If you’ve walked through the latest exhibit at the American Visionary Art Museum, admired the floating art at Nepenthe Brewing Company, or read the walls of the Smithsonian museums, you’re already familiar with Alpha Graphics’ work. Over the past 47 years, this Woodberry design and printing company has made a name for itself by creating top-notch custom prints of all shapes and sizes—ranging from business cards to cardboard cutouts of the Will & Grace cast—for local and national clients.

Although Alpha Graphics has been a part of the local maker community since 1972, the small company experienced a renaissance 12 years ago when the current owner and president, Christine Walsh, took over the business. While Walsh didn’t have any prior printing experience (she was working as an IT manager until the day she purchased the company), she identified with the level of personal care and commitment that Alpha brought to each project.

“The history of Alpha has stayed with me, and I try to instill that in every one of my employees,” Walsh says. “We are not just some copy shop—that print has to come from deep within you and it has to be the best, most high-quality piece that it can be.”

After learning the ins and outs of Alpha’s services—from creating product mock-ups for companies like Black & Decker to handmade color transfers—Walsh began elevating the brand by building sincere personal connections with clients, both big and small. “It’s genuine, I know that having a relationship with us makes people feel more comfortable leaving their artwork or passion projects in our hands,” she says.

Since then, the tight-knit team has expanded to seven people, moved into a historic envelope factory under the Jones Falls Expressway, and continued to design, print, package, and ship products to customers across both the neighborhood and the country. And, impressively, Alpha has built and maintained its hefty roster of clients solely on word-of-mouth referrals, as the company does not advertise.

With the company’s 50th anniversary on the horizon, Walsh plans to continue finding ways to expand Alpha’s reach, including a potential extension into the government sector, while remaining rooted in Baltimore’s creative community. After all, since its customers, vendors, and fellow makers have been so loyal to the print shop over the years, Walsh says her company will always be there to support them back. “Our clients have made us what we are,” she says. “We’re here to help and empower them as much as we can.”

Back in 2014, after Woodberry’s Nepenthe Homebrew saw significant damage resulting from a flooded Jones Falls, husband-and-wife owners Brian Arnold and Jill Antos knew that a move was imminent.

“It just takes a long time,” says Arnold, who opened the home-brewing supply shop in 2013. “We spent some time on different buildings that didn’t work out for one reason or another. We’ve just been plugging away at it.”

Unfortunately, the duo’s search hadn’t been completed by last July, when the shop located in Woodberry’s Meadow Mill complex was flooded after the Jones Falls jumped its banks yet again. This time the storm, which notoriously devastated Main Street in Ellicott City, caused more than $100,000 worth of damage.

With an overwhelming amount of support from the community, Nepenthe has since bounced back, and now, the owners have finally settled on a spot to house their expanded new digs.

This morning, the couple was granted a Class 7 micro-brewery liquor license to open Nepenthe Brewing Co.—an expanded property that will include a full kitchen, taproom, and on-site brewing facility in addition to a retail space to sell the company’s signature beer-making kits and supplies.

The brewpub will take over the 11,000-square-foot building at 3622 Falls Road, which formerly housed David’s 1st and 10 Sports Bar, and a wholesale frozen food production company. Arnold says that the L-shaped property was ideal because of its size, as well as its close proximity to the shop’s current location in the Hampden area.

“We especially love that it’s about 100 feet higher,” he says with a laugh. “It’s a very unique space. We’re working with architects to create a flow where you can go hang out in the taproom but also wander down toward the back where the homebrew store will be. Everything is able to be connected.”

To strengthen its purpose as a resource for homebrewers, the new space will boast its own 10-barrel brew house with 80 barrels of cellar capacity. Arnold says that he’s excited to use the equipment as a tool to further explain how the processes work (he specifically mentions frequent yeast and hop-tasting classes), but also to have the opportunity to brew more often.  

“The first year we were in operation as a store I got to brew exactly once that entire year,” he says. “We opened the shop to increase access to supplies, but at our core, we’re homebrewers. We’ve always wanted to move into a situation where we were able to brew more.”

The beers brewed on site—a mix of Nepenthe’s modern and experimental styles—will be paired with a menu of upscale pub grub including soups, salads, sandwiches, and snacks like fried Brussels sprouts, beer cheese, candied bacon, and crab hush puppies. Former Le Garage partner Brendan Kirlin has been brought on to streamline the culinary program. 

In keeping with Nepenthe’s strong connections to the neighborhood, the casual taproom will have laid-back vibe with communal tables and pub-style service. 

“We just want to encourage comfort,” Arnold says. “We want to be that place where you can go and hang out for a while without being rushed to turn the table over.”

Nepenthe’s lease in Meadow Mill expires in March 2018, and the owners hope to officially make the move to the refurbished brewpub soon after. Arnold says that, above all, he is most excited to keep his business in the neighborhood that has constantly supported it.

“That outpouring of support is something we never expected,” he says, remembering back to the cleanup crews that came out in droves after the first flood. “We already loved our community, but I have difficulty putting into words how much that meant to us. We want to pay that back by bringing them something unique.”

From the moment you reach the top of the cobblestone driveway leading to Cosima, you’ll be charmed. While the approach—a hairpin turn that leads toward the whooshing waters of the Jones Falls—can be harrowing, as you pull into the piazza-like entrance under a string of white lights, you’ll marvel that you’re in Baltimore City, not Sicily.

Set inside an old sailcloth factory in Woodberry’s historic Mill No. 1, Cosima is the newest venture for Donna Crivello (of Donna’s Coffee Bar and Restaurant fame) and Alan Hirsch (co-founder of City Paper). And it is enchanting.

After more than two decades of running cafes, the duo decided it was time to set their sights on a fine-dining restaurant focusing on the Sicilian and Southern Italian foods of Crivello’s Boston childhood, where she cooked with her nonna Cosima.

With exposed stone and brick walls, unique architectural details, and spectacular alfresco dining, the multi-level, 150-seat space is simply stunning. And for a spot that only opened in mid-February, it’s fast falling into the category of destination dining.

I ventured out in early March just a few weeks after it opened. One of my three dining companions was a dear friend, whose birth name is Fortunato and whose grandfather was known to turn over the table if he didn’t like his meal. Fortunato had an instant affinity for the place and welled up while reading over the menu. “Smelts! Like my grandmother and aunt used to make!” he said as he perused the offerings.

Here, you’ll find delectable combinations of salt (capers, anchovies, olives), citrus (blood oranges, lemon), and sweet (figs, raisins, and agrodolce, a thick vinegar sauce). Also on offer are dishes with saffron and cinnamon and ingredients like pine nuts and pomegranate that harken back to eras of Arab, North African, and Greek occupation in Sicily.

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Insalata di Popli:
Cosima features a number of raw, marinated, and cured crudo dishes, but the grilled baby octopus appetizer—complemented by capers, peppers, and celery and tossed in an anchovy vinaigrette—is incredibly flavorful and a unique take on potato salad.

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In addition to the basket of fried smelts, calamari, and shrimp—fritto misto di pesce—among our appetizers was a small cast-iron skillet of polpette, mini meatballs swimming in house-made “gravy” topped with ricotta that oozed all over the morsels and provided a cooling counterpoint.

Not to be outdone, an order of the grilled baby octopus crudo was also a clear crowd favorite. Simple and sublime, it sat on a salad composed of potatoes, celery, red peppers, and capers, and arrived tossed in a bright, lemony anchovy vinaigrette.

Though I wasn’t overly eager to order the grilled sardines appetizer, Fortunato insisted. To my delight, they were divine. Imported from Portugal, the richness was tempered by a sweet and tangy caramelized onion agrodolce rife with raisins. Another fish dish, the house special, a whole grilled bronzino served with blood oranges, had potential. Unfortunately, our otherwise wonderful waiter had no idea how to filet a fish. By the time he was done doing battle with the bones, it was lukewarm and a bit of a mangled mess. (Here’s one for the server suggestion box: Unless you are an absolute expert, this is best done behind the scenes.)

You also can’t go wrong with a bowl of the elegant grilled half Maine lobster served over a bed of black cuttlefish ink pasta. Served with a charred tomato and sweet lobster sauce, it was a sophisticated interpretation of Sicilian comfort food.

Despite the fact that we had no room left on the reclaimed wood table, we shared one of three wood-fired pizzas on offer. The genius was in the crust—chewy and charred. Despite the weight of the toppings—in this case, prosciutto, broccoli rabe, Gorgonzola, sweet, chutney-like spicy fig mostarda—it was a gravity-defying marvel and we’re still regretting that we left two pieces on the pan.

Fortunato finished his meal with a glass of amaro liqueur, as we polished off our bottle of Sicilian Nero d’Avola and followed our server’s suggestion to move forward with a basket of sfinci (Sicilian donuts) and a dish of pistachio gelato. “You must be Italian,” joked Fortunato. “Everyone is a little Italian, here,” the server responded. “Mangia. Mangia.” And we obliged.

There’s no need to turn over the table here.

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COSIMA 3000 Falls Rd., 443-708-7352.
HOURS Sun., Tues.-Thurs. 5-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 5-11 p.m.
CUISINE Sicilian/Southern Italian.
PRICES Appetizers: $7-16; entrees: $22-38; desserts: $7-9.
ATMOSPHERE Hip, historic rehab.

The origins of the brewery began when a few artists and brewers were brought together after a pop-up art gallery project that took place in the space that would become The Charmery ice cream shop in Hampden. One look at the brewery space and that artistic vision shines through—with its wood-mosaic walls, collection of vintage beer steins, and ski-lodge decor.

“We’ve seen a lot of breweries around the country where their tap room is just an after-thought,” says co-founder John Marsh. “We really wanted to pay attention to details and pull nostalgia into the feel of the place.”

Indeed, with old skateboards, Orioles pennants, and magazine cut-outs on the wall, there is something immediately comforting about the space, which includes a tap room and separate lounge area. Quirk and character is evident everywhere, except one blank wall in the lounge. But Marsh quickly explained that was for artists to come in and showcase their work on a rotating basis.

Back in the tap room, we got to sample two brews on tap (eccentric tap handles included an ice cream scooper and potato masher). First up was the Golden Sombrero gold ale, Waverly’s first release, which was light drinking but full bodied. Next was a Belgian pale made with local honey that had a touch of banana flavor.

The brew process is being manned by head brewer and co-founder Roy Fisher and assistant brewer Greg Lee, who both have extensive production experience in the local beer scene.

“I’ve been homebrewing since I lived at my mom’s house when I was 17,” Fisher says. “I was in a group and we called ourselves the ‘mad scientist’ brewers because we would throw in stuff like Cap’n Crunch cereal. But now [at Waverly] I’m having to dial it back a bit.”

That’s not to say Fisher still isn’t having fun. Some upcoming brews include a red ale with vibrant hibiscus flavor, a potential collaboration with Mouth Party on a chocolate caramel stout, and an IPA they’re still toying with named after Captain Chesapeake, the popular local kids’ show that aired on WBFF in the ’70s and ’80s.

The beers will remain draft only for a while, before Waverly hopes to start canning in early 2016. Other plans include outdoor events catered by Clementine and local oyster shuckers, as well.

“Our hope is that other breweries start opening in the area too, and people can start their own brewery crawl,” says Marsh, citing the close proximity of Union Craft and Nepenthe Homebrew. “We can’t wait to get everybody in here and start pouring.”

Chef Ben Lefenfeld has put himself through the paces in kitchens at Petit Louis and Charleston, but when he opened his own spot in April, he decided to flirt with the Basque Country, a lush, gastronomically rich region straddling the western foothills of the Pyrenees and a place long lauded as having some of the finest food on the European continent. (Indeed, it’s hard to swing a churro in the Basque Country without hitting a Michelin-starred restaurant—it boasts the most Michelin stars per capita in the world.)

Alas, the last time I visited the Basque Country, I was a backpacking college kid, too young and franc-less to eat much more than some snacks from a vending machine in the Gare de Carcassonne as I crossed the border by train into Barcelona. (It’s been 31 years, but I still shudder at the thought of resorting to gummy fish for dinner.)

So La Cuchara, in the Meadow Mill Complex in Woodberry, is my chance at redemption.

Situated inside the former headquarters of the London Fog coat factory, La Cuchara (which means “the spoon” in Spanish) is right as rain with its soaring ceilings, a stunning 40-seat bar area, an eclectic collection of spoons and vintage Biarritz plates, and fresh, fanciful
combinations of ingredients. As is traditional in the Basque area, the food is centered on a wood-fired grill, or asador, for cooking meat, fish, and poultry.

The focus here is on simplicity (with most dishes composed of no more than seven to eight ingredients) and local sourcing. And while some plates are strictly rooted on the French side of Basque Country (a classic smoked salmon with crème fraîche, or foie gras with veal tongue, endive, and aioli, for example), others are more Spanish in their leanings, including morsels of mackerel with serrano, garlic, olives, and charred onions.

Some plates are rooted on the French side of Basque Country, others are Spanish in their leanings.

As with most menus these days, the program is seasonally driven. But regardless of what’s on offer, the best plan is to order a plate of pintxos—tiny tapas and a minor investment at $2 apiece—so you can take your time to consider the other options. (A board of house-made breads, including a proper pumpernickel, is also a delicious distraction.)

My companions and I particularly loved the bold bursts of flavor in the smoked mussels pintxos paired with spicy-sweet piquillo peppers and green olives. Other pintxos we loved included a salty-sweet beet purée with poached marcona almonds served in a demitasse and anchovies with guindilla chiles and charred onions (a popular snack food in Biarritz that made the salt lover in me rejoice).

Of the tapas selections, winning plates included a hearty dish of patatas bravas (like a plate of upscale home fries) with a house-made chili powder blend and roasted garlic and onion purée, and a delicate veal crudo, paper-thin, almost translucent, slivers of veal, topped with poached porcinis and dressed to impress with borage blossoms. Even a plate of mere mesclun was divine and an excellent example of the adroit care that’s taken in the kitchen. The greens were sturdy and satisfying and a great vehicle for the earthy truffle vinaigrette.

While the small plates are great, don’t miss the mains. The fish preparations are particularly peerless, like a piece of fire-kissed bronzini with a cracker-like roof of skin and the unusual addition of prosciutto adding a smokiness that tied the dish together.

Equally of note: the delectable niçoise salad—a deconstructed riff on the French classic that included ruby red slabs of grilled sushi-grade Bigeye tuna, niçoise olives, new potatoes, and guindilla chiles. A strip steak served with rioja butter was tasty, though slightly less successful. A glob of butter added unnecessary richness and a grilled side of bitter zucchini didn’t pair well with the protein.

The desserts, made in house, are more than worth your while: Go small with a simple scoop of outstanding house-made ice cream or over-the-top with a helping of house-made churros served with chocolate syrup on the side. Given that much of the staff can list Petit Louis and other Foreman Wolf outposts on their CVs, it’s not surprising that the service matches the caliber of the cuisine.

Sommelier Greg Schwab, who never failed to recommend just the right red from the Rioja region on all of our outings, also deserves a special shoutout. On a late June jaunt, when a serious summer storm deterred us from getting back to our cars, Schwab rushed to the rescue with a sumptuous and sweet wine from the Malaga region. As we settled back into the banquettes and waited out the storm, we basked in the glow of the Basque Country.