You may remember Christian DeLutis as one of B-mag’s top singles. We knew him as the creative executive chef at The Wine Market in Locust Point. Christian left in early May to head to Ireland for a cooking gig. But securing a work visa proved difficult, and now he’s back in Baltimore, looking for a place to open his own restaurant.

He’s targeting Fells Point, Mount Vernon, or Piers 5 or 6. Christian says he’s taking his time to find just the right place and doesn’t expect to be in business until next spring or fall. The chef already has a concept: reinventing American classics and serving all-American wines and bourbon.

In the meantime, you can find Christian at Brasserie Tatin, where he’s doing consulting work with the kitchen and helping put together a new menu to be unveiled toward the end of October.

But back to The Wine Market, executive chef Jason Lear smoothly picked up DeLutis’s reins and has galloped forward with his own menu interpretations. I was there last night and had a wonderful fall starter among other dishes: a 12-hour braised oxtail ragout with buckwheat potato gnocchi. Simply delicious.

A new burger joint is coming to Baltimore—Elevation Burger (655 Aliceanna St., Harbor East, near the Marriott Courtyard, elevationburger.com). But this won’t be your typical fast-food hamburger. Elevation Burger is all about healthy ingredients. It cooks its french fries, made fresh, in olive oil, offers two kinds of veggie burgers, and uses only 100 percent organic, grass-fed, free-range meat. Burgers will cost from $3.39-5.99.

Alex Smith, grandson of baking magnate John Paterakis Sr., is responsible for bringing the concept here. "There’s not many places where you can get in and out quick," says Alex, who lives in the area. "It will be a nice addition to the neighborhood."

Elevation Burger, a rapidly expanding Virginia-based chain since it opened in 2005, has plans for 24 restaurants in the Mid-Atlantic region. Smith, who owns and operates a Häagen-Dazs store in Harbor East, is also looking to expand the burger restaurant to Towson, Pikesville, or Owings Mills. He plans to open the Harbor East Elevation Burger by the end of November.

The dream of Kristina and Mark Bachman is now open. V-NO (905 S. Ann St., next to Bonaparte Breads, 410-342-8466) offers bottles from $10-30, which are stacked into sections like bubbly, crisp, big, and juicy, as well as by the glass ($6-10) at the intimate bar and tables. "We want to make it as easy as possible," says Kristina, a former nurse recruiter and mother of a 2 1/2 year old. There is also a beer selection and a "cellar" with pricier options. You can also take out your package goods.
She and Mark have dedicated the shop to women by focusing on wine, a cheese sampler with French bread and kalamata olives ($12), and sweets, like the chocolate-truffle platter ($6). The sleek, cozy interior is reminiscent of a European café. There is also outdoor seating with umbrellas. "We love food and we love wine," says Kristina, explaining why she and her husband opened the wine bar. "And it’s on the water." Always a plus in our book.

Hours are 11:30 a.m. to closing, which will vary from 9 p.m. to midnight depending on visitors, Tuesday through Saturday.

Even if you missed the most important national holiday of the summer, Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night on Aug. 8, I’m guessing that, if you’re like me, you are still being bombarded—in a good way—with all kinds of squash. My pile of squash and cooking magazines collided at the same time. As I was weeding through the magazine stack, I found this recipe in July’s Cooking Light. I immediately went into the kitchen and made it. I’ll be making it again soon. I hope you like it, too.

Parmesan Zucchini Sticks

3 large zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup egg substitute, see note
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut zucchini in half crosswise; cut each half lengthwise into eight wedges. Repeat procedure with remaining zucchini. Combine bread crumbs, panko, cheese, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Dip zucchini in egg substitute; dredge in bread-crumb mixture. Place zucchini on a wire rack coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat zcchini with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.
Note: I didn’t have egg substitute, so I used a whole egg, beaten slightly.

Fans of Joe Edwardsen’s pizzas will have to go through pie withdrawal, starting Sunday, Aug. 10, while the restaurant undergoes renovations and—this is the big news—installs a coal-fired pizza oven.

Joe says the oven will produce a more authentic pizza flavor and cook faster. A spruced-up Joe Squared (133 W. North Ave., 410-545-0444) is expected to reopen Tuesday, Aug. 19, although the new oven won’t be in service until the end of August because of flue work that needs to be done. But, Joe says, diners can take a look at the oven, which he says is the only one in Maryland.

You may remember the short-lived Phat Pug pizzeria in Perry Hall, which had a coal-fire oven. Phat Pug paved the way, Joe says.

Those were the words of Tim Zagat of the Zagat restaurant surveys on NPR this morning. He then went on to cite the variety of restaurants in the city, mentioning The Helmand, Charleston, and Samos. And while we may not always get national recognition, Tim said we rank among the best in the country. We’re just smaller than L.A. or New York, he explained.

Those inspiring culinary thoughts come on the heels of Bon Appétit’s new restaurant issue, which includes Cinghiale in a story on the new breed of Italian restaurants in America. The magazine collected recipes from "our 12 favorite places across the country," including two from Cinghiale chef Julian Marucci. His wild mushroom crostini and fresh artichoke and white bean crostini sound amazing.

Baltimore’s summer restaurant week is in full swing through Aug. 3 with more than 90 restaurants participating. In addition to three-course dinner for $30.08 and three-course lunches for $20.08, many places offer special events like wine pairings, cooking classes, and tasting menus. Some of the more popular restaurants fill up fast. But I’d like to suggest giving some of the lesser-known spots a try, like Todd Conner’s, 700 S. Broadway in Fells Point.

A friend and I ended up there on Saturday night. Even though I didn’t order from the restaurant week menu (too much heavy-duty eating during the week), the courses looked great and the price also includes a half-price bottle of wine. It’s worth stopping by just to meet Kate, bartender/server extraordinaire. The small dining area is sleekly modern with butter-yellow walls, rich wood floors, and pretty artwork. We had the place to ourselves.

Addictively warm, salty potato chips arrive soon after you're seated and take the edge off your hunger while you figure out what to order. I had a crab and avocado salad with lots of nice lump crab. My friend got the Fell’s ultimate, a generous, flavorful crab-cake sandwich. But the side dish that got us groaning with pleasure was the bowl of mushrooms, buttery, earthy morsels sautéed to an elegant mahogany shade. An elusive flavor lingered after each bite. Kate said it was a magic spice. We agree.

What are your restaurant-week discoveries?