EAT

May 5: Papi’s Cinco In The City

Central Plaza at Harbor Point, 1310 Point St. 12-7 p.m. $10.50-70.68. 410-299-8480. 

Since this Fells Point taco joint opened its doors in 2014, Papi’s annual Cinco de Mayo event has been a can’t-miss fiesta filled with salt-rimmed margaritas and Mexican street fair-inspired bites. This year, Papi’s is raising the bar with an all-day celebration at Harbor Point, featuring live Latin music from Mambo Combo and Zakke Latin Fusion Band, taco-eating contests, and even a live donkey. Along with Papi’s signature street tacos, nachos, and elote, nosh on Alexander Tavern’s Mexican-inspired tot-chos and baja chicken sliders at this inaugural festival.

 DRINK

May 5: Kentucky Derby Block Party

The Chasseur, 3328 Foster Ave. 12-8 p.m. $10. 410-327-6984. 

The 143rd Preakness Stakes is only two weeks away, but if you can’t wait until then to get your horse-racing fix, head to this Canton corner bar to celebrate “the greatest two minutes in sports.” The Chasseur is pulling out all the boozy stops for its fifth annual derby block party, including brewery tents and trucks from local favorites like Union Craft, Waverly Brewing, and Monument City, as well as a vodka bomb special and a mint julep bar for something a little stronger. Snack on eats from local food stands (featuring sweets from Cream Cruiser and Balti’Marons) and catch live music performances by bluesy band Ricky Wise & The Dirty Unit, as well as DJ AYYYE ONE, AstroSquid, and Victims of Experiences.

 SEE

May 5: Kinetic Sculpture Race

American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Hwy. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Free. 410-244-1900. 

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the American Visionary Art Museum’s weird and wonderful event that challenges contestants to race handmade, human-powered sculptures through 14 miles of land, water, and mud. Watch from the sidewalk (we recommend braving the crowds for a spot at Canton Waterfront Park or Patterson Park) as these motorized works of art, decorated to fit the theme “Mysteries & Tall Tales,” compete for awards like “Worst Honorable Mention” and “Grand Mediocre Champion.”

 

 HEAR

May 5: Mini Masquerade Ball

Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric, 140 Mt. Royal Ave. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Free-$17. 410-704-8938.

Just when we thought WTMD’s kiddie concert series, Saturday Morning Tunes, couldn’t get any cuter, they throw a masquerade-themed party packed with enough music and entertainment to leave their pint-sized listeners (and their parents) ready for a nap by noon. This Saturday, bring the kiddos to the Lyric to hear a family-friendly set by the Bachelor Boys Band, dance with a hula-hooping stilt walker, and design colorful masks to wear during the party.

 DO

May 4-5: FlowerMart

Mount Vernon Square, 699 Washington Pl. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Free. 410-274-5353.

Before the clouds roll in this weekend, head to Mt. Vernon Place for this beloved springtime celebration filled with flowers, colorful hats, and classic lemon peppermint sticks. At this 107th annual festival, kick off spring in the city with arts and crafts vendors, live music and entertainment, and plenty of Bawlmer-style eats like Maryland crab cakes and pit beef sandwiches. Stick around on Saturday to see the parade of pets dressed in their best spring outfits and the annual maypole dance.

Time for Love

June 3, 2014
Foster Avenue

Standing against a wall amongst the nervous, young professional crowd at The Chasseur, a Canton neighborhood bar and restaurant, Uriah Moore, 31, grabs a drink, admittedly trying to relax. One of 28 participants—the guys mostly dressed in jeans and Polos or button-down shirts; the ladies in sun or sleeveless dresses on this warm evening—Moore is steadying himself for a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society charity speed-dating event.

“I just got out of a four-year relationship that I knew wasn’t going to work after four weeks,” Moore, a teacher, says.

For Natalie diFrancesco, The Chasseur’s general manager and tonight’s host, the cause is personal. “My mother died of leukemia when she was 38,” she says. “Her birthday just passed.”

Eventually, the women take their spots at tables spread throughout the restaurant’s intimate dining room and the men begin moving from one to the next as diFrancesco rings a bell, ending each brief round. It looks a bit like musical chairs, except each person “rates” each mini-date on a scorecard. Afterwards, those with matching “high marks” are re-introduced with the opportunity of exchanging contact information.

“McDreamy hasn’t walked through my door yet,” says Katie Shoemaker, a school psychologist, referencing actor Patrick Dempsey’s character on Grey’s Anatomy. “Oh, but I know this guy,” she whispers as her next date approaches. “I met him Saturday night,” she laughs. “Now this should be interesting.”

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Going to Pot

June 7, 2014
Linthicum Heights

Inside a Westin BWI hotel conference room, would-be entrepreneurs, older than you might think, take copious notes as Brent Tageson discusses the finer points of his profession. Dressed in slacks and a golf shirt, Tageson could pass for a corporate CEO, but he is, in fact, a Northern California marijuana grower. Eight years ago, he was busted in a raid, but today he’s working for the Cannabis Career Institute, introducing others to a rapidly changing industry. “If you take all the moisture out,” he cautions, explaining proper “curing” techniques while gesturing to photos of large marijuana plants on the screen behind him, “all you have left is plant material. And what you want is the cannabis oil.”

The $300, all-day workshop comes on the heels of Maryland’s recent decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana and revision of the state’s medical marijuana initiative. After Tageson discusses cultivation, his partner, Aaron Silverman, addresses the retail side of the business as it’s currently playing out in California and Colorado. Some here are clearly already growers—“Sure, I’m interested in potentially opening a dispensary, but I do like to garden as a hobby,” laughs one gray-haired man—while others are attending for personal, medical, or purely entrepreneurial reasons.

“I was recently diagnosed with bladder cancer,” says another middle-aged man. “I’m an insurance agent.”

Kal Shah, a Hindu businessman, smiles when asked why he’s interested in pot. “Well, I’ve never smoked marijuana,” he admits. “But I’d consider opening a dispensary,” the good-natured Shah chuckles. “Why not? I don’t drink and I own several liquor stores, and I don’t eat meat and I own two Subway franchises.”

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Wind and a Prayer

June 8, 2014
South Exeter Street

Filing out of morning Mass at St. Leo the Great Roman Catholic Church, led by Bishop Denis Madden, some 400 Little Italy parishioners gather outside for the traditional Feast of St. Anthony procession, keeping a 110-year-old promise to the medieval Franciscan friar.

As flames moved east during the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904, destroying more than 1,500 buildings in its wake, Italian immigrants were told to evacuate. “Sparks were coming into the neighborhood,” says Jerry Elliott, president of the St. Anthony’s Society of St. Leo’s. A number of worried faithful, however, went to the church and removed St. Anthony’s statue—the same one that remains in the church today—carrying it to the waterfront and praying that their homes and church be spared. “When the winds changed overnight, they decided to hold a festival every year in honor of St. Anthony,” explains Elliott, adding that although he’s Irish, he is “married to an Italian girl” with local roots.

After the procession, the statue is placed beneath a tent for prayers to the saint and donations to the poor. “I haven’t missed it since I arrived from Sicily in 1967,” says Anthony Staiti, 74, after pinning $5 on the statue and receiving a small St. Anthony medallion. “When I was sick as a child, my Sicilian mother prayed to St. Anthony every day and lit candles until I was better. As a boy, she used to dress me up in a brown robe with the white rope belt like him, and I’d march in the procession there.

“She told me when I grew up, it was up to me if I wanted to keep praying to St. Anthony,” Staiti smiles. “I do it for her. But it’s worked, right? I’m still here.”

The Chasseur sailed into its full-fledged identity in September. The restaurant, named after a ship that was dubbed the original Pride of Baltimore, took over the space that was once Adam’s Eve Gastropub in Canton, adding its own imprint in cosmetic improvements and food. The menu by executive chef Sean Praglowski features upscale comfort food like buttermilk-fried chicken and Baltimore-style sour-beef shorts ribs (a family recipe) with house-made potato dumplings. It also takes its role seriously as a neighborhood place by offering sandwiches and burgers, including a veggie one.

We wondered how the restaurant would fare after its Adam’s Eve proprietor and chef Mark Littleton left. He was known for his cooking chops. But we’re happy to report that the kitchen has not missed a beat under Praglowski.

The caramelized butternut squash soup was a creamy delight with spiced pumpkin seeds and cinnamon crème fraîche. We also were intrigued by the chicken lettuce wraps—three huge leaves cradling tender chicken, toasted peanuts, carrots, jalapeño peppers, and red onion in a Thai-peanut vinaigrette. And that was just the beginning of the meal.

Our waitress Jocelyn was a sweetheart, taking the time to share the story behind The Chasseur’s (pronounced sha-sur) name and highlight the menu items which are subject to change. The cheeseburger, meatballs, and meatloaf are all made from local beef, she told us.

That clinched the deal for us as we opted for the meatloaf dabbed with bacon-horseradish jam and served with mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts. We also liked the braised pork pappardelle with wide ribbons of pasta tossed with meat, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and spinach in a natural jus.

The desserts, made in house, are just as nurturing as the savory dishes—French-toast bread pudding with a melon-sized scoop of vanilla ice cream and camomile-tea crème brûlée with honey-glazed pound cake.

The Chasseur’s owner David Tobash has fashioned a casual, white-tablecloth bistro to appeal not just to the residents but to anyone in search of a good meal at a reasonable price.

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›› The Chasseur, 3328 Foster Ave., 410-327-6984. Hours: 6 p.m.-1 a.m. Mon., 4-10 p.m. Tues.-Wed., 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Thurs.-Fri., 12 p.m.-1 a.m. Sat., 10 a.m.-1 a.m. Sun., includes brunch. Appetizers: $8-11; sandwiches: $12-15; entrees: $17-27; desserts: $8.