The newest corner bar to join the resto-pub trend is Annabel Lee Tavern [601 S. Clinton Street, Canton, 410-522-2929]. You know, the kind of watering hole that also has amazing food. Certainly, go for drinks but stay for the food. The cozy spot, whose name is an homage to Edgar Allan Poe's poem Annabel Lee, has a nice selection of bottled beers and brews on tap and wines by the bottle or glass. There's a TV at the bar, but it's usually turned off unless patrons request otherwise, creating a relaxed, homey atmosphere.

Baltimore's wine lists need a shake up. While working on this issue's best restaurants list, I had a chance to do an informal survey of various offerings around town. Here's what I found: a gaggle of independent restaurateurs with diverse wine lists and a host of lax lists brimming with big-volume mediocrity.

But the blame for such a state of affairs may lie with you, dear reader. As my predecessor at Baltimore magazine once opined, "People drink what they deserve."

It’s oddly comforting, in our low-fat, low-salt era, to see beefy people lined up to buy pork sausage.

Before any major food holiday—but especially Easter, which falls on March 23 this year—devotees of Ostrowski’s kielbasa politely form queues that start in the tiny store and wend their way up South Washington Street in Fells Point. Mostly male, blue collar, and middle-aged, these are folks who grew up in East Baltimore and were weaned on the stuff. 

After 14 years of turning out delectable baked goods for The Classic Catering People, pastry chef Robert Gonzalez traded his corporate apron for a piece of his own pie in Carroll County. He and his wife Julia opened a bakery four years ago in the hinterlands of Hampstead, turning out temptations like almond raspberry cake, swirled cheesecakes, and fresh fruit tarts. Recently, they expanded their venture to a bigger location and included a coffee shop.

There’s something about a crackling fire in winter that stirs the appetite—for romance. Add good food, a glass of wine, and a great companion, and what could be a better recipe for Valentine’s Day? Several area restaurants offer all those ingredients, including Petit Louis Bistro (pictured), Milton Inn, Ambassador Dining Room, The Brewer’s Art, and Mt. Washington Tavern. You’ll find other dining spots that have fireplaces in our restaurant listings. Diane Feffer Neas, a restaurant consultant, explains part of the fascination. “There’s a thing about the glow,” she says.

Some locals joke that there's a sushi place for every 10 people along the York Road corridor from Towson to Hunt Valley. That might not be such an exaggeration. We noticed quite a few Asian eateries on the busy thoroughfare as we headed north recently in search of, well, another sushi restaurant.

Everything old is new again—at least, when it comes to hot chocolate. The wintertime drink has been around for thousands of years, dating to the Aztecs, Mayans, and even older civilizations. We can thank our European forefathers for transforming the Mexican beverage into the sweet cocoa concoction we indulge in today. Around town, you'll find several versions to chase away the cold. Vaccaro's (222 Albemarle St., 410-685-4905) uses a Nestle hot-chocolate mix with milk and adds a decadent swirl of whipped topping, plus you get a sugar cookie with your order ($2.30-3.40).