Forget trick-or-treating--local artist Molly Ross has made Halloween a community performance.
It is dark and chilly and there's a steady huffing of autumn wind that keeps the dry leaves skittering along the walkways of Patterson Park. Ghosts and Halloween goblins lurk behind every tree. But then, suddenly, 4,000 people have sprung up around you, with handmade paper lanterns casting enough light to banish the ghouls from your mind. There is music—alternately moody and cheerful—and there...
The restauranteur on his historic past, being George Clooney, and why he is so over foams.
It was 20 years ago that Linwood Dame opened his eponymous restaurant in Owings Mills. With its upscale, new American menu and sleek interiors, Linwoods certainly stuck out amid the chain restaurants and Chinese takeouts. "Some people did wonder why I decided on opening in Owings Mills," Dame notes. "[But] I did my homework and knew there was a strong need for fine dining in the...
First-time restauranteurs divulge the joys and tribulations of owning their own establishments.
When Sam Curreri opened Sammy's Trattoria in Mount Vernon in June 2006, he thought he was well prepared to own his own restaurant. After all, he'd spent a dozen years as general manager at one of Baltimore's busiest restaurants, Chiapparelli's. Curreri figured he had seen it all.
Then his sprinkler system failed. And flooded the restaurant. The day he had a big political dinner booked.
"It almost...
For George Hastings, shucking oysters is all about creating pillows on the half shell and kissing the sea.
"Eating an oyster without a fork is kinda like kissing," says George Hastings. He's evaluating the denuded and glistening mollusk now lolling in the half shell he holds in his hand.
"A lot of people will take the shell and jam it in their mouth—" he demonstrates, tipping the shell to his lips like a teacup and stopping just short of scraping the muddy underside across his bottom teeth. "No, no,...
Now in its fifth decade and second generation, a Baltimore bakery is going strong.
It's a dessert lover's dream, a Fort Knox of foodstuffs. Stacked on racks inside a refrigerated corridor in a warehouse in Pikesville are hundreds upon hundreds of sweet slabs of cheesecake, each sealed inside an individually sized plastic container like Snow White in her glass coffin. Some slices are marbled with flamingo swirls of strawberry or smoky streaks of chocolate, while other unadorned...
Part of our "100 Years: The Twelve Events That Shaped Baltimore" series
In the midst of the red-brick canyons of UMBC's suburban Baltimore campus stands an elegant sculptural tableau consisting of three polished granite benches and a life-sized bronze statue, all arranged in a tight circle. The statue depicts Baltimore businessman/public servant extraordinaire Walter Sondheim Jr. wearing a suit, a bow tie, and a smile, while each of the benches has been...
The popular DJ on interviewing Ozzy, moving past vinyl, and hanging with the boys.
Where did you go to school?Milford Mill High School. UMBC. (I was a commuter—not so good.) Temple U. (Finally, out of the house—yeah!)
What book or film most changed your life?I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb. This is such a powerful story—I couldn’t put it down. It rejuvenated my love of reading. Now I have to have my head in a book every night.
Who is your favorite Baltimorean,...
Mark Clayton is a gamer—in more ways than one.
Sure, the compact 5-foot-10-inch,195-pound wide receiver didn't miss a game last year as he led the Ravens in receiving yards. But forget for the moment his talent on the field—talent prodigious enough to make him a first-round draft pick two years ago. It pales in comparison to his skills on . . . PlayStation.
The 25-year-old Clayton tackles the John Madden videogame version of NFL football...
"Sports Steve" LaPlanche is about as dedicated as sports fans get.
"Sports Steve" LaPlanche is about as dedicated as sports fans get. And he's got the credentials to prove it: Ray Lewis may have been on the cover of the Madden NFL 2005 video game, but Sports Steve is in the game as the featured Ravens fan. Here's why he's our hero.
1 "If I don't stand up for every single third down, everyone in my section gets on my case."
2 Cap and cape are from the Maryland...
Our own Senator Barb on saving Fells Point, the power of kindness, and getting Ben Cardin to first base. (It’s not what you think!)
Our usual Grill question, "Did you ever consider leaving Baltimore?" was a mere formality here. To the dyed-in-the-wool Baltimorean—who moved her way up from social worker to the Dean of female senators—there's no place like home.
Where did you go to school?I attended Baltimore's Institute of Notre Dame (IND), an all-girls Catholic school in Baltimore, and the same school as our great...
