I wouldn't be a very good employee if I didn't preview tonight's Best of Baltimore party at the Hippodrome Theatre. This year, we're pulling out all the stops to celebrate the most winners ever.

Having the event spread throughout the three-level theater will definitely be a classy, unique twist on the party. Like past years, there will be entertainment from a band and a DJ—and a separate VIP section for those that want to cough up the big bucks.

Of course, there will be the unlimited food and drink options. The more than 50 vendors include some of my absolute favorites from around the city (like Jack's Bistro, Clementine, Brass Elephant, and Tapas Teatro, just to name a few). There will also be endless cocktails provided, with separate beer, vodka, wine, tequila, and rum bars scattered throughout the venue.

Since it's human nature to procrastinate, I wanted to let you know that tickets are still available on our website and we will also be selling them at the door tonight starting at 6 p.m. Hope to see you there!

The new B&O American Brasserie restaurant, which just opened July 30, is nowhere near the B&O Railroad Museum, which might confuse some. In fact, the restaurant is fittingly located in the original B&O Headquarters at the intersection of Charles and Baltimore streets, smack dab in the middle of downtown. Last night, I attended a beverage preview at this new restaurant, adjacent to Hotel Monaco, where I got to sample some of the restaurant's most delicious cocktails, wine, and beers.

The decor at the new restaurant paid homage to the famous railroad with centerpieces reminiscent of oil lanterns, elongated details on the ceiling a la train cars, and oversized, wooden seats and bar stools. But the design also included modern, elegant touches (like a grandiose chandelier) that made the space swanky without feeling stuffy.

I was excited to preview some of the cocktails and wines of the new place and was going in with high expectations. Former Ixia beverage director Brendan Dorr is now working behind the bar at B&O, so I anticipated some innovative, exciting cocktails. And I was right. One of my favorites was the tart nectar margarita, made with tequila, agave nectar, and lime juice. I'm a big fan of ginger, so I enjoyed the chamomile cup, a play on the British classic Pimm's Cup, with added vodka and ginger beer, for a spicy and citrus-filled cocktail. Always creative, Dorr gave the classic manhattan a twist by adding maple syrup, giving the drink just a hint of sweetness without masking its traditional flavors.

The wine list was equally impressive, and some local standouts were my favorites. A glass of the Vidal Blanc from Boordy Vineyards was a sweet, Riesling-like white that would pair well with seafood. While the Chrysalis “Sarah’s Patio” Norton from a winery in Virginia was a thick and fruity red, very close to Sangria.

The wine is reasonably priced with glasses as low as $5. Cocktails are a little on the pricey side (many around $12), but they make up for it with their happy hour. Monday through Friday, from 4-7 p.m., B&O serves $3 Clipper City Loose Cannon drafts, $3 wine selections, and $5 cocktails (which rotate daily). Not bad for a place whose style rivals some of the most elegant restaurants in Baltimore.

But that's the thing about the new B&O American Brasserie—it's versatile. You could come here in jeans during happy hour with some friends or you could come dressed to the nines and enjoy a romantic evening dining upstairs. And in today's restaurant landscape, I think it's smart to be as inclusive as possible.

[Image: courtesy of flickr.com/photos/jeffq]

Last night I attended "Disconnecting The Wire, What's Next?" an event at the Baltimore Museum of Industry to mark the closing of their Wire exhibit and discuss the future of the film industry in Maryland. If you're a fan of the HBO series The Wire (and I'm a huuuge one), last night would have been totally surreal. At the beginning of the event, cast and crew from the show were just mingling and drinking cocktails with guests. It was hard not to run into your favorite characters from the show, including Slim Charles, Prop Joe, Kima, Dukie, and, of course, the beloved Bubbles.

Besides being star-studded, the event was also educational. There was a panel discussion, moderated by Ed Norris, about the current challenges facing the film business in Maryland. States offer financial incentives to producers, movie studios, and networks to convince them to film their projects here. There are 47 states that offer better incentives than Maryland. One of the panelists, Debbie Dorsey, director of the Baltimore Film Office, said that when films started going to Canada to cut costs, states needed to add these incentives and Maryland's have just never cut it. Senator Larry Levitan explained that it all comes down the state not willing to give money to support the film industry. And Keith Mehlinger, director of the Digital Media Center at Morgan State University added that it's getting increasingly more difficult to find his students local film internships.

A statistic I found particularly interesting, if not frustrating, is that Philadelphia provides $75 million in tax credits to production teams, while Maryland only provides $1 million. Sonja Sohn (Det. Kima Greggs) got up and made an impassioned speech, saying that if Maryland isn't going to get the money that other states do, then we need to start creating a culture that encourages filmmaking--that we need to make it indispensible. It was a really eye-opening panel and there is a lot more information at the Maryland Film Industry Coalition's web site.

Following the panel, guests were free to bid on silent auction items (everything from movie props to being an extra in a major motion picture) and tour the museum's exhibit "Local Scenes on the Silver Screen." I got a chance to talk to some of my favorite actors from the show, including Sohn, Andre Royo (Bubbles), Jermaine Crawford (Dukie), Anwan Glover (Slim Charles), Michael Kostroff (Lawyer Maury Levy), and Corey Parker Robinson (Det. Leander Sydnor). Crawford revealed that cast members only got their scripts an episode at a time, so they never knew what was going to happen, just like everyone else. Kostroff said that everyone assumes he's a jerk because he played a scumbag lawyer on the show. Robinson said it felt really good to be reunited with the cast and crew after the show ended nearly two years ago.

As for "what's next," the BMI is planning on creating an exhibit about the history of film making in Maryland in the future and the MFIC encourages everyone to support getting more incentives for Maryland. Oh, and The Wire has launched some great careers. Look out for Crawford in a Joel Schumacher film called Twelve. Looks like little Dukie is growing up.

[Image: courtesy of amazon.com]

I'm not sure if it was the beautiful weather this weekend, the crazy convention in town, or purely what music and arts the festival had to offer, but this year's Artscape was by far the most crowded I've ever seen. Even getting on the Woodberry Light Rail Satruday evening, I realized it was going to be bad. There was a long line at the ticket kiosk and standing-room only on the train. Once we got to the festival, we wanted to scurry over to the main stage to check out Cake's set. Easier said than done.

Hordes of people were surrounding the main stage for the band's entire set, so even getting a glimpse was impossible. So we just listened as Cake sailed through all their radio-friendly singles like "Short Skirt, Long Jacket" and Fashion Nugget gems like "Frank Sinatra." They played a very pleasant, predictable set, but to a very intense and dense crowd.

After Cake I walked around checking out some of the drink selections. $8 margaritas and sangria were really not in my budget, though the spiked lemonade (for the same price) was tempting. I found the shortest line I possibly could for beer (in the $5-7 range) and waited for about 10 minutes. When I got to the front, the vendor said that all they had was Coors Original. In a can. But I succumbed, for fear that I'd have to wait in another line. We went back to our spot on the grass to the left of the main stage and by the time Robert Randolph was about to come on, the sun had gone down, the crowds had cleared, and we were all feeling a little more sane agian.

I already knew that Robert Randolph & The Family Band was awesome live, but they really proved it Saturday night. The soul and funk group jammed for two-plus hours keeping the crowd happy and dancing the entire time. They paid huge tribute to Michael Jackson by covering "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," "Man in the Mirror," and "I Want You Back," among others. Towards the end of his set, tons of women got up on stage and were dancing all around the famous frontman, pictured. The show was a perfect, feel-good way to end the evening.

I also stopped by Artscape Sunday to check out some of the local crafters and artists (it's really hard to do the festival in just one day). Sunday was definitely less crowded, but still teeming with people. A lot of the artists said they did at least triple the business that they did last year, which is awesome! But it made we wonder, why this year? Cake is cool, but you can't attribute the numbers to them alone. Weather? Recession? A combination of things? What do you guys think?

[Image: courtesy of flickr.com/photos/leahmiller]