Top Chef contestant Timothy Dean is bringing back his scrumptious happy-hour menu at Prime, his Fells Point steakhouse. Starting Tuesday, patrons can enjoy “small plates” that are really good-size portions of food for a bargain $5 each.

From 5-9 p.m. Tues.-Fri., you can nibble on dishes like deep-fried chicken drummettes with honey Dijon sauce, Cajun catfish with hoppin’ John grits, BBQ Moroccan shrimp with polenta and roasted fennel seeds, mesclun salad with hearts of palm and Banyuls vinaigrette, and other creations.

I’d also advise splurging on the chocolate molten cake with vanilla ice cream and berries for $9. It is deliciousness worth sharing. I know. I just had the dessert last night.

Unfortunately, my three friends and I were the only people in the place. Maybe it’s the time of year, but I hope more people discover Prime. Dean is turning out some really good fare from the kitchen—even if Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio doesn’t always seem to like chef Dean’s food.

Dean, or “Timmy” as the staff calls him, is a likeable guy. Sure, he’s had his legal dramas. Recently, he filed a lawsuit against National Harbor developers over a restaurant deal. Hopefully, he can work out that part of his life soon.

After our meal, we chatted with Dean (he didn’t know I was with the magazine) while he was playing chess at the bar. But, darn, we couldn’t pry his secret steak rub recipe out of him!

Stop by. There’s $5 valet parking to make the whole car issue easier.

Photo: Bravo TV

Chipotle Mexican Grill introduced a new kids menu recently and, to promote it, will give kids a free meal on Sundays July 11, 18, 25, and Aug. 1 when parents purchase a burrito, salad, burrito bowl, or an order of tacos.

The child-friendly menu features items like quesadillas, single tacos, and build-your own taco kit, all priced under $5. For example, a small meat-and-cheese quesadilla is $3.50 and is served with a side of rice, a small bag of chips, and a choice of organic plain milk, organic chocolate milk, apple juice, or a soda.

Whenever I hear Chipotle, I think of food crusader Michael Pollan’s comments at Goucher College in April. The author ofOminivore’s Dilemma had nothing but praise for the restaurant chain. “I wish we had more of them,” he said, citing the restaurant’s local sourcing of meat and cooking everything fresh. His words carry a lot of weight.

Charles Village now has two great dessert options—cupcakes and ice cream—in the same building. Summer intern Elizabeth Laseter discovered this delicious duo and shares her findings:

Dominion Ice Cream and Charm City Cupcakes recently opened across from each other on the ground floor of the Blackstone Apartments at 3215 N. Charles St.

Dominion prides itself as “eat your vegetables ice cream,” listing the nutritional qualities of its unique flavors on its website. For instance, “Sweetie Pie Oh My” (sweet-potato ice cream) is high in vitamin E, and “Boney Coney” (tomato ice cream) contains antioxidants.

My favorite is the green-tinted “Muscle-Up,” or spinach-flavored ice cream. I love its surprisingly clean, refreshing flavor, with hints of vanilla. Not to mention, it also packs a healthy dose of iron. For those who want something less adventurous, Dominion has more traditional ice-cream flavors as well.

Charm City Cupcakes offers over 65 flavors of gourmet cupcakes, including Baltimore black bottom (brownie and cream-cheese cake topped with chocolate butter cream and chocolate chips), Key lime, red velvet (my roommate’s favorite), black-eyed Susan (my favorite), and golden vanilla cake filled with chocolate mousse and topped with butter-cream icing and a decorative flower, too.

The cupcakes cost $2.50 each, but, believe me, one is plenty big enough to satisfy or share. For a sweet-tooth fix, check out the winning combination of Dominion and Charm City Cupcakes.

Eric Jurewicz, aka Fat Eric, and Tim Richards are opening Fat Eric’s, a new carryout/delivery business in Federal Hill, on Thursday, July 1. But this isn’t your typical takeout fare.

Eric, who is a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, will be preparing dishes like beef Wellington, caramelized salmon, fried catfish, ropa viejo (the shredded-beef Cuban classic), and more for your dinner. Each day, the chef will focus on just one meal.

For example, on July 2, customers can order coq au vin ($15.50); on July 27, Hungarian goulash ($14.50).

There’s a month worth of meals listed online and discounts for orders placed before 3 p.m. The shop is open Mon.-Sat., closed on Sunday.

There’s also casual fare like pizza, whole or by the slice; tossed salad, and placintas (potato pancakes). The meals are made from scratch and feature fresh ingredients, according to the restaurant’s website.

The delivery area encompasses zipcodes 21230, 21202, 21203, and 21231, or you can pick up your order. There is a $3.50 delivery charge.

The business partners, who hail from Minnesota and are headhunters, arrived in Baltimore not too long ago looking for better job opportunities. When they rented space in an old church on East Fort Avenue, they found inspiration in the church’s commercial kitchen, Tim said.

The idea of Fat Eric’s was soon born. Now, we’ll see what kind of life it will lead.

Michael V—Frederick native, last season’s Top Chef winner, and brother of Volt’s Bryan—is leaving the Dining Room at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, CA, in mid-July, according to a Q&A with Michael, pictured left with Bryan, byBrand X Daily posted on eater.com today. Here’s a shortened version, with a mention of Bryan, who came in second to his brother on Top Chef.

Because of your personality and your style of cooking, everyone was surprised that you stayed at the Langham for so long. Why leave now that they're renovating?

I had to come to terms with the fact that I either stay in Pasadena and be at this restaurant being branded around me, or I can do something on my own outside of the Langham. I decided I want to make my own place.... At the end of the day, I know that no matter what, that restaurant wasn't mine.

Can you reveal anything about the concept of your future project?

I want to make fine dining food more accessible to more people. I want to get past the whole pretension of it.

What neighborhoods are you scoping out? Is there a possibility that you might not stay in L.A.?

My goal is to stay in Los Angeles. I love L.A. and think it's the most exciting food city to be in right now.... I'll be looking in West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, places with a lot of foot traffic.

Will the new project involve your brother, Bryan?

Bryan is running a very successful business right now [at his restaurant Volt in Maryland], so I'll definitely look to him for advice…. He'll be a mentor, but not a partner.

Photo: voltaggiobrothers.com

Miss Shirley’s steak dish is picked as the top breakfast in Maryland in Food Network Magazine’s July/August issue, which names the most delicious morning meals in each state throughout the country. The Sun’s intrepid Laura Vozzella got the news before Miss Shirley’s or me (mother of Miss Shirley’s chef). Good work, Laura.

But how did all this happen in the first place? Well, I’m responsible. The Food Network Magazine called me in March and asked me to give them three recommendations for best breakfast places. (Last year, the editor called me for best burgers.)

I recommended Pete’s Grille, Ze Mean Bean (I love their Polish breakfast on weekends), and Miss Shirley’s, which always comes in No. 1 in our breakfast polls. I also let the editor know that I was related to the chef, so there would be no ethical repercussions.

This kind of situation always puts me in an awkward position. I never review Miss Shirley’s because of the personal connection. But, in this case, I didn’t want the restaurant not to get recognition because of the relationship.

And, honestly, even if you took my daughter Brigitte out of the equation, I’d still recommend Miss Shirley’s for it’s Shirley’s Affair with Oscar: two beef fillets with asparagus, lump crab, and hollandaise sauce with fried green tomatoes, grits, and more.

I didn’t even know which Maryland breakfast place Food Network Magazine picked until I saw it on Laura’s blog!

In hindsight, if I could have given the magazine more choices, I would have added Blue Moon Café for its Cap’n Crunch French toast. Chef Sarah at Blue Moon does an awesome job.

Photo of fried green tomatoes courtesy of yelp.com