The Hamilton-Lauraville corridor will soon have another food choice in the neighborhood. Megan and Shawn Lagergren, the owners of Tooloulou, are hoping to open sometime this month.

The restaurant's name is Cajun for crab—fitting for Baltimore and for Shawn, the chef, who is originally from Louisiana. "It's fun to say," Megan said of the name. "It's catchy."

The couple will focus on artisan pizza, po' boys, and more. Shawn has been practicing his pizza skills this week, pictured. Currently, he's the chef at Dionysus in Mt. Vernon. He's also worked at Clementine among other restaurants in town.

Megan and Shawn, who live in the neighborhood, have always wanted to open their own place, she said. Then, they discovered the storefront formerly occupied by Chef Mac's, which now is in the old Parkside location down the street. "We didn't realize the space was open," Megan said. "It's perfect. It's so cute."

Megan said they are also planning to make use of the store's classic refrigerated case, which they've painted a '50s blue. "We'll have prepared foods, a rotating menu, for neighbors to grab," she said. "Things they can throw in the oven."

Megan and Shawn will be participating in the "Holidays on Harford" event on Saturday, Dec. 10, when shops and restaurants along the corridor will be celebrating the season. They're planning on serving complimentary refreshments. Stop by and meet them. 

A cookbook is always a great holiday gift for the food person in your life. And a signed one is even better, especially if it’s by Bryan Voltaggio, chef/co-owner of VOLT in Frederick. His popularity since his season-six Top Chef days continues to soar.

Bryan will be signing VOLT ink., the book he wrote with his brother Michael, who’s cooking at his new restaurant ink. in Los Angeles, at Williams-Sonoma in Annapolis Mall on Tuesday, Dec. 6, starting at 3 p.m.

The book is priced at $40 on William-Sonoma’s website. Bryan will only be able to sign books purchased through Williams-Sonoma.

Ray Lewis may be injured, but he’s getting around town. Last night, he was spotted at Chazz: A Bronx Original with 20 of his friends, including other Ravens players.

He dined on calamari fritti, a tricolored salad, and pan-seared salmon. Ravens Jarret Johnson and Haloti Ngata chowed down on chicken Parmigiana and fusilloni Caprese, respectively.

Co-owner Chazz Palminteri wasn’t there, but he was alerted that Ray was in the house. The actor followed up with a phone call, according to restaurant personnel, thanking Ray for visiting the restaurant and saying that he “is the greatest middle linebacker from sideline to sideline that ever lived.”

A love fest ensued where Chazz and Ray made plans to meet up in Baltimore this weekend.

Aw!

Photo courtesy of Baltimore Ravens

We found out this afternoon. The chef responsible for the cuisine at the new Four Seasons restaurants shared his first impressions of Baltimore, what other city restaurants he’s visited, and what he’s making for his family’s Thanksgiving dinner.

For months, the Four Seasons in Harbor East was drumming up anticipation for the opening of some of Baltimore’s newest restaurants—Wit & Wisdom, LAMILL, and Pabu, scheduled to open in February.

The phrase, “by Michael Mina,” was often used in the promotions. The chef, though, is not exactly a household name in these parts. He’s not on the Food Network, doesn’t have a crazy kitchen shtick, and hasn’t written a gazillion cookbooks.

But, if you’re not familiar with him, he’s a serious chef, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America, is a James Beard Award winner, has earned Michelin stars, and came into the national spotlight at hotspot Aqua in San Francisco before starting his own restaurants and then forming the Mina Group. He’s now opened a string of restaurants around the country. Wit & Wisdom is restaurant number 19.

Not bad for a kid who started washing dishes and prepping food at a restaurant when he was 15. By the time he was 17, he was heading to culinary school.

As we sat on comfy chairs in the Wit & Wisdom bar on a rainy afternoon, the chef shared some of his thoughts.

What do you think of Baltimore? Chef: “I did not think it would be this beautiful or feel like this. Other cities have harbors but not like this. It’s just beautiful.”

Why partner with the Four Seasons? Chef: “I believe in their philosophy. They’ve done a great job, have high standards, and are forward moving.” (Mina opened one of his signature Bourbon Steak restaurants at the Four Seasons in D.C.)

Why Wit & Wisdom and not Bourbon Steak? Chef: "I wanted to do something I haven’t done before. I wanted it connected to a kitchen wood fire. You have great product here, seafood, pork, it screamed wood fire. I embraced the wood.” (Wit & Wisdom has an open kitchen, allowing diners to watch the chefs at work.)

Will you be going home for Thanksgiving? (Mina lives in San Francisco with his wife and two sons.) Chef: “I leave tomorrow and I’ll be back the following Wednesday. We always have turkey. My wife is very traditional. I’ll slip in a pork loin and maybe some lobster pumpkin ravioli.” (Mina is expecting 36 guests for the holiday.)

Are you still planning to open Pabu? Chef: "Yes, in February. It’s exciting. It’s a chance to partner with Ken Tominaga, a Japanese chef in San Francisco [at Hana Japanese Restaurant]. He’s just dynamite."

Why Japanese cuisine? Chef: “It’s simple but complex. I’ve played with it. I’m attracted to eating and learning about it.”

You’ve written one cookbook (Michael Mina: The Cookbook, 2006). Are you working on any others? Chef: “I’m working on it mentally. The next one won’t be a cookbook. I want to give back information to the industry.”

Which chefs do you admire? Chef: "There are many great people in the industry, but Thomas Keller [of The French Laundry, Per Se] does an amazing job of teaching his technique to people in his kitchen. When they leave, they are educated. They go out and open their own restaurants and teach the technique.”

Have you been to any Baltimore restaurants? Chef: "Woodberry Kitchen. I loved it. It has a great vibe. And Black Olive. I loved it, too.”

Tell me about LAMILL? Chef: "It’s really different. It’s coffee drinks (based on LAMILL in Los Angeles] paired with beignets and pot pies that are like Pop-Tarts [and other menu items]. It’s done high level at affordable prices. It’s a real treat.”

As we ended the conversation, the chef said he will stay involved in the Baltimore restaurants after the initial opening phase. “I’ll be here every other month,” he said.

Photos by me. Chef Michael Mina, top, left, with Patrick Yumul, president of the Mina Group. Above, Wit & Wisdom dining room.

Seared beef heart, bull testicles, and pork tails. That’s just part of the menu that executive chef Sarah Acconcia at 13.5% Wine Bar in Hampden has created for a special offal dinner.

“It’s the way cooking used to be. It's not a gross-out theme,” the chef says. “These are parts of the animal we used to eat back in the day. They’re cheap and delicious. The whole-animal mentality is important to me.”

The five-course meal with a selection of Flying Dog ales will be held at the restaurant, pictured, on Monday, Nov. 21, starting at 6 p.m. with a cocktail hour (cash bar) featuring appetizers. The cost is $70 and includes all the food and beer pairings.

Sarah was approached by the folks at Flying Dog, who follow her on Twitter, she says. They were impressed with some of the dishes she had made at the restaurant and tweeted about, like a heart pâté that sold out one night.

For Monday’s dinner, the bison criadillas (bull testicles) will be prepared in a meat-and-potatoes style, Sarah says. She’ll braise the meat, then slice it over celeriac purée with Brussels sprouts. She compares the dish to short ribs and mashed potatoes.

For reservations, call the restaurant. It’s only accepting 50 diners. “It’s a day the restaurant is closed,” Sarah says. “We want to keep it exclusive.”

The dress rehearsal is over. Phillips officially opens for dinner this evening in its new location in Power Plant. I stopped by this morning to talk to the chef.

While we were chatting, people kept coming in to check out the place and see if it was open for lunch. It will be, starting on Monday, and will then be serving lunch and dinner daily. For this weekend, it’s dinner only.

The new space, a few piers from its old Harborplace location, is charming with rich dark woods, shades of grays, comfy booths, and a spiffy piano bar.

But its heart is in the rest of the décor. It captures the spirit of the original Ocean City Phillips. I could feel founder Shirley Phillips’s imprint.

Or maybe it was just me remembering my hostess days at the O.C. crabhouse while I was in college. At the new Phillips, a Tiffany ceiling panel recalls Mrs. Phillips’s love of Tiffany lamps. The crystal chandeliers are from the family’s Beach Plaza hotel in O.C. And a carousel horse in the entrance will remind vacationers of the historic ride at the end of the boardwalk.

The photos of Shirley and her late husband Brice and other family and Chesapeake scenes let visitors know that the restaurant founded in 1956 is very much connected to Maryland. And that’s what this new location is all about.

Chef Todd Weisz, pictured, who has been with Phillips for three years, wants local residents to re-visit Phillips, which had become known as a tourist destination. “Why don’t you come back and try again?” he asks. “Bring back the old memories.”

The kitchen has kept its Eastern Shore roots, the chef says. But there is more focus on local ingredients, products, and seafood. For instance, Marvesta shrimp is used for an appetizer, and FireFly Farms goat cheese is sprinkled in the spinach and arugula salad.

Also, the chef adds, “We try to buy as much Maryland crabmeat as possible.”

He’s excited about the restaurant scene in Baltimore in general. “This town is ready for a culinary explosion,” he says.

Indeed, it is. There are so many restaurant openings you need a scorecard these days.

In South Baltimore, Hersh’s Pizza and Drinks opened this week. It’s the dream of brother-and-sister owners Josh and Stephanie Hershkovitz, who transformed Rub, the barbecue place, into a friendly neighborhood pizzeria with Neapolitan-style pizza and a selection of small plates.

Farther south, Miss Shirley’s Cafe opened restaurant number three in Annapolis, serving the same Southern-inspired fare it has been cooking up in Roland Park and on Pratt Street. The executive chef is Matt Campbell, who was cooking in the other Miss Shirley's kitchens.

And Wit & Wisdom, a Tavern by Michael Mina, will officially open on Monday in the glitzy new Four Seasons Hotel in Harbor East.

It really is an exciting food time in Baltimore.

Photos by me

Finally, VOLT makes it easier to reserve a table, especially its famous Table 21 in the kitchen. From now until Dec. 31, the restaurant in Frederick will be taking reservations for the entire month of January.

Here’s how it works: Reservations can be booked up to one month in advance for lunch and dinner. If the date is booked, guests can place their names on a wait list for three alternate dates within 30 days prior to their original request.

Also, starting in January, VOLT—co-owner and former Top Chef contestant Bryan Voltaggio’s ode to the preparation of local, seasonal ingredients—will offer dinner Tuesday-Sunday and lunch on Saturday and Sundays.

The snack menu at the bar will be available Tuesday-Friday on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The most exciting change, according to the restaurant’s website, is that the chef, pictured, will offer a four-course, prix fixe menu in the main dining room side by side with a chef’s tasting menu.

If you’re still awake, you can find more info on the website.