COMING SOON

Pekara: Former Roggenart regulars will be happy to hear that a new iteration of the now-closed Mt. Washington cafe is opening in Roland Park next month. Pekara, the Serbian word for bakery, is the brainchild of Serbian-born owner Radomir Mihajlovic and head baker Borislav Petkovic—both of whom previously worked for Roggenart. The duo will bring the bakery’s signature European breads and pastries to the new shop, which is expected to open on West Coldspring Lane across from Miss Shirley’s in November.

Be on the lookout for a variety of fresh-baked loaves (think white, rye, challah, spelt, and multigrain varieties), as well as fruit tarts, Danish and French pastries, and Petkovic’s savory Burek pie made with flaky phyllo. Mihajlovic says that the coffee program will be simple to start, but he hopes to add more complex drinks as time goes on. After weeks of gas and electric delays, he’s excited to finally unveil the spot to the community. “I’ve lived in Roland Park for 30 years, so I know a lot of the neighbors,” he says. “Everyone just keeps asking and asking about it. I can’t wait for us to open.”

BRUNCH BULLETIN

The Urban Oyster: Five months after opening a permanent home for her roving oyster bar in Locust Point, chef/owner Jasmine Norton has added weekend brunch into the mix. Every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., head to the bright McHenry Row spot to indulge in options like a plump crab cake and fried oyster benedict, Cajun jambalaya topped with a runny egg, and a shrimp BLT sandwiched between two waffles. To make the deal even sweeter, every fourth Saturday diners will be able to sip cocktails and enjoy all of the mid-morning fare during an intimate drag brunch hosted by Dee Dee Dereon, with performances by Kayden Amore Chloe and Venus Fastrada.

The Night Brunch Festival: For more than a year, Treason Toting Company co-owner Jason Bass and local DJ Ryan Rhodes (more fondly known as DJ Impulse) have been hosting evening brunch pop-ups—which inevitably turn into all-out dance parties—at area bars and restaurants. Now, they’re throwing the first-ever Night Brunch festival October 4-6 at Harbor Point. The three-day celebration will feature eats from the likes of Clavel, The Local Fry, The Urban Oyster, Home Made, Orto, and Vida Taco Bar. Plus, enjoy photo booths, a Truly cocktail bar, and, of course, plenty of live music.

EPICUREAN EVENTS

10/5: Cōl Bōl Tire Shop Pop-Up

The former Parts & Labor space will fill with the scent of classic Liberian cuisine by chef Carleen Goodridge this weekend. As part of the ongoing Tire Shop series that activates the Remington restaurant with local chef pop-ups, Goodridge is hosting an authentic takeover with recipes that reflect her family’s heritage, including jollof rice and nut-based palm butter soup. To add to the experience, there will also be Afrobeat music spun all afternoon, a photo backdrop created by Regal Clothes, and West African-inspired brews from Washington, D.C.-based Sankofa Beer Company.

10/5: Stein Day // Lagerfest 2019 at Diamondback Brewing

Head to Diamondback in South Baltimore this weekend the welcome fall in an Oktoberfest-style tented biergarten on the brewery’s patio. Throughout the day, take in the live sounds of D.T. Huber & The Whale Show, The High and Wides, and Fried Pickin’ while sipping special releases like the “Forte” German-style pilsner and “Everything All the Time” Helles lager. There will also be plenty of offerings to line your stomach including sausages by Snake Hill, a whole-hog barbecue by John Brown Butchery, and Diamondback’s own Bavarian soft pretzels.

SHUT

Melody Cafe: Last week, Mt. Vernon said goodbye to this coffee shop, study spot, live performance venue, and all-around community hub. The subterranean space—opened by Darryl Strange and his teenage son Juwan Davis in December 2017—closed its doors for good last week after its landlords gave the owners a 60-day notice to vacate back in July. The owners recently took to social media to clarify that it wasn’t their decision to close. “We want to thank each and everyone of you for your dedication, your support, your love, and most importantly your encouragement,” they shared on Instagram. “Being a small business is hard, but we are here having started off with just a few drinks and a prayer to having formed many relationships with many people and businesses.” In addition to its coffees and breakfast plates, Melody became known for its frequent open mics, karaoke nights, spoken word performances, and movie viewing parties.

OPEN

Gangster Vegan Organics: A franchise of Gangster Vegan Organics will open in Cross Street Market on August 23. The menu will include items that are organic, unprocessed, raw, soy, and gluten-free. The spot is owned by husband-wife duo, James and Taneea Yarborough. Taneea is a survivor of ovarian cancer who switched to a plant-based diet as part of her wellness regime.

FOOD NEWS

Ekiben Pop-Up at Fadensonnen: Steve Chu and his business partner Ephrem Abibe at Ekiben are launching a new Taiwanese noodle bar pop-up at Lane Harlan’s Fadensonnen in Old Goucher every Wednesday, for the next six weeks. The new project is called Ojichan, which means grandad in Japanese. Look for handmade wheat noodles with ground pork, scallions, and soy egg. The noodles are served cold to retain their bouncy texture and served with a warm broth. “Ephrem and I had a hankering for the super bouncy noodles we had in Taiwan, but couldn’t find in America, so we decided to make them,” said Chu on his Instagram page. The announcement of the pop-up led one Instagrammer to comment, “You guys are public servants.”

New Beer Garden: A beer garden is planned for the 108-year-old American Ice Building at 2100 West Franklin Street in West Baltimore. The space will include an events area and art hub under a proposed $18.7 million project, according to the Baltimore Business Journal. “It is a diamond in the rough,” Washington D.C. developer Ilay Alter recently told the BBJ. Alter has partnered with local developer Bill Struever who has rehabbed many area industrial sites including the Woodberry-Hampden area of Baltimore, where Woodberry Kitchen is now located. Alter opened a similar such space the Dacha Beer Garden on a vacant lot in D.C.’s Adams Morgan neighborhood in 2013.

Tapas Teatro: The beloved tapas spot in Station North is undergoing a renovation. A new bar area will create more space for a communal table, larger parties, and a new look.

EPICUREAN EVENTS

7/25: La Cuchara Farm Dinner with the Maryland Farmers Market Association and Hex Ferments

La Cuchara is hosting a farmer’s market dinner in conjunction with the Maryland Farmers Market Association and Hex Ferments on Sunday, from 5-8 p.m. Dinner will include a map of the Saturday and Sunday Baltimore farmers markets showing where some of the ingredients for the meal are sourced from. Hex Ferments will provide cocktail pairings and a portion of proceeds will support the Maryland Market Money program, which provides matching dollars to low-income families who use their benefit at area farmers markets.

7/25: Col Bol Pop-Up at Grind House Juice Bar

Chef Carleen Goodridge of Le Monade will host a pop up called Col Bol, which means “cold bowl.” The event will take place this Sunday at 11 a.m. at Grind House Juice Bar on Saint Paul’s Street. Carleen is honoring her Liberian heritage with dishes like eggplant stew and cassava leaf and plantain porridge.

7/29: Chez Hugo Collaborates with Sacré Sucré

Chez Hugo Bistro will collaborate with Sacré Sucré pastry studio for a six-course tasting menu with all things sweet and savory. Each kitchen will present three courses. Look for dishes such as a blackberry crisp tuile with buckwheat cream, candied beets, and preserved summer fruit and fromage blanc and corn cheesecake with cornbread crumbs, pepper jam, fermented honey, and glazed fresh corn. The cost of the tasting menu is $50. The event runs from 7-9 p.m.

Happy Birthday to You!

Area restaurants celebrate big numbers.

City Café turns 25 on Sept. 4.

The Helmand turns 30 this fall.

Mt. Washington Tavern kicks off its 40 years in business celebration this November.

When Carleen Goodridge moved to Baltimore from Texas nearly three years ago, she felt at home almost instantly. The chef relocated here just before Thanksgiving in 2016, and by the first week of December, she had already booked a pop-up for her craft beverage company Le Monade.

“The name comes from the way my youngest, who’s now 7, used to ask me for lemonade,” says Goodridge, a mom of four who sells her line of small-batch drink mixers, blends, and syrups routinely at the Baltimore Farmers’ Market under the JFX. “He would say, ‘Mama can I have some ’monade?’”

Not only did Goodridge find her niche in the startup scene, but she also felt supported by the city’s vibrant community of female chefs of color: “I never realized how much of a difference it really made to see other people who look like you out there doing it,” she says. “Even if it’s their own path, you’re walking along that same road together. So we’re able to be like, ‘Hey girl, you got this.’”

Though establishing a home for Le Monade has been her main focus, there’s another passion project that Goodridge has had brewing for years. Now, she feels like it’s the right time to launch Cōl Bōl, a culinary tribute to her Liberian heritage whose name translates to “cold bowl.”

“The best way I can describe it is like when you make spaghetti and then the next day the sauce tastes even better,” she explains. “Liberians have this thing where we say, ‘Oh what are you eating today?’ And we get excited to say, ‘I’m about to have cōl bōl.’ It’s a nostalgic feeling. I’m not serving leftover food, but now that it’s now gotten cold those chemicals have created new flavors. And when you heat it up there’s a new caramelization happening.”

Scheduled to debut with a pop-up at Fadensonnen on June 27, Cōl Bōl will feature authentic delicacies like pepper soup, nut butter bisque with seared shrimp, tried-and-true Liberian jollof rice, and a deconstructed dish that Goodridge is calling, “Sundei.” Inspired by a meal her grandmother used to make, the plate will incorporate cornbread croquettes with chicken gravy, cassava, plantains, and lots of spices.

“Growing up, no matter what was going on, our ‘oma’ would prepare that on Sundays,” she says. “We would have it in the morning and that’s what we would eat throughout the day before the big dinner was ready.”

Goodridge’s heritage played a huge role in her decision to make cooking a career. After serving in the Army National Guard for 12 years—and later working federal and corporate jobs—her passion for food and fellowship ultimately led her to open a food truck and catering business in Texas.

With Cōl Bōl, the chef sees an opportunity to share her story through Liberian food culture. Interestingly, she has a familial connection to Harriet Tubman, whose husband, John, was a great uncle on her maternal side. After being freed from slavery, her ancestors went to colonize Liberia. Goodridge’s great grandfather, former Liberian president William V.S. Tubman, ended up being the first African head of state to be invited to the White House.

“It’s about sharing this story of food, culture, and the connection we have here in the United States—even in Baltimore, where slaves were literally shipped right out of Fells Point,” she says. “It’s an opportunity to bring people together and educate them, especially because Liberia is still struggling. We fought two civil wars and had the ebola outbreak. We’re trying to get back together, and there’s such beauty and history there.”

As Goodridge moves forward with Cōl Bōl, and continues to expand Le Monade, she says she’s constantly thinking about how to better the community that welcomed her with open arms—whether that means expanding her team or cultivating collaborations with other small businesses.

“What I love about Baltimore is that I can really be a part of my community,” she says. “As transplants coming here, it’s absolutely contagious, and you want to be involved.”