Several Ravens football players will be serving a four-course meal on Monday to benefit center Matt Birk’s HIKE Foundation, which helps at-risk kids with educational programs.

The bad news is that the event at Morton’s The Steakhouse is sold-out. The hopeful news is that there is a waiting list in case tickets become available.

At the Morton’s Celebrity Servers Dinner, Birk will be joined by Joe Flacco, Spencer Folau, Brad Jackson, Michael McCrary, Ray Rice, Michael Oher, Torrey Smith, and Marshal Yanda.

It’s an annual event, so consider signing up for next year.

Take a little road trip to Wilmington, DE, this weekend and be one of the first to view a new exhibition, “Uncorked! Wine, Objects & Tradition” at the stately Winterthur Museum. Even if you’re not an oenophile, you’ll find plenty to enjoy.

The exhibit, which starts tomorrow and runs through Jan. 6, 2013, showcases more than 300 objects attributed to wine culture from the 1600s through the 1800s. Besides the glitzy and practical bric-a-brac, there’s a glimpse into the lighter side of wine with a look at drinking games (including a board game to teach children temperance), advertisements, and other paraphernalia.

To coincide with Uncorked! the museum will feature wine dinners, wine cellar tours, workshops, and lectures throughout the exhibition.

If the weather is nice, take a stroll around the lovely grounds. And if you’re hungry, check out the museum’s cafeteria. It has really great food. I know. I visited there a lot when I lived in Wilmington!

Do you have it? If you think so, you’ll want to enter the Four Seasons Baltimore’s dessert recipe competition for a chance to win a one-night’s stay at the hotel and to get a private cooking lesson with the hotel’s executive pastry chef Chris Ford, pictured.

The cooking lesson alone is worth taking a shot. Ford wows hotel diners with dreamy creations like the Baltimore bar—a take on a Baby Ruth candy bar and an homage to our own hometown slugger Babe Ruth. He also was recently named Food & Wine’s Best New Pastry Chef.

To enter the contest, go to the hotel’s Facebook page for details. But everyone can get involved in the competition by voting for their favorite recipe online.

The deadline for recipe submission is May 2. The voting deadline is May 9.

The winners of the Restaurant Association of Maryland’s annual industry awards—voted on by the public—were announced last night at the group's gala. They are:

Restaurateur of the Year—Matthew Milani, The Rumor Mill Fusion Bar and Restaurant.

Chef of the Year—Jeff Smith, The Chameleon.
 
Favorite Bar or Tavern—Shenanigan’s Irish Pub & Grille.
 
Craft Brew Program of the Year—The Brewer’s Art.

Favorite Food Truck—Miss Shirley’s Cafe, pictured.

Maryland’s Favorite New Restaurant—de Lazy Lizard.

Maryland’s Favorite Restaurant—Baldwin’s Station.

Wine & Beverage Program of the Year—Mr. Rain’s Fun House.

Allied Member of the Year—MICROS, represented by Henry Pertman.

The Brice & Shirley Phillips Lifetime Industry Achievement Award—William and Julianne Gibbs, Dough Roller.
 
The Otto Schellhase Award—Randy Marriner, Victoria Gastro Pub.

The McCormick Cornerstone Award Recipients—Glory Days Grill, Silver Diner, Ryleigh’s Oyster, Brew River Restaurant & Bar, CarterQue Barbeque & Grilling Co.

Maryland Hospitality Hall of Honor—Fitzgerald’s Shamrock Restaurant, Dean’s Restaurant, Olney Grille, Holly’s Restaurant, Rip’s Country Inn.

Maryland ProStart Teacher of the Year—Lisa Christhilf, Western School of Technology.

Congrats to all the winners

Baltimore’s food trucks are rallying tonight for The Baltimore Gathering. The weather couldn’t be better to enjoy the eclectic fare plus beer, wine, and live music.

The event will be from 5-9 p.m. at the Baltimore Museum of Industry on Key Highway.

Trucks include The Silver Platter, Kooper’s Chowhound, Icedgems, Souper Freaks, Cazbar, Gypsy Queen, GrrChe, Miss Twist, South Carolina BBQ, Dangerously Delicious Pies, Miss Shirley’s, Chicken & Waffle, and Cupcake Runners.

Another Gathering scheduled for Saturday in Canton has been canceled, according the group’s Facebook page.

Who knew? The final lunch menu served to first-class guests aboard the doomed Titanic included a dish called chicken a la Maryland. The historic document was recently auctioned in Britain for $122,000.

But when Langermann’s restaurant holds its Titanic dinner April 12-14 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the ship, chicken a la Maryland won’t be on the menu.

“I wasn’t aware of it,” said David McGill, a Langermann’s partner with chef Neal Langermann. That’s because they are basing their meal on a menu found in the book, “Last Dinner on the Titanic” by Rick Archbold.

Langermann’s multi-course meal—paired down from the original 11-course menu that Titanic diners were served—includes several authentic dishes, including asparagus salad, poached salmon, roasted lamb, and Waldorf bread pudding.

The cost is $35 for the dinner; $55 with wine pairings.

“We did this on New Year’s to provide something different for New Year’s Eve,” McGill said. “It was a good success. We said, ‘Let’s do it for the anniversary.’”

If Langermann’s had been trying to duplicate the Titanic’s lunch menu they may have been stumped by that chicken a la Maryland dish. No one seems to be exactly sure what preparation was served that fateful day.

John Shields, chef/owner of Gertrude’s at the Baltimore Museum of Art, is certain it’s not deep-fried chicken. “I personally feel sure it’s chicken with cream gravy and corn fritters.”

Shields, who is also a cookbook author, cites books like “Eat, Drink, and Be Merry in Maryland” by Frederick Steiff and “Dining on the B&O” by Thomas Greco for his deduction. He also added that the chicken usually includes broiled bacon.

Others, like Spilled Milk Catering in D.C., have also given this Maryland chicken some thought. The caterers recently posted a blog on the subject:

“The Maryland version is not deep fried in oil or shortening, instead being shallow fried in a skillet until browned, and then covered over a reduced heat for up to 40 minutes to allow the chicken pieces to steam as well as fry. Cream or milk is then added to the pan juices to produce an accompanying cream gravy.”

They also noted that “in France, the great chef, Escoffier, published a ‘Chicken a la Maryland’ recipe whereby pan-fried chicken was served with a garnish of bananas.”

The plot thickens.

Nancy Siegel, a Towson University professor of art history who also specializes in culinary history, said, “‘Chicken a la’ was a popular device—I have a recipe for chicken a la President for example. … These recipes were more significant for their title/association than they were [for] a set recipe. … So, one person’s chicken a la Maryland may not have been the same as another cook’s.”  

With that in mind, here’s a recipe for Maryland chicken from epicurious.com. Go ahead, add corn fritters, bacon, or bananas if you’d like!

Maryland Fried Chicken with Cream Gravy

Yield: 4 servings

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (3-pound) chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
1/2 cup milk
2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups half-and-half or light cream

Put 1 cup flour with salt and pepper in a large (1-gallon) sealable plastic bag, then seal bag and shake to combine.

Turn chicken pieces in milk in a bowl, then add chicken to flour mixture and seal bag (discard milk). Shake to coat and let stand in bag while oil heats.

Heat oil in skillet over moderately high heat until it registers 360 degrees on thermometer. Add chicken, skin sides down, and cook, covered, until golden, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over with tongs and cook, covered, 5 minutes more.

Transfer chicken with tongs to a plate. Pour fat from skillet into a heatproof bowl (to cool before discarding) and add 1/2 cup water to skillet. Return chicken to skillet, skin sides up, and cook, covered, over moderate heat, turning over twice, until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet, then stir 1 tablespoon flour into remaining fat and cook over moderate heat, whisking, 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and cook, scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes. Add half-and-half, whisking, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, until sauce is thick and creamy, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and spoon over chicken.

—From Gourmet, April 2004

Photo courtesy of epicurious.com

Yankee players Derek Jeter and Andruw Jones stopped by Chazz: A Bronx Original in Harbor East today for lunch. They had the veal meatball, burrata pizza, chicken Parmesan, and shrimp with polenta.

They posed for a photo at the restaurant with Chazz’s general manager, center, who is a big Yankees fan.

Go O’s. Sorry. I had to say that.