From Helen’s Garden to Plug Ugly

I caught up with the Canton restaurant’s new owner Mark Bogosh today. He—and his partners, Thomas Welsch and Brittany Branamer—will be calling their new place Plug Ugly’s Public House after an eponymous 1850s Baltimore political gang.

“There are so many Irish and English places,” Mark said on the phone from his office at HALO Transport. “We thought it would be good to celebrate Baltimore’s history.”

But don’t make a reservation yet. Plug Ugly’s won’t be open until the beginning of December, Mark said. The owners plan to make renovations, including opening up the space.

Helen’s Garden is still going strong (though I was told by the restaurant’s bookkeeper that it would be closing by Sept. 15). The restaurant is posting regularly on its Facebook page offering menu items like braised baby back ribs, snapper with wild mushroom risotto, and grilled T-Bone with Chianti beet (cq) reduction, and the enticement, “You know you want it, come and get it!”

I asked Mark about the status of Helen’s Garden chef Annemarie Langton, who has a huge following there. “If she has an interest in staying, there’s a place for her,” he said.

While Plug Ugly’s menu hasn’t been decided yet, Mark hopes to offer cuisine similar to Helen’s Garden. “We want to keep the same clientele,” he said.