COMING SOON
Cone Head Ice Cream Co.: Sweet news for county dwellers who have come to love the signature scoops and swirls of Bmore Licks in Patterson Park and Federal Hill. Owners Barbara and Kim Maloni are opening a shop in Timonium later this month. Set in a former Raimondi’s Florist space on York Road, Cone Head Ice Cream Co. will offer the owners’ same scratch-made flavors (faves include Salted Caramel, Strawberry Cheesecake, and the blue Cookie Monster), with an expanded lineup of Dole Whip-inspired options.
The new outpost is named after their oldest son, who is recovering from a brain tumor diagnosis earlier this year.
“Cone Head Ice Cream Co. is our way of celebrating resilience, family, and finding reasons to smile, even during difficult times,” Barbara tells us. “We hope it becomes a place where families can gather, make memories, and celebrate life’s big and small moments with ice cream.”
NEATFREAK!: In case you missed it, Matthew Steinberg, co-owner of Meander Art Bar, is launching this new concept in the former Greyhound Tavern in Fells Point. Set to officially debut Aug. 1, NEATFREAK! will be a martini bar at its core, but also showcase affordable wines and worldly spirits. Featuring vinyl and vintage decor from Steinberg’s personal collection, the vibe will center on conversation and hospitality. Steinberg is the sole bartender for now, but don’t be surprised to see guests like Gabe Valladares from Cookhouse or Dre Levon from Clavel drop by from time to time. More details, here.
OPEN
Cafe Terracotta: In collaboration with Johns Hopkins Hospital, chef Spike Gjerde has opened this Mediterranean- inspired breakfast and lunch concept at the Hopkins East Baltimore campus. The menu offers morning coffee and pastries followed by heartier wraps and protein-packed grain bowls for lunch. In true Gjerde fashion, everything incorporates sustainably sourced ingredients from local producers like Moon Valley Farm and Third Way Farm, as well as regenerative growers across the country. You can dine in by properly signing in as a hospital visitor, or order via delivery platforms.
NEWS
Burnt Hill Farm Named Among World’s Best Winery Restaurants: Wine Enthusiast magazine recently named Burnt Hill Farm’s Chef’s Counter one of the “Best Winery Restaurants in the World,” placing the Clarksburg destination among only 57 honorees globally and only 13 in the U.S. The publication highlighted the winery’s new intimate 12-seat Chef’s Counter experience, praising chef Tae Strain’s Korean-influenced cuisine paired with the property’s low-intervention wines produced on its 117-acre regenerative farm.
Rolled out in May, the seven to nine-course menu shares the winery’s ethos while exploring Strain’s roots. The chef, whose resume includes founding the Ggoma Supper Club and helming Momofuku CCDC, was born in Seoul and grew up in Maryland. His opening menu featured shokupan, a Japanese milk bread with house-made sesame honey, as well as rockfish in a shellfish butter. Among the highlights at the Chef’s Counter is the use of Mangalitsa pork, a highly coveted cut of meat known for its melt-in-your-mouth texture.
“This is a very special moment for our team that we are feeling extremely grateful for,” Strain tells us. “[Sibling owners] Drew, Ashli, and Lisa set out with this journey many years ago, and they deserve it all.”
EPICUREAN EVENTS
7/22: Alma x Marta al Mare: Tides and Traditions
Alma Cocina Latina is uniting with chef Matthew Oetting of Marta in Upper Fells Point to give diners a taste of Marta al Mare, Oetting’s soon-to-open sister-concept at Harbor Point. Held at Alma in Station North, “Seafood Tides & Traditions: Mareas y Tradiciones,” will be a five-course communal dinner highlighting the culinary traditions that connect Latin America and the Mediterranean. Oetting and Alma chef Héctor Romero will open the meal with a glass of sparkling wine and an amuse-bouche for each guest. Tickets run $95 and two seatings are available to book via Resy.
7/23: Equitea x Magdalena: A Collaboration in Four Courses
In yet another creative collab, Magdalena at Mt. Vernon’s Ivy Hotel is partnering with Quentin Vennie of Equitea in Remington for a four-course experience that fuses artisan teas into each dish. The evening will begin with cocktail-hour bites before transitioning to dinner helmed by Magdalena’s newly appointed executive chef Brian Schmukler and executive pastry chef Emily Heleba.
Each course will highlight one of Equitea’s blends—from a twig tea-brined scallop and Taiwanese charcoal oolong broth to smoked duck breast with osmanthus oolong plum gastrique and an oolong custard dessert. Guests will hear directly from Vennie and the Magdalena team about the inspiration behind the menu. Seating is limited to 30 guests, with tickets available, here.
7/24: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Soirée at The Milton Inn
Take a drive out to Sparks to embrace midsummer magic with the crew at The Milton Inn. This one-night-only event ($85 pp) promises an evening of seasonal fare, whimsical touches, and garden-party ambiance with live music at the historic Sparks restaurant. Snag your tickets, here.
SHUT
Baby’s on Fire: After nearly a decade as a community gathering spot in Mt. Vernon, Baby’s on Fire will welcome its last guests on July 19. In a website announcement, owners David and Shirlé Koslowski cited significant revenue losses and broader economic challenges as the reasons for the closure, but workers are saying the timing is no coincidence. The news comes weeks after the majority of the café’s eight employees announced plans to unionize with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 27.
“We have been essentially running this business since [the Koslowskis] left Baltimore and moved to Portugal [three years ago],” reads a statement from the organizing committee in a press release. “Our goal has always been to make Baby’s On Fire sustainable and stronger with a unionized staff, but the owners are denying us that chance.”
The fate of the shop, which has long been known for its cafe fare, bins of vinyl, community events, and pay-it-forward meals to neighbors experiencing hardships, remains up in the air. Stay tuned for updates.
Cuples Tea House and Vinyl & Pages: Owners Eric and Lynnette Dodson recently announced plans to close their Harborplace tea house, record store, and bookshop at the end of the summer. Open since 2022, the space brought a unique mix of education on premium teas, plus books, records, and community programming like listening sessions and literary events. As the landscape of Harborplace continues to be in flux, the Dodsons created a reliable cultural hub for visitors.
“Our dream became much bigger than we could have ever imagined,” reads the owners’ statement posted on social media. “Over the years, Cuples and VnP has become a place where people gathered to celebrate, heal, laugh, learn, connect, and simply be.”
Luckily, the duo says that the concept will live on even after the retail space closes. They plan to pop up at local events and farmers markets with tea experiences, and continue to sell curated books and media online.