Maryland Wine Week is back for a second year, and many restaurants and wine shops are getting in on the action. From June 8-17, Maryland residents and wine lovers can head out to enjoy locally grown wines, paired with their favorite dishes, at events hosted by restaurants and wine shops across the state.

To cap it all off, the Maryland Wineries Association will be hosting its second annual Eat•Drink•Go LOCAL event on June 16 in North Beach.

RANAZUL in Maple Lawn will be hosting a five-course, prix-fixe wine dinner on June 12, featuring wines made at the local Black Ankle Vineyards.

To keep up with the goings-on, visit Maryland Wine Week's website.

—Baltimore magazine intern Joshua Lazarus

Photo courtesy of Maryland Wine Week's Facebook page 

Winston Blick of Clementine restaurant introduced Green Onion, his greengrocer market, or "bodega" as he calls it, this afternoon after a two-year wait while the building was being restored. And this evening, he will be opening Clementine at the Creative Alliance, a smaller version of his Hamilton restaurant.

"It's very daunting," said Winston, pictured at Green Onion, who owns the restaurants and market with his wife Cristin Dadant. They opened the original Clementine four years ago, eventually expanding the space to accommodate the crowds.

Now, Winston will be concentrating more on the business side of these ventures. To accomplish that, he put Jill Snyder, recently of Woodberry Kitchen and a former Top Chef contestant, in the kitchen at Clementine, and Jeremy Price, Clementine's sous chef, at the helm of the Creative Alliance restaurant, a cozy 49 seater in Highlandtown.

Winston describes the food at the new restaurant as "a little more fancy and smaller plates" than what's offered in Hamilton. But diners can expect the same quality of food. His former sous chef knows his "food philosophy," Winston said.

At the market, Winston brought on longtime friend and restaurant buddy Bill DeBloom as the manager. James Wilson, who formerly worked at Ceriello in Belvedere Square, is the resident butcher.

Today, the men were stocking shelves and produce bins, filling the meat and cheese cases, and prepping for customers. The market has a rustic, old-fashioned feel with its weathered wood and tile floor, but is filled with modern-day goods, many of them local.

Here are a few: Prigel's ice cream and milk, Andy's eggs, Zeke's coffee (a special Green Onion blend), Hamilton Bakery bread, Rumbleway Farm chickens, Cedar Hill cheeses, and much more.

There are also products from other areas of the country, like corn from Florida and hot-house tomatoes from Pennsylvania. "But they're fantastic," Winston said.

As the store gets established, Winston also plans to offer prepared foods. And his chef Jill will be holding cooking classes there.

"We're going to be making a lot of our own inventory," Winston said. "We'll be making our own salsa and Green Goddess dressing."

The future sounds bright for Green Onion—and its shoppers.

Photos by me 

There's a celebration going on in Baltimore. Several restaurants are featuring this local delicacy on their menus in a special promotion from today through May 28.

Try preparations like Brewer's Art's cornmeal-crusted soft-shell and fried oysters with popcorn purée, tasso ham, braised greens, and Ozzy Ale-Old Bay butter, and Miss Shirley's soft-shell "BLT" Benedict with poached eggs, cornmeal-encrusted soft-shells, tomatoes, lettuce, apple-wood-smoked bacon, on sourdough rounds with Old Bay remoulade.

Both dishes sound amazing.

Other participants include Aldo's Ristorante Italiano, Alewife, Charleston, Chinghiale, Diamond Tavern, Grille 700, Kali's Court, Kona Grill, LaScala, Luna del Sea, McCormick & Schmick's, The Oceanaire Seafood Room, Pazo, Phillips Seafood, The Point in Fells, The Prime Rib, Rocco's, Ryleigh's Oyster, TEN TEN, and Vino Rosina.

Visit DineDowntownBaltimore for more menus.

Photo by Rita Mass/epicurious.com 

Swirl wine shop in Timonium is hosting a Mama's Day Tasting on Friday in time for Mother's Day. But they've added a sweet twist—bite-size cupcakes, pictured.

In addition to a selection of wines, Swirl's personable proprietors, Austin and James Carpenter, are partnering with MOD desserts, a new husband-and-wife start-up, to offer samples of the tiny cakes at the free event from 4-7 p.m. tomorrow.

Wines include: an Italian bubbly, a Spanish white blend, a fruity Tempranillo, a Merlot, and a Rioja.

They will make Mom very happy.

Photo courtesy of Swirl's Facebook page 

The new restaurant at Sanders' Corner, McFaul's IronHorse Tavern, is planning to open the first weekend in June, co-owner Walter Lashno said today. The porch, pictured below, will now include an outdoor bar as well as 72 prized dining seats.

It's a lovely place to enjoy the warm weather since the elevated deck overlooks the lush Loch Raven Reservoir. The restaurant's interior will be really nice, too.

The restaurant was gutted, Walt said, and everything is shiny and state-of-the art. The new owners haven't discarded the buildings' storied past as an ice-cream store and popular breakfast spot, though. They've kept much of the memorabilia, he said.

The name "IronHorse" also reflects the train that used to chug by across the street. The restaurant, at the corner of Cromwell Bridge Road and Loch Raven Drive, will have three dining rooms: the Baltimore Room, Loch Raven Room, and Fireplace Room, with appropriate decor.

The indoor bar will include a raw bar at one end. The executive chef is Evan Orser, who previously worked at Looney's Pub in Bel Air and The Harp in Perry Hall, according to belair.patch.com.

The menu will feature traditional Maryland cuisine, Walt said, with local crab cakes, rockfish, an a la carte oyster bar, and other products from nearby farms, including Prigel ice cream and Boordy wines.

I can't wait to sit on the porch.

Photos by me 

The new restaurant Ouzo Bay in Harbor East is scheduled to open in early summer. I personally am glad to hear that news because my office is only a few floors above the construction, pictured, at the corner of Central and Lancaster streets. The building is also home to Charleston restaurant at the other end.

The new restaurant will focus on traditional Old World favorites with a modern take on Greek cuisine. The menu will feature fresh fish flown in from the Mediterranean, grass-fed lamb and beef, and homemade Greek favorites. There will also be a substantial collection of Greek wines and liquors from various regions of the homeland.

With the constant jackhammering, dust, and debris, I may need ouzo long before the restaurant opens. 

Photo by me

PABU, the Japanese restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, is scheduled to open on Tuesday, according to Audrey Slade, the hotel's director of public relations.

The new restaurant will join Wit & Wisdom and LA MILL at the hotel. It will have an outside entrance.