COMING SOON

Bullhead Pit Beef: A new spot to grab pit beef sandwiches on the way to Camden Yards is expected to open inside Cross Street Market before Opening Day. The operation that Bullhead owner Larry Jackson started with a grill and a pickup truck in 2010 has grown to become one of Howard County’s favorite food trucks—frequently stationed at Hysteria Brewing Company in Columbia. Now, Jackson is opening his first brick-and-mortar pit palace inside the newly renovated market in Federal Hill. Expect sandwiches stuffed with classic pit beef, turkey, and requisite horseradish sauce, as well as garlic fries and mac and cheese. Bullhead will add to the Maryland favorites offered at the market, which also features Berger cookies at The Sweet Shoppe, local corn and tomatoes at Rooster & Hen, Taharka Bros. ice cream, and, of course, Royal Farms fried chicken.

Gourmet Girls: Despite the similar names, Owings Mills cafe Gourmet Girls and now-closed Pikesville market Gourmet Again are, in fact, two separate entities. But they will soon share a connection as Gourmet Girls owners Barbara Collurafici and Lisa Honick prepare to take over the former Gourmet Again space on Old Court Road. The expansion will allow for the popular lunch spot to add to its menu, offer customized catering, and restore the neighborhood gathering space that locals frequented before Gourmet Again closed last spring. “It is our hope that we reconnect with old friends, welcome new ones, and host our neighborhood and community,” the owners wrote in a post to Facebook. “We are so grateful to our customers who encouraged growth and always provide support.”

(RE)OPEN

L.P. Steamers: PSA for seafood lovers in Locust Point—this neighborhood landmark is expected to reopen today after being closed for renovations the past two weeks. According to a notice posted on the restaurant’s website, the project ran into a few “unforseen hiccups,” but management has been assured by contractors that they will be cleared to reopen on Thursday, February 20. With warmer weather (hopefully) on the horizon, we’re happy to hear that the go-to for crabs and Crushes is resuming normal business hours.

EPICUREAN EVENTS

2/24: Ambrosia Dinner Series
Ever wonder about the healing properties of mushrooms? At the latest installment of this wellness-focused dinner series—which aims to nourish the mind and body—chef Chris Amendola will prepare plates featuring Lion’s Mane, Oyster, and Shitake mushrooms at his restaurant Foraged in Hampden. While sampling the bites, hear from guest speakers including herbalist Mae Wright of Mission Dispensary Baltimore, Charlotte James of The Sabina Project, and mycologist William Padilla-Brown—who is featured in the new film Fantastic Fungi. The $45 ticket price includes small plates, non-alcoholic herbal beverages, and the chance to win door prizes.

2/26: Origins Speaker Series with Jinji Fraser
It’s only fitting that this recurring food event would focus on chocolate to celebrate the month of love. Cozy up at Artifact Coffee for a post-Valentine’s Day panel discussion in which local chocolate connoisseur Jinji Fraser will chat with Spike Gjerde about the raw cacao products she uses at Pure Chocolate by Jinji in Belvedere Square. As always, the event will feature drinks, appetizers, conversation, and a family-style dinner—which will feature plenty of chocolate this time around.

SHUT

Food Plenty: In a heartfelt message posted online earlier this week, the Marriner family—which operates Victoria Gastro Pub, Manor Hill Brewing, and Manor Hill Tavern in Howard County—announced that they had closed their comfort food concept in Clarksville. The decision came after CFO Rachael Marriner was diagnosed with colon cancer two and a half years ago. Luckily, Rachael has defeated the disease, but the family has shuttered the restaurant in an effort to take a step back: “At the end of Rachael’s two-year fight, we as a family gained a new perspective on life, and more specifically, a need to reduce stress in her and our lives,” the post reads. Though Food Plenty has closed, fans can still savor the Marriners’ dishes at Manor Hill Tavern or Victoria Gastro Pub—which are both going strong.

OPEN

Pickles Pub: One of Baltimore’s best baseball bars is expanding and it’s kind of a “big dill.” Making even more home-baked goods, The Big Green Doughnut Machine is popping up next to Pickles Pub with pastries perfect for the Camden Yards crowd. The townhouse next door, currently used as the pub’s storage, will house the holey treats. There will be a separate entrance and one connecting it to the main pub, making the deliciousness all more easily accessible. Additionally, the bar also announced that it will be opening a second location in Dundalk later this summer, the first of many new franchised locations to come.

Manor Hill Tavern: Nearly a month after the flooding of Old Ellicott City, Manor Hill Tavern reopened this past weekend. Located just off of Main Street, the restaurant sustained minimal damage and has been offering support to devastated neighbors, like bringing them cold water and free lunches. Now the mid-19th century building is bringing back grilled-up classics.

NEWS

Alonso’s Changing Owners: For 85 years, Alonso’s has been serving up specialty burgers unlike any fast casual competitors. With dressings from peanut butter to pesto, their 20 plus options make for unique perfection. And now owner Steve Summers is ready to retire after purchasing the place in 2009. Binod Uprety, the owner of neighboring Namaste Baltimore Indian Cuisine, will be taking the reins running the historic restaurant, and isn’t planning any significant changes.

Tagliata Named Top Restaurant: There’s nothing to whine about whenever taste-testing at Tagliata. Bringing Baltimore’s largest wine list, it’s no surprise the Italian staple was selected by Wine Enthusiast magazine as a top restaurant for wine in the U.S. Its upscale ambiance is always top notch for charm city, with live music and private dining.

Seacret’s Named Top Beach Bar: Thinking of drinks like “Jamaican Iced Tea,” “Bahama Mama,” or “Island Time,” brings us right back to spring break. But at this Ocean City waterfront beach bar spring break is all summer long. Daily Meal rated the Jamaican-inspired joint as one of the top 25 beach bars in the country, with bars, stages, and a nightclub all in one.

EVENTS

LatinoFest
6/22 and 6/23: The 38th annual arts and culture event is back this Friday and Saturday, celebrating Latino heritage in support of EBLO, a nonprofit benefitting educational opportunities for hispanic students. Peruse through Patterson Park for music, dancing, games and food. Cuisine will be offering tastes from the Caribbean to the Americas.

UTZ Cheese Ball Cookoff/Fundraiser
6/24: Omelettes can get experimental with meats, veggies, and cheeses. But have you ever thought to make yours with cheeseballs? Baltimore Taphouse is challenging Baltimoreans to get creative with their own cheese ball-infused dishes, which will be judged by local chefs and food talents. Proceeds from the fundraiser will be donated in support of the Oskar Blues Can’d Aid Foundation Bike Build Program.

Month-Long Island Room
TO 7/29: If it’s going to be a hot and humid Baltimore July, we might as well drink like we’re in the islands. Beginning on Friday, June 29, Pen & Quill will be offering tropical food, drinks, and music for an entire month. The Baltimore Whiskey Company and Lyon Distilling are partnering to provide popular cocktails to cool down in the summer heat. The tropical pop-up is designed to be a local “getaway,” with leisurely events like month-long limbo.

SHUT

Alewife Baltimore: It was the final closing time for Alewife after Saturday’s last call. The beloved bar announced its ending unexpectedly in a Facebook post over the weekend, thanking Baltimore for “being home for eight years.” Their home was known for happening happy hours during the week and an exclusive mug club, which customers could join after tasting 150 different beers chosen by the restaurant. For many, these mugs will become a special keepsake after cheersing good-bye to Alewife.

“It will be about an hour-and-a-half wait,” the hostess said, while reassuring us that this was typical for a Friday night. Our party of two had shown up—naively, it turned out—without reservations in the midst of Ellicott City’s Midnight Madness, the early December evening when the historic mill town’s many boutiques stay open late to accommodate holiday shoppers. The town was engulfed in a holly-jolly hubbub, and, apparently, we had the same idea as nearly everyone else: “Let’s grab a bite to eat at Manor Hill Tavern.”

The crush of patrons vying for tables that night illustrates just how quickly, since opening in early 2017, Manor Hill Tavern has ingrained itself into the town’s dining firmament. And once you get a look at the space—a warren of dining and bar areas inside a series of brightly colored barns—and its menu—designed by chef Chad Wells of Victoria Gastro Pub fame and full of microbrews and creative gastropub fare—it’s easy to see why.

This is a Goldilocks restaurant if ever there was one, a place designed to please everyone from finicky kids to fusty Aunt Edna. On our visit, we sat in the upstairs dining room and appreciated its rustic architectural details, including exposed beams, shiplap walls, and a working fireplace. We also listened as high-spirited chatter floated across the hall from the upstairs bar. (There’s another bar area downstairs.) The bar highlights microbrews from Manor Hill Brewing, the restaurant’s farm-brewery, which grows its own hops and other vegetables on 54 acres in Ellicott City. We could see how one could spend a Sunday in the bar with a couple of brews (maybe a Manor Hill Grisette or traditional IPA), some appetizers, and the game on the flatscreen.

But we were here for the full dinner experience, so we started with an appetizer of meatballs served over broccoli-cheddar mashed potatoes. A demi-glace of caramelized ketchup (essentially barbecue sauce) was a bit too sweet, but it did provide some nice moisture for the slightly dry meatballs. Manor Hill Tavern prides itself on its Neopolitan-style pizzas, which are made in a brick pizza oven. Several specialty pies are on offer, as well as a build-your-own menu offering everything from basil to wild boar. We opted for The Old Line pizza, an 8-inch red-sauce pie topped with a provolone-mozzarella blend, beer-braised sausage, shreds of Maryland crab, and a healthy dusting of Old Bay. The spicy Old Bay balanced the rich crab and savory sausage well, and the medium-thick crust managed to be both crisp and chewy.

Of our two entrees—a lemon-herb-marinated half chicken and a barley risotto with mushrooms, cauliflower, and Parmesan in a tomato gravy—the risotto was the standout. The barley was a clever substitute for rice, and the mix of flavors worked—earthy mushrooms, creamy Parmesan, and sweet tomato broth. The chicken, served over artichoke, tomato, and goat cheese orzo in arugula pesto sauce, was perfectly pleasant, if unremarkable. Dessert was tempting, but we demurred for another time—if we can get a table, that is.

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MANOR HILL TAVERN 3733 Old Columbia Pike, Ellicott City, 410-465-8500. HOURS Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-midnight, Fri. 11 a.m.-2 a.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-2 a.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-midnight. PRICES Appetizers: $6-13; Pizzas: $8 and up; Entrees: $9-22; Desserts: $8-9. CUISINE Creative gastropub. AMBIANCE Rustic colonial with modern touches.    

Though Randy Marriner has looked to expand his restaurant business beyond Howard County in the past, there’s just something about the tight-knit community that keeps drawing him in.

Five years ago, after opening Victoria Gastro Pub in Columbia with his wife, Mary, and daughters Rachael and Tori, Marriner started his search in the Annapolis area—but couldn’t find the right spot to open a second location. Later, a real estate partner told him about the plans for Clarksville Commons, an environmentally sustainable, mixed-use center from local developers George and Holly Stone.

“I told him, ‘I can’t do a Victoria Gastro Pub number two in Howard County. That makes no sense,’” Marriner recalls. “And he said, ‘So do something else.’ That got me thinking.”

In keeping with the developers’ green focus (the commons feature solar panels, cisterns for rain water, and a living green wall), the Marriner family dreamed up a comfort food concept that makes use of locally sourced ingredients—some from their 54-acre working farm located 10 minutes away in Ellicott City. That property is also home to the taproom and production facility for the family’s farm brewery, Manor Hill Brewing.

They decided to name the Clarksville restaurant Food Plenty, after an old Windsor Mill farm of the same name that Randy and Mary raised their daughters near. Slated to open in December, the eatery will highlight breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes, Manor Hill brews, and an interior that is meant to pay homage to the Food Plenty property.

Local artist Linda Roberts—Marriner’s former neighbor who still owns the Windsor Mill land—was commissioned to paint a six-foot-tall mural of the Food Plenty grounds that will welcome guests at the entrance of the new restaurant. To further the farm feel, the 280-seat spot will emphasize century-old reclaimed barn wood throughout the interior.

“It’s going to be stunning,” Marriner says of the space. “It really tells the tale.”

Under the helm of corporate executive chef Chad Wells—who oversees restaurant operations for Victoria Gastro Pub and the Marriner’s Ellicott City eatery Manor Hill Tavern—the kitchen will offer all-day service, as well as curbside pickup options.

“The menu won’t have anything out of a bag,” says Marriner, listing offerings like classic fried chicken, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, chicken noodle soup, grilled cheese, and Mary’s banana cream pie. “It’s going to be everyday comfort food, but all made from scratch.”

Food Plenty joins other local food businesses in the mixed-use development, including DIY spot You Pizza (a spinoff of Facci Italian Restaurant in Howard County) and a second location of Elkridge bakery Kupcakes & Co. Although construction saw multiple delays with permitting and county approvals throughout the five-year process, Marriner says he is excited to “sprint toward the finish.”

Next month’s opening comes at a joyous time for the owners, who will celebrate Victoria Gastro Pub’s 10-year anniversary on December 10. They are also planning to expand Manor Hill Brewing’s facility in the coming months. Though details are still in the works, Marriner assures that the expansion will, of course, remain in Howard County.

“We’ve really focused our energies into this one geopolitical universe,” he says of the community. “And the cool thing is, we’re not finished.”