Casey Jenkins, chef/owner of Darker Than Blue Cafe (3034 Greenmount Avenue, 443-872-4468) is a sweetheart and maybe an urban saint. A native New Yorker, he's so passionate about Baltimore that he's staked his all on Waverly, a desperately underserved neighborhood when it comes to fine dining. Named for Curtis Mayfield's bluesy anthem of inner-city hope, Darker features mammoth platters of Jenkins' fine Southern cooking (he's a Culinary Institute of America grad), like superlative ribs, chicken—both fried and slow-roasted—and fresh greens from the farmer's market around the way.

“My mother never threw away a leftover. Never, never,” recalls Deborah Flateman. “I learned from her that there’s a way to recycle food into other edible dishes. So, why would you ever throw it away?”

That philosophy should serve her well as the recently appointed CEO of the Maryland Food Bank (MFB). You see, Flateman hates the idea that someone somewhere in Maryland might be hungry. She takes it personally, the way grandmothers do when they fear someone might leave their house without having a fourth helping of mashed potatoes.

There's a place on Padonia Road that serves really great steaks, and this time, we don't mean Christopher Daniel. We're talking about Rib 'N Reef (22 W. Padonia Road, Timonium, 410-560-0906), which occupies the same space as the now-defunct Gibby's Seafood restaurant. That place was beloved by its regulars, and from what we see and hear, Rib 'N Reef is, gradually, earning its own legion of fans. It's easy to see (and taste) why—the menu takes good old American favorites and makes a few interesting adjustments.

Any place calling itself "Alabama BBQ" is bound to offer a new take on a familiar cuisine, and Alabama BBQ Company (4311 Harford Road, 410-254-1440, alabamabbqcompany.com) doesn't disappoint. You'll find the usual assortment of pulled pork, pulled chicken, brisket, and ribs, all smoked with a mixture of various fruitwoods and hickory.

A sweet little Ecuadorian storefront restaurant has survived for more than three years on Fells Point's Latino restaurant row, where storefronts tend to come and go. That alone speaks to the quality of La Cazuela, (1718 Eastern Ave., 410-522-9485), which distinguishes itself from its competitors with its genuine restaurant feel (beige tablecloths and spotless, sunny surrounds), the attentive ministrations of owners Enrique and Marina Tapia, and its consistently fine food. Yet on a recent visit, we were troubled to see the place nearly empty.

The cold, crisp weather that autumn sweeps in makes us long for fireplaces and warm, spicy seasonal foods. And with those fall dishes, we like to turn to heartier seasonal beers, like Clipper City's just-released Winter Storm ale. Richer and more complex than those watery light beers you drank all summer, this Imperial ESB also packs a mean punch with 7.5 percent alcohol. "Because of the hop availability, this year's is pretty much identical to last year's," says Clipper City honcho Hugh Sisson.