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The fine-dining Harbor East establishment is promoting Michael Correll, former chef de cuisine at the restaurant group’s Cunningham’s in Towson.

Correll, whose resume includes stints at the acclaimed La Croix in Philadelphia and a position as executive sous chef at the short-lived, second iteration of The Chesapeake, will not make any significant changes to the seasonal New American menu, though he will add his own touch with a few dishes still in development.

This chef change marks the second turnover at Fleet Street in the past six months or so.

Last spring, chef Chris Amendola was replaced by chef Nate Magat (formerly executive chef at Bagby’s Ten Ten American Bistro). Today, it was announced that Magat is leaving his post to move back to his native California.

“We are fortunate enough to be a large enough restaurant group to have a lot of talent to draw from,” says Dave Seel, director of public relations for the Bagby Group. “Chef Correll comes from a strong culinary background, and we’re lucky that we can maintain consistency by pulling from talent within.” 

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New categories for the cooking industry’s prestigious award were also revealed, including an award for Outstanding Baker. (Our nomination goes to John Aversa of the Bagby Restaurant Group.) Two additional new categories for visual artistry include: Podcast and Visual and Technical Excellence for broadcast media.

The restaurant and chef award semifinalists will be announced on February 18, 2015. Finalists in all categories will be made public on March 24, 2015.

Last year, Charleston’s Cindy Wolf and Woodberry Kitchen’s Spike Gjerde made us proud when the were nominated for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. (Both Wolf and Gjerde have been nominated before, Wolf in 2006 and 2008, and Gjerde in 2013, but neither has had a win.) We are keeping our fingers crossed for this time around. 

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With the departure of Chris Amendola from Fleet Street Kitchen, chef Nate Magat (formerly of Ten Ten) has stepped up to the plate. We’re told that the Magat will put his own touches on the table with more eclectic, international twists such as his Camarones ‘Al Mojo’ dish, shrimp with spring onion, shallots, green garlic, and sweet black garlic.

To fill the void at Ten Ten, chef John Hufnagel, the former sous chef at Bagby-owned Cunningham’s, will offer his modern vision on classic American cuisine with dishes such as Local Pork with Summer Succotash and a Ramp Ranch. 

Happy tasting!

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While the menu options remain sophisticated with glazed
sunchokes, bone marrow, and a pig face and pickles plate, the prices are
much more reasonable than Fleet Street’s dining room. At a media dinner
last night, the restaurant group’s director of marketing Dave Seel
explained that The Tavern Room will focus on small plates and appetizers
(which they call “tastes”) rather than a full tasting menu.

Another exciting aspect of The Tavern Room are the punches
that beverage director Tim Riley has whipped up exclusively for the
space. Meant to be shared between 2-4 people, the punches include Cry of
Delores (Crema de Mezcal, apple brandy, sherry, smoked tea, and
citrus); Colonel Baldwin’s Punch (Haitian rum, old cognac, Madeira,
Cherry Heering, and lemons); and Kentucky Navy (bourbon, rye, spearmint
tea, black walnut bitters, citrus, local cider). All of the
punches—served in communal Mason jars—were lovely, but we especially
loved the minty, aromatic flavors of the Kentucky Navy.

Also new
is The Tavern Room’s happy hour, which is Monday-Friday 5-7 p.m. and
features half-price small plates and tastes, as well as $5 beer, $6
cocktails, and $7 glasses of wine.

All in all, the new space is a
welcome addition to the restaurant concept, as it will make Fleet
Street Kitchen, as a whole, feel less intimidating and more inviting.

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Cunningham’s, pictured at top, as a space was stunning, which food and travel editor Suzanne Loudermilk has already written about. I loved the open kitchen, beautiful lighting and decor, and sizeable square-shaped light-up bar (a signature at Bagby restaurants). The three-course meal we got was excellent (stand-outs included the beet salad, short ribs, and apple tart).

I also sampled a few cocktails, my favorite of which was the Pistols for Two a concoction of Madeira, bourbon, Eastern Shore peach shrub, honey, lemon, and nutmeg sprinkled on top of crushed ice. The drink was bright and tart, with just the right amount of sweetness from the local peaches. While not available the night we went, Cunningham’s will also be featuring barrel-aged cocktails, which are sure to have an extra bit of smoky flavor. Also available was a good wine selection (which you choose from an iPad!) and a handful of local beers on tap. 

Another great addition to the local bar/restaurant scene is The Nickel Taphouse, which Haas says is a Buffalo, New York-style tavern. Menu items like smoked whitefish dip with Saltines and beef on weck reflect this. We opted for one of their six varieties of burgers, The Works, which had mushrooms, caramelized onions, bacon, and a fried egg sandwiched by a perfectly soft brioche bun. We also loved the fries with tarragon aioli and clever deviled eggs with bacon jam on top.

The restaurant also had some cocktails on their menu, but we opted to go with a seasonal beer. Unfortunately, Evolution’s Jacques au Lantern wasn’t on tap yet, but they will have plenty of the local brewery’s selections soon. We tried a Bruery Autumn Maple, which was made with yams and satisfied the fall craving.

The Mt. Washington space is heavily transformed with very dark woods, romantic lighting, and stone detail. The space feels open, yet intimate, which I’m sure was not an easy task to achieve. It will be nice for neighborhood residents to have another tavern to go to for a change.

Both spots are a welcome addition to the North Baltimore landscape.

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I was able to check out the new happy hour the other night and was pleasantly surprised. First off, the renovated space, in the old Dutch Connection location in Harbor East, is beautiful. There’s exposed brick, plush leather furniture, and a lit-up bar all in a cozy, candlelit atmosphere.

I sampled the Derby Hat (bourbon, sweet vermouth, Buckwheat honey, and grapefruit), a delightfully tart cocktail garnished with a caramelized orange slice. The $5 rotating cocktail that night was a well-balanced version of an Arnold Palmer, made with TEN TEN’s house-made sweet tea and lemonade. Additionally, the food on the happy hour menu is tasty, with options like bacon-wrapped dates, duck fat fries, and a beet salad.

You can enjoy TEN TEN’s happy hour every weekday from 3-7 p.m. in the bar.

[Image: courtesy of TEN TEN]

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