Joe Edwardsen, owner/chef of Joe Squared in Station North, is working on a deal now to open a restaurant in Power Plant Live!

He’ll still stay in his North Avenue location, but if all the “T”s get crossed and “I”s get dotted, he and his square pizzas will have a second location in the spot now occupied by Two Boots Pizzeria in about two months.

Two Boots—which just opened in July last year—confirmed today that they’re planning to move if all their details work out. The popular New York eatery will stay in Baltimore, relocating to Mt. Royal Avenue in the MICA campus, near University of Baltimore.

I stopped by Joe Squared today to pick up a pizza for lunch, pictured, (it was a very good three-different-topping Flag Pizza) and talked to Joe about his plans. He had to give up on his dream of opening the restaurant Cuadrado across the street from Joe Squared, he said. The building wasn’t up to code.

Now, he’s working hard to bring his pizzas to the Inner Harbor. “It’s not finalized,” he said. “But it will most likely happen.”

That would be nice for us downtown workers. Then, we could get delivery to our offices. No more need to pick up the pies. But, then, I'd miss talking to Joe.

Photo by me

I’m going to Camden Yards this morning to eat food—actually to sample the latest menu items from the new vendor. More on that later today. But, coincidentally, I discovered that there will be a Food Network sandwich cart at the ballpark this year.

In the most recent issue of Food Network Magazine, I saw an item on the sandwiches, which will be offered at nine Major League locations, including Camden Yards. Evidently, our sandwich will be “All-natural steak with Old Bay horseradish sauce on a rustic roll.” Sounds interesting.

I’m sorry that the steak sandwich photo is so small. That’s all I could find on the Food Network’s website.

Check in later for more about baseball food.

Sometimes, I need to cook. That’s how I felt yesterday as I minced shallots, cut rosy raw beef into neat cubes, plucked fragrant rosemary from my sturdy winter plant, and blanched thin stalks of asparagus.

I wanted to fix a meal that would capture the waning days of cold weather but also welcome the first day of spring. An aromatic beef stew would work, I thought, with chilled asparagus topped with a mustardy vinaigrette and gossamer shreds of egg.

There was a catch. I also wanted to go to yoga in the afternoon. No problem. I dragged out my trusty slow cooker to get the main meal started in the morning and prepped the vegetable for later.

It all came together easily, and the house still smells wonderful. Here are the recipes I used. Do you have favorite weekend recipes? I’d love to post them, too. Please e-mail your recipes to me.

Provençal Beef Stew (Slow Cooker)

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 ½ pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

2 sprigs thyme

2 sprigs rosemary

2 yellow onions, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup dry white wine

1 (14 ½ ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Freshly ground pepper

1 ½ cups green olives, pitted

Combine the flour and salt in a resealable plastic bag. Add the meat to the bag, several pieces at a time, and shake to coat completely.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. In batches if necessary, add the meat and cook, turning, for 7 to 10 minutes, until browned on all sides. Using tongs, transfer the meat to the slow cooker and add the thyme and rosemary.

Place the onions in the plastic bag and shake in the remaining flour to coat completely. Set the sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the onions. Saute, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the garlic and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened. Add the wine to the pan and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and whisk in the mustard and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens somewhat. Pour the sauce over the meat in the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 5 to 8 hours, until the meat is very tender. Stir in the olives 20 minutes before the end of cooking. Remove and discard the thyme and rosemary.

Ladle into soup bowls and serve immediately.

Recipe from The Gourmet Slow Cooker by Lynn Alley

Asparagus with Red-Wine Vinaigrette

1 ½ pounds medium asparagus

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

2 teaspoons minced shallot

¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large egg, hard-boiled

Steam asparagus on a steamer rack set over boiling water, covered, until just tender, 3-5 minutes (depending on thickness), then transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels.

Whisk together the vinegar, shallot, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.

Halve egg and force each half through a coarse sieve into a bowl. (A potato ricer works really well, too.) Toss asparagus with 1 tablespoon vinaigrette and divide among four plates. Spoon remaining dressing over asparagus and top with the egg. Serves 4.

Recipe adapted from Gourmet

Phto by me

The lineup includes Baltimore’s first Greek Week, a “Crabology” class, the Hippodrome’s Foodie Experience, and a sushi-eating contest. Good thing we don’t have to put on our bathing suits yet. Here goes.

Baltimore Greek Week starts on Sunday and runs through March 27. Many area restaurants will be offering food specials and discounts, starting with a kickoff event at Ikaros Restaurant at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Ikaros will be offering a multi-course, prix-fixe meal for $20.11

Other highlights include Zorba’s Restaurant preparing a Greek buffet for $16 a person from 5 p.m.-close from March 21-24 and the new Olive Room at the Inn at the Black Olive hosting a Greek wine tasting at 6 p.m. March 23.

You’ll find more deals at 7 West Bistro in Towson, Mezze in Fells Point, Double T-Diners around town, Sunshine Grill in Fork, and other places. For a complete list, visit the Greek Week website.

More to do:

“Crabology” class: 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Phillips Seafood Restaurant. Learn everything you’ve always wanted to know about Maryland’s favorite crustacean. The session features a tasting of various grades of crabmeat with a glass of wine and a demo on how to make various hors d’oeuvres. The cost is $50 and includes lunch and a swag bag. Call the restaurant to register.

Foodie Experience: 8 p.m. Saturday at the Hippodrome Theatre. The Food Network’s Alton Brown of Good Eats and Iron Chef America is the guest speaker. An after-party will feature some of Baltimore’s top restaurants from 9:30 p.m.-midnight. For more info, read my interview with Alton Brown. Also, check out Dara Bunjon’s story about the affable food scientist on her Dining Dish blog. To purchase tickets ($94 or $250 VIP), visit ticketmaster.com or the Hippodrome website.  

Sushi-eating contest: Noon-5 p.m. Sunday at RA Sushi; deadline to register is Saturday at the restaurant. The third annual Maki Madness features cash prizes and bragging rights. Even if you don’t chow down on the sushi, you can cheer on your favorite eater. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each Tootsy Maki will be donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Maryland.

What’s No. 1? Grandma would know. Here’s what The Food Channel found in its research. What do you think?

1.    Oatmeal—Not instant but the classic thick and lumpy kind that involves steel-cut oats.
2.    Chocolate for breakfast—Look for chocolate tea, chocolate Belgian waffles, chocolate granola, even hot chocolate on a stick.
3.    Fast-food battle over breakfast—McDonald’s and Burger King are major players but expect others to join the morning rush hour, like Subway, Wendy’s, and maybe Donimo’s Pizza.
4.    Haute coffee at home—More people are buying whole beans, grinders, a French press, and other equipment to make their own brews.
5.    Ethnic invasion—Hispanic breakfast items like tacos, quesadillas, and burritos are showing up everywhere. But there are also European-style breakfast choices like bangers and mash, cheeses, baked beans, and cold cuts turning up, too. Pretty soon, we’ll all be slathering our toast with Nutella (if we aren’t already).
6.    Breakfast beverages—Bubbly juices are growing; new fruit juices are in the market, promoting their antioxidant content; and seasonal juices are riding the “eating local” trend. Strawberry juice, anyone?
7.    Hot pizza in the A.M.—Food makers are looking at hot options. And there’s even a 24-hour Domino’s Pizza in Dayton, Ohio, delivering hot pizza in the morning!
8.    Breakfast ingredients all day long—Bacon, of course, is ubiquitous, from burgers to desserts, but eggs and hash brown potatoes are showing up on lunch and dinner menus.
9.    Breakfast two-step—People are eating breakfast in two phases, sort of grazing through the morning. They may start with coffee and a banana or muffin. Then, later, munch on a power bar, yogurt, or granola before lunch.         
10. Eggs—Remember last summer’s massive egg recall? It’s history, and eggs are back big time both at home and on restaurant menus, any way you like them.

Photo by winnond/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A side effect of the NFL standoff between players and owners if they don’t reach an agreement is the impact on food intake when there are no football games to watch—chicken wings, specifically.

No games could lead to no fans munching on dozens of yummy, messy wings at sports bars and other venues. I’m sure more snacks would be affected, too.

But at the Reuters Global Food and Agriculture Summit being held this week, the talk was about chicken wings. The loss of revenue from the sale of wings would impact the chicken industry, according to one chicken-wing supplier.

Read the whole report on eater.com.

Okay, NFL people lets settle this dispute. We’re talking wings here.

Photo by Gourmet studios courtesy of epicurious.com

An Poitin Stil, whose seven-day St. Patrick’s Day festivities started today, invites families to enjoy Irish food and fun at the Timonium pub on Sunday.

Clowns, balloon artists, and face painters will be on hand for the kids from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Adults can sip Jameson Irish coffees for $5.50 while watching the activities. And bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes) will be available for $10 from 5 p.m.-close that night.

You can also get your Irish on at Baltimore’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade. It steps off at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Washington Monument and continues to Pratt Street and Market Place.

For more children’s events, check out Evan Serpick’s Learning to Crawl post.

Have fun and don’t forget about daylight savings time, which starts at 2 a.m. Sunday. It’s time to spring forward an hour!

Photo by FreeDigitalPhotos.net