Marlin & Ray's Seafood & Sunsets set to open in Bel Air

Tis the season for new restaurant openings, everyone trying to get the doors open and garnish a portion of the upcoming holiday party business. Marlin & Ray’s Seafood & Sunsets will be opening in the old Ruby Tuesday spot on Route 1 business near Route 24 in Bel Air Plaza.

Get all the details HERE

The buzz about Birroteca's opening in Hampden

Are you food curious? I am. When I had an opportunity to walk into the soon-to-open Hampden eatery Birroteca I took it. Executive Chef Robbin Haas, a 1994 Food & Wine pick for “Best New Chef”, was busy hooking up gas burners getting the kitchen ready for a tasting that evening. Kitchen staff were busy making arancini and like any new business, things and people who should have been there last week all showed that day. Other than a couple polite exchanges, Chef Haas had his hands full.

Get the full story HERE

Enjoy a taste of Puglia, Italy at Grano Emporio

The beehive shaped Trulli homes in Alberobello, the shores of the Adriatic and Ionian Sea and the centuries old olive groves, Puglia, Italy has become the hot tourist region. Located in the heel of the Italian boot Puglia’s cuisine is a cross of the many cultures that have occupied the region.

Polignano - Province of Bari - Puglia, Italy - photo courtesy of Morgue File

Get all the details about Monday night's A Taste of Puglia dinner HERE  A great food and wine event - Check it out and the video.

The Queen of Food - Antoinette Bruno

 Chef José Andres, Antoinette Bruno, Chef Daniel Boulud - Photograph by Will Blunt -www.StarChefs.com

One of my favorite people in the world is Antoinette Bruno. I am always awestruck when I'm around her. A brilliant woman who has taken www.StarChefs.com to the stratosphere.  My story on Antoinette is being featured on BMoreMedia.com this week. Read about this Baltimore native and her many accomplishments both in the culinary and the financial worlds.

Read the full story HERE

Baltimore Cooking Classes: Fall 2012

I love taking cooking classes; so much so, I used to run cooking classes in the restaurant kitchens for the Epicurean Club of Maryland. Every now and then I like to put together a list of cooking classes in the region for my readers. Some of the classes are demonstration, some are hands-on, some are for adults and some are for children. No matter what you walk away a winner and a little bit fuller.

Read the full list of classes and check out the slideshow HERE

Talk to the Manager: a new social media tool for diners

Hi tech, low tech, do you take the time to express your displeasure when dining? Are you like many who just don’t come back to a restaurant or you post something scathing on Yelp or Urban Spoon?

photo courtesy of the Morgue File

If you saw a table tent in a restaurant asking, “How are we doing?” that lets you immediately text a complaint or compliment to the manager would you do it? A new company has formed based on that premise called Talk to the Manager.

Read the full story HERE and jump in with your opinions.

A drop dead mystery dinner theatre at The Manor Tavern

What a great combination; a Sherlock Holmes mystery, a farm-to-table buffet, and a dead body for the evening’s entertainment.

Photo courtesy of the Morgue File

Make your reservations at The Manor Tavern for next Wednesday, September 19th starting at 6:30 p.m. for the mystery dinner theatre “Murder on the Vine.” Follow the cast as they learn about investing in wine but as in all murder mysteries there is a body. This body is the wine expert who has enjoyed his last bottle of Baron de Rothschild Lafite Pauillac Haut Medoc.

Get further details and menu HERE

Welcome Baltimore's first vegan bakery: Dirty Carrots

Lisa Muscara Brice will be opening her doors this Saturday, September 15th to her very own vegan bakery and coffee shop in Fell’s Point on the corner of Fleet Street and South Wolfe Street. You might recognize her Dirty Carrots logo on products she has sold at Milk & Honey, Red Emma’s, Baltimore Food Co-Op, Sunday’s Farmer’s Market and Bazaar and more.

Read all the details HERE

The Gunpowder Bison and Trade Company (GBT) invites you to join them on the farm for this outdoor, meat-centered, food series. Each week, on Thursday evening for four weeks, GBT chef, Jesse Sandlin, will create a menu focusing on different cuts of meat from many different types of locally raised animals. Troyers Liquors will be there pouring drinks and local musicians will be performing.

There is no admission fee. You only pay for what you eat and drink.

Get the full schedule and menu here.

Farm to Chef event: A marriage of local chefs and farmers on your plate

September's not-to-be missed farmer and chef charity event is sneaking up and you want to get a ticket now before they are all gone. What the past two Farm to Chef (formerly known as The Farmer and The Chef) events have proven the tickets disappear quickly. The chefs’ one upmanship or one upwomanship in this culinary competition puts magic on your plate and benefits *Days of Taste®.

On Monday, September 24th at 6:30 p.m., the American Visionary Arts Museum will host the 3rd Annual Farm to Chef Culinary Competition—Maryland’s most unique and exciting experience for food enthusiasts. Over 30 of Baltimore’s most talented chefs will partner with local farms to create innovative recipes for 300 plus food enthusiasts.

Check out all the chefs and farmers, location and video HERE

No Kid Hungry Benefit dinner with the Voltaggio Brothers

On September 13, Chef Bryan Voltaggio of VOLT, Lunchbox, Family Meal and Range will host a very special multi-course benefit dinner for Share Our Strength®, a national nonprofit dedicated to ending childhood hunger in the U.S. Voltaggio will be joined by chefs, including his brother, Michael Voltaggio, Chef at ink. in Los Angeles, CA and Matt Orlando, Chef de Cuisine of the world-renowned Copenhagen restaurant Noma, under founder Chef Rene Redzepi to prepare a multi-course meal with a cause: ending childhood hunger in America.

photograph by Ken Goodman - courtesy of No Kid Hungry

Read the full story, check out the video and slideshow HERE