OPEN
The Copper Shark: Now open in the former Ludlow Market space—perhaps more widely remembered as the home of Wine Market Bistro—in Locust Point, Copper Shark serves up craft cocktails with a focus on bourbon. As its website notes, “Copper Shark pays homage to our state’s freedom-loving roots by serving authentic bottles of privately labeled bourbons aged to perfection.” Diners can pair the strong sippers with charcuterie boards, prime cuts of beef, crispy polenta, spring lamb with a fava bean ragout, and other seasonal dishes. Drool-worthy appetizers are also on offer (the crispy fried burrata certainly has our attention) if you’re looking for a spot to grab drinks and snacks. The new concept hails from Mid-Atlantic Eateries, the restaurant group behind breakfast-and-lunch chain Eggspectation.
HK Fish House: Get those loaded seafood nachos while you can. HK Fish House is back at R. House’s pop-up stall through June 14. From owners Henry Dudley and Kimberly VanKline, HK Fish House serves up southern seafood dishes with New York flair. Other popular menu items include crabs balls and the City Island Fish Sandwich, made with fried North Atlantic whiting, cherry peppers, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, house pickles, and HK Boss Sauce on buttered brioche. HK’s seafood brunch shouldn’t be missed either. Try specials like the crab hash with smoked turkey gravy and scrambled eggs or mainstays like the salmon cakes.
COMING SOON
Rooted Rotisserie: A new restaurant centered around French rotisserie-style cooking plans to open its doors in Southwest Baltimore this August. From husband-and-wife team Joseph and Amanda Burton, Rooted Rotisserie will offer dishes like rotisserie-style chicken and duck leg confit at 1116 Hollins St., directly across from Hollins Market. Joseph says the concept was inspired by the couple’s trips to France, where they fell in love with the rotisserie techniques they observed at markets in Bastille.
Joseph and Amanda met at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program. While Amanda was drawn toward the operations and sales side of the industry (she previously worked for Marriott), Joseph trained as a chef and has worked for local restaurant group Foreman Wolf. He also helped to open Giada De Laurentiis’ restaurant inside Horseshoe Casino. With Amanda, he’s excited to strike out on his own.
“I’m actually from West Baltimore, and we’re opening maybe 10 minutes from where I was born and raised,” Joseph says. “It’s surreal being able to open a restaurant just down the street from where I was dreaming about this.”
Diners can expect a rotisserie oven as the focal point of the space. Chickens will be brined with a preserved lemon and herb vinaigrette throughout the rotisserie process. Duck leg confit will be served with local field greens in a shallot and poppyseed dressing. Another staple item will be a rotisserie chicken sandwich served on a buttermilk bun with arugula, which the Burtons unveiled at the Sowebo Arts & Music Festival over Memorial Day Weekend. The owners plan to work with a variety of Maryland purveyors, including farms and a bread baker, to keep things fresh and local.
“We feel this concept is very different because a lot of the time when you hear ‘rotisserie,’ you automatically think of Peruvian chicken, and that’s great,” Joseph says. “But this is something new, something exciting. If people travel abroad to France they might say they’ve had that in Baltimore.”
Blondie’s Doughnuts: Blondie’s Doughnuts—known for its signature brioche dough recipe—will open its first brick-and-mortar spot later this summer. The new sweet shop will be located at 8 Mayo Road in Edgewater, which is near owner Michelle Diggs’ home and is an ideal area to serve Blondie’s strong DMV customer base. The space will have around 13 seats for customers to enjoy Diggs’ bite-sized doughnut holes, as well as fan-favorite flavors like the Jazzy Josie, a lemon drop doughnut named after Josephine Baker.
With the retail space, Diggs also plans to serve breakfast items, coffee, and even unveil an ice cream line inspired by the shop’s most popular doughnut varieties. (Think flavors like lemon soft serve, a spin on Blondie’s popular lemon curd-filled doughnuts, and brown butter, a nod to the brown butter frosting used to top off its cinnamon rolls.) Diggs is also working on ice cream sandwiches and doughnut ice cream cones.
“Having our own location means having a lot more fun with trying things that have been hard to do in shared kitchen spaces,” Diggs says. “This will give us room to flex a bit more and offer something different that we don’t see in this area.”
You can still find Blondie’s on the road via its food truck and at pop-ups and farmers’ markets around town. Diggs recommends following Blondie’s Instagram page for info on fun offers ahead of the retail shop’s opening.
NEWS
Alfred Restaurant Group Signs Lease for Three New Dining Concepts Inside Admiral Fell Inn: The owner of Duck Duck Goose in Fells Point is expanding his culinary footprint in the neighborhood. Ashish Alfred of Alfred Restaurant Group announced last week that he has signed a lease for three new dining concepts within the Admiral Fell Inn, located next door to Duck Duck Goose on South Broadway. The new concepts include Anchor Bar, which will debut this fall in the inn’s current tavern space and offer cocktails and light fare; a yet-to-be- named Italian concept, slated to open this winter in the former Points South Latin Kitchen; and a catering and events offering on the inn’s top floor.
”Expanding into the Admiral Fell Inn is a natural next step for the Alfred Restaurant Group,” Alfred said in a press release. “It’s something we have been working on for a long time, and expanding our footprint not only adds to the thoughtful restaurants within our own portfolio, but also further raises the profile of Fells Point, as this historic corner will truly become known as a hospitality destination both locally and nationwide. We’re committed to this city and have no plans to stop investing in and improving upon the culinary scene here.”
He added: “Admiral Fell Inn is arguably one of Baltimore’s best kept secrets. That will not be for long.”
EPICUREAN EVENTS
6/11-12: Union Craft Brewing’s 10th Anniversary Celebration
Great things are in store for those who decide to drop by Union Collective in Hampden this weekend. The brewery will celebrate its 10th anniversary Saturday and Sunday with a special neon theme, inspired by the fact that neon’s atomic number is 10. And two very special guests will be in attendance: Saturday Night Live alum and Portlandia star Fred Armisen will DJ on the main stage (yes, you read that right!) on Saturday night, and Nigerian musician Femi Kuti will perform with his son Made Kuti and The Positive Force Band. Femi and Made are the son and grandson, respectively, of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti.
Partygoers can also expect plenty of beer, of course. New collabs will be on tap (including one with The Brewers Art), as well as barrel-aged brews from the Workshop by Union series and other special anniversary releases. These include Triple Duckpin, “the biggest, hoppiest, West Coast-style IPA we’ve ever made,” the brewery wrote on Instagram. On-site food vendors will include Well Crafted Kitchen, Ekiben, The Local Oyster, Snake Hill, Toki Tako, and The Charmery. Tickets start at $38.
6/14: Honeygrow’s 10th Birthday Celebration
This Philadelphia-based salad and stir-fry chain—which has five DMV-area locations in Harbor Point, Charles Village, Rockville, Tysons Corner, and Reston, Virginia—will celebrate its 10th birthday next week with a day-long event. On Tuesday, June 14, customers can order a free honeybar (a fruit-based sweet treat) at all locations with code BIRTHDAY. Honeygrow will also launch its new summer menu that day starring two new dishes: A spicy chicken cheesesteak stir-fry inspired by the company’s Philly roots, as well as a cheesecake honeybar made with strawberries, blueberries, streusel crumble, and cheesecake filling.
“I can’t believe it has already been 10 years since we made that first stir-fry (it was a spicy garlic!) at our 16th Street spot,” said Honeygrow founder and CEO Justin Rosenberg, in a press release. “Ten years is a significant milestone for any company, and if not for the passion and dedication of our customers in supporting us through so much, we simply would not be here.”