Jess Blumberg's picture
November, 18th 2011

New happy hour at TEN TEN

Jess Blumberg

TEN TEN, the newest venture of Bagby Restaurant Group that Suzanne blogged about when it opened, now offers a happy hour menu, which includes a $5 rotating cocktail and $5 small plates.

I was able to check out the new happy hour the other night and was pleasantly surprised. First off, the renovated space, in the old Dutch Connection location in Harbor East, is beautiful. There's exposed brick, plush leather furniture, and a lit-up bar all in a cozy, candlelit atmosphere.

I sampled the Derby Hat (bourbon, sweet vermouth, Buckwheat honey, and grapefruit), a delightfully tart cocktail garnished with a caramelized orange slice. The $5 rotating cocktail that night was a well-balanced version of an Arnold Palmer, made with TEN TEN's house-made sweet tea and lemonade. Additionally, the food on the happy hour menu is tasty, with options like bacon-wrapped dates, duck fat fries, and a beet salad.

You can enjoy TEN TEN's happy hour every weekday from 3-7 p.m. in the bar.

[Image: courtesy of TEN TEN]

4:49 pm Comment Count Tags: cocktails, happy hour, restaurants
Jess Blumberg's picture
November, 17th 2011

Heavy Seas to open brewpub

Jess Blumberg

According to a couple of sources, and a report by Baltimore Business Journal this morning, local brewer Heavy Seas is opening a new brewpub in the old Diablita location near Little Italy. The new spot, dubbed Heavy Seas Ale House, will be run by Patrick Dahlgren, the stepson of Heavy Seas owner Hugh Sisson.

State law doesn't allow Sisson to run a pub like this because of his ownership of Heavy Seas Brewing Company, but his company will be able to sell beer to the new Heavy Seas Ale House and, ultimately, the pub will help better market his beers.

"I have for years wanted to have some sort of retail branding platform," Sisson told the BBJ. "Many breweries do."

Heavy Seas Ale House is set to open in the beginning of 2012.

[Image: courtesy of allaboutbeer.com]

11:29 am Comment Count Tags: bars, beer, restaurants
Jess Blumberg's picture
November, 4th 2011

New Flying Dog beer

Jess Blumberg

In a partnership with Woodberry Kitchen and Rappahannock River Oysters, Flying Dog is releasing a new limited-edition beer, the Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout. The draft-only release is a dry stout actually brewed with local oysters. 

"We are pumped that this beer is coming out at the start of oyster season,” Corey Polyoka, bar manager at Woodberry Kitchen, said in a press release. “Finally, we have a beer made with Chesapeake oysters to drink with Chesapeake oysters."

Proceeds from the beer will benefit the Oyster Recovery Project, which leads large-scale oyster restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay. The beer will be released on taps in mid-November in Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. 

The beer's launch will be at Woodberry Kitchen on November 14 from 6-9 p.m., where they'll be pouring Pearl Neclace, shucking Rappahannock River oysters, and enjoying the music of Cris Jacobs and members of The Bridge. Tickets are $35 and reservations should be made through Woodberry Kitchen.

[Image: courtesy of Flying Dog Brewery]

11:25 am Comment Count Tags: beer, charity, live music, restaurants
Jess Blumberg's picture
October, 31st 2011

Fire at Mt. Washington Tavern

Jess Blumberg

At 4:30 this morning, a two-alarm fire broke out at beloved neighborhood bar Mt. Washington Tavern. Fifty fire fighters were called to the scene and, when they arrived, they were unable to enter the building because of the dangerous conditions. The cause of the blaze is unknown, but visible fire has been extinguished and there have been no injuries reported.

The tavern's owners, Rob Frisch and Dave Lichty, posted a note to their Facebook page today:

"To our valued customers, friends, 

What a morning. We may be down but we are certainly not out. The fire has taken the Tavern for now but we look very forward to rebuilding and being better than ever. 

We are so thankful for the outpouring of support already and even more so that our customers and employees were unharmed. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. We will keep you posted as news develops and look forward to celebrating with you at our grand re-opening. 

Rob and Dave and the whole MWT team"

I also got a chance to speak with Rob over the phone this morning. "Obviously the wound is still very fresh," he said. "But we've been talking to contractors and insurance people and we're absolutely going to rebuild. I have a couple of [fundraising] ideas I can't get into, but we're hopefully going to do something down the line."

When asked if the bar's design and layout will still be the same after the rebuild, he said "It's going to depend on how bad the damage is. The tavern is such a unique building inside with all its original woodword. We'd like to keep it very similar."

Open for 32 years, the tavern is a staple in the Mt. Washington community and Baltimore at large. Our thoughts are with the owners and employees of the tavern and we wish them luck and suppport as they rebuild. 

[Image: courtesy of Mt. Washington Tavern]

10:44 am Comment Count Tags: bars
Jess Blumberg's picture
October, 27th 2011

Forgotten Cocktail Club starts tomorrow

Jess Blumberg

Classic cocktails seem to be making a comeback—and what more proof do you need than the start of a Forgotten Cocktail Club here in town. The idea behind the club, first developed by B&O Brasserie bar manager Brendan Dorr and Woodberry Kitchen bar manager Corey Polyoka, is to get drinkers out of their comfort zone and enjoy cocktails from the pre-Prohibition era. 

"We want to do pseudo-Speakeasy-style stuff," says Dorr. "We're hoping to encourage people to try something they'd never normally order."

The inaugural event is tomorrow night at the downstairs bar of Maisy's from 7 p.m. until whenever the cocktails run out (Dorr's guess is around 1:30 a.m.) Dorr and Jon Blair (bartender at Ryleigh's Oyster and manager at Blackwater Distilling) will be creating 10 types of vintage concoctions, including a fizz, a punch, a take on a Singapore Sling, and a twist on a Manhattan. In true vintage style, the event is cash only. 

The club is designed as a pop-up group, so Dorr recommends to follow the Facebook page for upcoming events.

[Image: courtesy of drinkmatron.com]

4:45 pm Comment Count Tags: cocktails, parties
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October, 20th 2011

Drink Baltimore launches

Jess Blumberg

Tonight the new website DrinkBaltimore.com launches at a party at Alewife from 8-11 p.m. The party will feature raffle prizes, merchandise giveaways, and $1 from each Victory Beer sold will be donated to Velocipede Bike Project. 

The website—an offshoot of Philadelphia-based TheDrinkNation.com—strives to cover bar reviews, event listings, happy hour specials, and be an aggregate of local bar news in the region. One of the coolest aspects of the site is its mobile component. Compatible with most smartphones, the app can display happy hour and drink specials available near a certain location.

However, it will be interesting to see how a Philly-based office can cover the Baltimore nightlife scene. So far, the website is featuring a lot of topics that have been covered before ("Bars as seen in The Wire," "Best bars to watch the Ravens"). But, I think the site will be a good, comprehensive, and current guide to happy hours and drink specials around town—something that will surely be resourceful to any bar go-er.

[Image: courtesy of DrinkBaltimore.com]

4:21 pm Comment Count Tags: parties, technology
Jess Blumberg's picture
October, 6th 2011

Baltimore Beer Week begins!

Jess Blumberg

The 3rd annual Baltimore Beer Week begins today! The name itself is sort of deceptive, as the "week" will actually be 11 days of beer-themed events at bars and restaurants in the Baltimore area from today until October 16.

Things get started today at noon with a "Star-Spangled Banner" parade from Fort McHenry eventually weaving its way to Rams Head Live in Power Plant. From there, the "Opening Tap Celebration," at Rams Head from 6-9 p.m., will officially kick off the myriad of events for the next week-and-a-half.

To celebrate Baltimore Beer Week, I actually took a trip to Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick, where I toured the brewery and learned more about its involvement in Beer Week events. You can view the video here. Flying Dog is proving that, while Beer Week is mostly fun, it's also a chance to give back. The brewery is partnering with Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake and, tomorrow, Flying Dog staff will participate in a Habitat Build in McElderry Park. They'll end the day with a fundraiser and thank-you event at Langermann's.

That is simply one example of the countless events going on during Baltimore Beer Week. For full listings, see their website. Cheers!

[Image: courtesy of csibrewers.org]

11:17 am Comment Count Tags: beer, charities, parties
Jess Blumberg's picture
October, 5th 2011

Ocean City wine festival

Jess Blumberg

This past weekend, I attended "Wine on the Beach" in Ocean City, a two-day festival of wine, food, and music at the Inlet Park. The festival, in its 16th year, is a great opportunity to sample wines from the East Coast, with a big concentration on the Mid-Atlantic region. 

For $25, guests get a wine glass and unlimited samples for eight hours (11 a.m.-7 p.m.), which is a great value. There were about a dozen wineries giving out samples, as well as craft-brewers Fat Tire and Eastern Shore Brewing selling beer and oyster shooters.  

The best bet was to go around and sample the wineries—everything from Linganore in Mt. Airy to Brotherhood in New York—and, once you deicde what you like, buy a bottle, spread out a blanket on the beach, and watch the band. You could also purchase baguettes, cheese, or Thrasher's fries (depending on how classy you wanted to feel). Eastern Shore locals "Bird Dog and The Road Kings" provided classic Americana tunes while people danced or relaxed with an ocean view. 

"Wine on the Beach" is a great chance to give summer an appropriate send-off, while getting to relax on the beach one last time. 

[Image: courtesy of octhebeach.com]

4:06 pm Comment Count Tags: festivals, travel, wine
Jess Blumberg's picture
September, 22nd 2011

Maritime Magic tomorrow night

Jess Blumberg

Though City Paper got into a bit of controversy yesterday with its annual "Best of Baltimore" awards, they did get some things right. One award I completely agree with is "Best Nonprofit," which they gave to the Living Classrooms Foundation.

For more than 25 years, Living Classrooms has provided youth and young adults in the Baltimore and D.C. area with charter-school education, critical job and life skills, and community development projects—all while using urban, maritime, and natural resources, a.k.a. "living classrooms." They've taken our city's seafaring history and married it with the need for solid, public education.

And tomorrow night is an opportunity to give back and also have a great time. Living Classrooms is hosting its annual Maritime Magic benefit at the Frederick Douglass-Issac Myers Maritime Park campus, pictured. There's going to be great food and drinks from 60 restaurants and caterers, as well as one of the final performances from well-known local band The Bridge.

There are tickets and tables still available for tomorrow night's event, which you can purchase here.

[Image: courtesy of Living Classrooms]

10:45 am Comment Count Tags: charity, parties
Jess Blumberg's picture
September, 14th 2011

Sake pairings at RA Sushi

Jess Blumberg

Last night I attended a media event put on by Profiles PR at RA Sushi, to promote the restaurant's new Sushi 102 class. We were able to take part in a sample class, where we made a tuna appetizer, rainbow roll, shrimp tempura roll, and banana split maki for dessert.

All the while, the sushi chefs at RA paired each dish with a fitting sake sample. I've been to beer and wine pairings before, but never sake, so I was anxious to find out what makes a good match.

Our first course that we made, seared tuna slices with creamy wasabi dressing, was paired with Kizakura's Stars sparkling sake, pictured. This sake was especially light with a subtle fruity flavor, which worked well with the refreshing tuna appetizer. But, connoisseurs would probably miss the distinct sake flavor.

The rainbow roll was paired with RA's house sake, which had a dry flavor that countered nicely with the strong fish-taste of the tuna and salmon on top of the roll. Next, the shrimp tempura roll (with crab mix, avocado, and asparagus) was matched up with the Hananomai Katana, which had a clean, almost lemony flavor—a good complement to the fresh green vegetables.

We (somehow) made room for dessert and made our own banana split maki (bananas and chocolate chips fried in tempura batter, topped with fruit and whipped cream). This was, fittingly, paired with Nigori crème de sake, which was creamy and sweet (the dessert wine of sake) and would probably pair really well with spicy food.

While it wasn't always pretty, it was fun learning how to make our own sushi—and also gaining insight on what sake works best with what dish. If you're interested in taking a Sushi 102 class, RA is offering classes September 18, October 23, November 20, and December 18 at 2 p.m. Call the restaurant or email Baltimore@RASushi.com to reserve a space.

[Photo: courtesy of Profiles PR]

2:31 pm Comment Count Tags: restaurants, sake