Liberatore’s – Baltimore Magazine

Nick Liberatore Carries on the Family Name with Lib’s Grill

Jane Marion — Wed, 31 May 2023 15:40:28 +0000

—Photography by Justin Tsucalas

For Nick Liberatore, working in hospitality is in the blood. His father, Italo, and his uncles John, Pino, and Dante, arrived in Baltimore from Argentina in 1974. And while Italo attended the University of Maryland, College Park to study electrical engineering, his uncles headed to Little Italy to work at Caesar’s Den, Da Mimmo, and Velleggia’s.

Over time, in true American Dream fashion, his uncles opened the first of their Liberatore’s restaurants in Eldersburg in 1988. More locations soon followed—from Timonium to Bel Air—and by 2004, Nick was working in the Owings Mills location. (There are now five Liberatore’s across three counties.)

“I fell in love with it. I loved how fast-paced it was,” recalls Liberatore. “I’d bus tables, dish-wash, and learn on the line.”

After graduating from the University of Delaware in 2011, Liberatore was tempted to go straight into the family business, instead choosing to work at two different Fleming’s Steakhouses, before becoming a partner at Lib’s Grill, Liberatore’s steakhouse and seafood sister concept with three locations, including Perry Hall, Maple Lawn, and Bel Air.

“I learned so much going from a corporate background to a family business,” says Liberatore, 33.

His biggest takeaway? “Our family puts family first. Although we work together, we’re going to see each other over Sunday dinners. Disagreements must be left at the door.”

What did you want to do with the menu?
We wanted to create a dining experience that was approachable yet sophisticated. The coolest thing about the restaurant is that you can seat a table with two little girls and their cleats from soccer practice while mom and dad get a nice Natty Boh sitting right next to people celebrating their 10-year wedding anniversary with a bottle of Caymus and rib-eye.

What should first-timers order?
We source our beef locally from Roseda Farm, so the sirloin and rib-eye are fantastic. If you’re grabbing a sandwich, I’m a fan of the chicken sandwich. It’s a piece of grilled chicken with apples, Brie, and house-made honey mustard. And our fresh-shucked oysters are awesome. They’re all from the Atlantic coast and we have our own Lib’s Grill oysters that are out of the Delaware Bay.

Is there anything that reflects your family’s South American roots on the menu?
My uncle Pino’s wife, Mariana, makes our house-made empanadas. She brings them to the restaurant, and we finish them in the fryer. They are delicious and have that South American touch. We have a new recipe for spring that’s porchetta and broccoli rabe.

Tell me about your corporate chef at Lib’s Grill.
At 24, I had the chance to build a menu with the chef Daniel Chaustit. He’s the Daniel of [the now-closed] Christopher Daniel in Cockeysville. He’s a level-headed chef, which is always hard to come by. He put a creative spin on a menu that remains approachable.

You became a new dad in December. Do you think your daughter, Penelope, will want to pursue hospitality?
I am already grooming her. She helped seat tables the other day. I was working and holding her, and we carried menus to the table and greeted guests—she’s practicing her hosting skills as we speak.

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A Look Back at the 2013 Restaurant Scene

Jess Mayhugh — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Dining in Baltimore just keeps getting better. This past year, we
said hello to a number of new places that are already leaving their
marks on our palates. Sadly, we also bid adieu to several respected
restaurants, including The Dogwood, Della Notte, Rocco’s Capriccio, and
Caesar’s Den.

Operating a restaurant isn’t easy, as any owner or chef will tell you. We hope these newbies will be around for a long time:

By Degrees Cafe:
Chef/proprietor Omar Semidey has joined the first wave of restaurants
that is transforming the landscape of South Central Avenue near Little
Italy and Harbor East. His sleek-looking restaurant in a refurbished
warehouse strives for well-prepared plates at reasonable prices.

The Chasseur:
Named after the original “Pride of Baltimore” ship, the Canton
restaurant spiffied up the former Adam’s Eve and started serving upscale
comfort food with one of the best meatloaves I had all year. (And there
were a lot of meatloaves on menus!) The charming white-cloth bistro is a
great addition to the neighborhood.

The Chesapeake:
After a long wait, an updated version of its venerable, eponymous
predecessor opened with a modern American menu in a historic building in
the up-and-coming Station North Arts District. The kitchen’s clever
twist on Mid-Atlantic cuisine keeps the patrons coming back.

Cunningham’s:
The new dining juggernaut in town, Bagby Restaurant Group, unveiled its
fourth restaurant to immediate acclaim with beautiful environs and a
creative farm-to-table menu by executive chef Chris Allen. This is the
place Towson has been waiting for.

Liberatore’s:
The longtime family restaurateurs, who have successfully operated
Italian eateries for 25 years, changed it up this year, opening Liquid
Lib’s, a wine bar adjacent to their Timonium location, and Lib’s Grill, a
steakhouse/raw bar in Perry Hall. Thinking out of the box is good.

Nickel Taphouse:
Chef/owner Robbin Haas, who has worked his culinary magic at
Birrotecca, transformed a failed restaurant space in the heart of Mt.
Washington into a go-to neighborhood tavern with burgers, oysters, and
more.

Oliver Speck’s:
An innovative re-invention happened within a matter of weeks in Harbor
East last summer. Vino Rosina closed, only to open as a barbecue place
with owner Jim Lancaster and chef Jesse Sandlin still firmly in place.
The new concept offers a great alternative to all the small plates in
the area.

Ryleigh’s Oyster: The popular Federal
Hill spot stretched out to the ‘burbs with a second location, taking
over a hulking space once housing Gibby’s and Rib ‘N Reef in Timonium.
The seafood-laden menu, raw bar, and newly renovated space already has a
loyal following.

Shoo-Fly Diner:
Wunderchef Spike Gjerde is creating his vision of American comfort food
in Belvedere Square with dishes like fried chicken, cast-iron catfish,
and a Chesapeake crab roll. Reviews have been borderline. We’re
confident the restaurant will soon follow in the footsteps of Gjerde’s
successful ventures Woodberry Kitchen and Artifact Coffee.

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Liberatore’s to Open Two New Restaurants

Jess Mayhugh — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Liberatore’s, which operates five Italian restaurants in the area, will unveil two new concepts in November—a wine bar in Timonium and a steakhouse/raw bar in Perry Hall.

The wine bar, to be called Liquid Lib’s, adjoins the Liberatore’s on Deereco Road in Timonium. It will feature state-of-the-art wine-dispensing machines, 300-400 types of wine, and 24 wines by the glass as well as tapas and pizza.

The small-plates menu will include empanadas, arancini, sushi, meatballs, fish tacos, and an antipasto selection of cured meats, cheeses, and olives. The 10-inch individual, brick-oven pizzas will be prepared at a pizza bar with seating.

Prices are expected to be under $12 a plate.

Owner John Liberatore said he got the idea from going to Liquid Assets, a popular wine bar in Ocean City. “It’s good fun,” he said, as he gave me a tour of the new addition today. “I love the concept.”

Customers will also be able to select a bottle of wine at retail prices from shelves around the restaurant, either to be imbibed there for a $10 corkage fee or to be taken home. In addition to wine, the restaurant will serve craft beers on draft and beers by the bottle.

The surroundings will be impressive when complete. The wine barrels, pictured, will be turned into bar tables with stools, a communal table will be made from rough-hewn wood; and the main bar will be topped with a crystal-like slab of 1 ½-inch glass that will reflect colored LED lights underneath it.

A fireplace with sofas and big-screen TVs will also complement the spot.

In Perry Hall, the longtime restaurateurs took over the empty Manhattan Grill in Honeygo Village and are turning the space into a steakhouse and raw bar. It will be called Lib’s Grill. “There isn’t anything like it in the area,” John said.

Liquid Lib’s is scheduled to open November 25. Lib’s Grill is expected to open around the same time.

The Liberatore family opened their first eponymous restaurant in Eldersburg 25 years ago.

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