OPEN

The Boiler Room: Monument City Brewing and Haven Street Ballroom have officially welcomed this new neighbor to the Highland Forge area in Highlandtown. Housed in a former boiler room that was used for the milling of large trees until the 1950s, the aptly named space from developer Dave Seibert now maintains its industrial roots with exposed red brick and an original boiler room door mounted on one of its walls. As for the food, chef Brian Szewczyk—previously of Mama’s on the Half Shell—turns out fun takes on American classics including fried Buffalo wontons, cajun chicken and dumplings, hanger steak with chimichurri butter, and a “Burger and Waffles” dish that sandwiches smashed patties between a waffle bun. Brick oven-fired pizzas in flavors ranging from wild mushroom to chicken alfredo are also highlights on the menu.

EPICUREAN EVENTS

1/17-18: Nihao Baltimore Pop-Up at Salt Tavern
Those eager for Nihao Baltimore—the authentic Chinese food concept from cult icon Peter Chang—to finally open in Canton can get a sneak peek of what’s to come at this two-night pop-up taking over Salt Tavern in Upper Fells Point, which now operates as a private events venue. Stop in on Friday or Saturday night to sample cocktails and try out a few of Nihao’s soon-to-be signature dishes. Though menu details are still under wraps, a previous collab at Artifact Coffee featured items such as tofu skin salad and Sichuan pickled baked rockfish.

1/26: Toki Underground Pop-Up at Bluebird Cocktail Room
Speaking of epic food-and-drink collabs, Washington, D.C.’s famous ramen house Toki Underground will be popping up at Bluebird Cocktail Room in Hampden next weekend. Mark your calendar for the can’t-miss tasting event that will feature a creative menu of Japanese and Taiwanese flavors inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s classic film Seven Samurai. Bluebird’s bar team has dreamed up seven new cocktails highlighting Japanese spirits for the evening, including the sake and ginger-infused “Shichirōji” and the “Kambei Shimada,” a spin on the bar’s signature Old Fashioned. Toki Underground’s chef Olivier Caillabet will be teaming up with Bluebird head chef Chance Jones to present an array of ramen, steamed buns, dumplings, and other collaborative dishes. Though reservations are suggested, walk-ins will also be welcome.

SHUT

Da Mimmo Restaurant: Earlier this week, Little Italy said goodbye to this neighborhood mainstay—which recently celebrated its 36th anniversary. In a press release announcing the closure, owner Mary Ann Cricchio thanked all of the restaurant’s regular customers, family, and friends for their “loyal support” throughout the years. The message went on to explain that, while the restaurant has officially closed, Cricchio and executive chef Masood Masoodi are moving on to devote more time to their program organizing and leading tours on the Amalfi Coast. “We will cherish our memories made in Little Italy, and look forward to making new ones with you in Big Italy,” Cricchio wrote. There’s no word yet on what will become of the South High Street building.

Coelum: After only seven months, this Canton corner spot has closed its doors indefinitely. Translating to “sky” or “heaven” in Latin, Coelum became known for its cafe and market atmosphere by day, and its evening program that emphasized craft cocktails and larger seasonal plates. A post to Instagram indicates that co-founders Corey Laub and Ryan Thacker decided to close the eatery due to “infrastructure issues,” but are working to get back on their feet soon.

Ever wonder why children collect chocolate inside plastic eggs on Easter? Or the roots behind the roasted meats on the holiday table? In the Roman Catholic faith, similar to many other sectors of spirituality, every food tells a story.

“For Italians, it’s always all about the food,” says Mary Ann Cricchio, owner of Da Mimmo Restaurant in Little Italy. “We eat when we’re happy, we eat when we’re sad. We eat all the time. And Easter is right there with Christmas, it’s a day for the family to be together around the table.”

The restaurant, and its surrounding community, is commemorating the Holy Week leading up to Easter Sunday with special programs at St. Leo’s Church and, of course, traditional holiday cuisine. Arguably the most important for Italians is the Easter lamb, which symbolizes the Lamb of God.

“Some people serve ham, but in Italian households the entree on the table is always lamb,” Cricchio says. “Easter Sunday is traditionally a big meat day because we haven’t eaten meat on any Friday during Lent leading up to it, especially on Good Friday.”

For Easter Sunday at Da Mimmo, chef Masood Masoodi prepares lamb from Southern Australia—which he marinates with garlic, rosemary, and sage for 12-15 hours. Then he grills the meat over an open fire and tops it with a sauce made from the leftover juices, flour, butter, onion, brandy, sherry, and red wine. He serves the holiday dish alongside green vegetables like Brussels sprouts or broccoli rabe.

“In Italy, colors have a lot of significance,” says Rosalinda Mannetta, a longtime instructor at Little Italy’s Pandola Learning Center. “Green means hope. I remember on Easter Monday, or Pasquetta, my mother would make these beautiful frittatas with asparagus. The green represents the hope of spring.”

Bread is another important part of the Italian Easter meal. Mannetta—who grew up in Little Italy but lived with her family in Sardinia for many years—explains that all of the regions in Italy make their own types of Easter bread. Her family, for example, makes a braided bread similar to a Jewish challah, which can be flavored with lemon or Mediterranean anise seeds. Growing up, she also remembers making hundreds of traditional ricotta pies for the holiday. Some of which were sweet, and others were filled with savory ingredients like salami and cheese.

“From small town to small town, there are so many different variations,” Mannetta says. “As children, we would exchange breads with neighbors from different regions. We would take one of theirs and give one of ours. They were all different variations on one delicious theme.”

An Italian bread that Cricchio enjoys most is the classic Colomba di Pasqua—a sweet loaf baked in the shape of a dove to represent the Holy Spirit. Similar to Christmas panettone, the bread is typically filled with nuts and dried fruit.

When it comes to sweets, Cricchio also likes to celebrate with Uova di Pasqua—large decorative chocolate eggs that typically come with a special trinket or toy inside for children. The chocolate iterations, which symbolize rebirth and renewal for the holiday, became popular throughout Europe at the end of the 19th century. Though Cricchio used to have to carefully transport the eggs back from Italy, she recently found an American distributor that has the desserts imported, and now accepts orders for them at Da Mimmo. 

“Italians are very strong in their faith,” she says. “And the food is a celebration of that. It’s really what Easter is all about.”

To continue Da Mimmo’s Easter traditions, Cricchio and Masoodi—who habitually take groups on summer tours of the Amalfi Coast—are in the midst of planning a special trip to the city of Ravello next year, where performers reenact the story of the holiday in the streets during Holy Week.

But, for Italians, the spirit of the holiday transcends merely one week out of the year.

“I was brought up on proverbs,” Mannetta says with a laugh. “And in Italian there’s a saying that goes, ‘Felice come una pasqua’ which means, ‘Happy as Easter.’ So no matter what time of year, if you see someone that is very happy, you say ‘Felice come una pasqua.’ It’s a very joyous time.”

Customers have come to expect a certain elan from Da Mimmo’s Restaurant. In addition to its famously succulent veal chop, the Little Italy mainstay founded 32 years ago by Mary Ann Cricchio and her late husband, Mimmo, prides itself on extending every conceivable comfort, from complimentary limo service to a swanky cocktail lounge replete with a baby grand piano. It’s all part of what Cricchio calls the “Da Mimmo experience.”

Four years ago, that experience went international when some customers asked Cricchio to organize and lead a tour of the Amalfi Coast for them. As she is fluent in Italian, has visited the region for 35 years, and has owned a home there since 2005, she dove right in, harnessing her myriad connections to craft a 10-day trip covering the coast’s many highlights, including the luxurious town of Positano, the isle of Capri, and the ruins of Pompeii. But unlike a typical package trip, Cricchio’s tour was full of insider experiences and first-class accommodations, such as private yacht service for the journey to Capri and exclusive cooking classes with Italian celebrity chef Salvatore De Riso.

“It’s not a canned trip,” says Cricchio. “It’s authentic experiences.”

Cricchio is joined on the excursions by Da Mimmo’s executive chef Masood Masoodi, who is a native of Iran but became an honorary Italian after Cricchio sent him to Positano and Siena for culinary training once he took over kitchen duties after Mimmo’s death in 2003.

The all-inclusive trip is so popular that it’s now offered several times a year. And this year, Cricchio and Masoodi are adding a Tuscany version (August 12-22) to coincide with Siena’s storied horse race, the Palio—for which Cricchio and Masoodi have secured 22 tickets. The sojourn also will take in Florence and the Italian Riviera towns of the Cinque Terre—in style, naturally.

“My reputation, her reputation, Da Mimmo’s reputation is more important than anything else,” says Masoodi. “It would be a shame on us to take anybody’s time and money and not give them 150 percent of what they expected.”