow stall marked its last day at Federal Hill’s Cross Street Market—a decision co-owner Michely “Nacho” Almaraz attributed to a decline in sales and foot traffic. It’s been a rough stretch for the eatery, which was denied a stall at the Baltimore Farmers Market this season, losing what Almaraz called their best market.
But it’s not all bad news. The brand’s trucks and pop-ups still hit the Pratt Street lunch market on Thursday afternoons, as well as the Fells Point and 32nd Street farmers markets on Saturday mornings. Plus, the family’s first Charm City storefront, DMV Empanadas & Latin Kitchen, is slated to open on North Calvert street downtown later this summer, serving Peruvian and Bolivian dishes, saltados, and northern Peruvian-style fried chicken.