Restaurant weeks extended in Baltimore City and County

Due to the Blizzard of 2016 – Jonas, a selection of Baltimore County and Baltimore City restaurants have extended their restaurant week offerings.

Baltimore City has sent this list of restaurants that have extended their restaurant week through February 7th – go to the website   www.baltimorerestaurantweek.com to access the menus. Here is the list for Baltimore City:

Alizee
Alchemy
Blue Agave
BlueStone
Da Mimmo Italian Restaurant
Germano’s Piattini
Kona Grill
La Tavola
LIV2EAT
Le Garage Beer Bar & Frites
Marie Louis Bistro
Mortons
M&S Grill
McCormick & Schmicks
The Food Market
Mothers Grill Fed Hill
Sotto Sopra
Sabatinos Italian Restaurant
The Helmand
Tio Pepes
The BoatHouse
Sullivans Steakhouse
Wine Market Bistro
RA Sushi
Terra Café
Verde
Bo Brooks
Watertable

Baltimore County

Half of the 58 participating Baltimore County restaurants in Restaurant week have decided to extend their lunch and dinner discount dining through February 6th. A full list of restaurants can be found at www.baltimorecountyrestaurantweek.com. Be sure to contact your selected restaurant regarding their participation in the extension.

Destination Maryland: Richardson Farms of White Marsh

Many of you reading this column already know of Richardson Farms, a one-stop-shop for not only produce, dairy, poultry, furniture, house baked goods, but finger licking ready-to-eat, home-styled comfort food like your granny would make.  Located on Ebenezer Road less than a mile off Route 40 Richardson Farms is Disneyland for food-centric enthusiasts with hand rolled butter, Greek extra virgin olive oil refill station, greens so beautiful that you will want to eat kale, and so much more.  

I’ve been hearing about this multi-generational owned farm and what I believed was a farm stand really is a super-sized grocery store.  I have also been hearing about their Executive Chef Ben Simpkins, who with the move to bigger digs, five years ago created a complete culinary program for Richardson Farms that is staggering both in the selection and volume.  Chef Simpkins has come to the table, pun intended, with some serious street creds, most recently cooking at the James Beard House.

Watch the slideshow and read the full story at Examiner.com/Dining 

US Winter Restaurant Weeks - January through March, 2016

I’ve sorted through a number of restaurant week celebrations for January, February and March throughout the country – the dates and cities are especially handy if you are traveling to any of  these cities or municipalities or you call them home.

The holidays are over, winter is kicking in and business slows down for restaurants. Since the inception of New York City Restaurant Week many cities and states have adapted their own restaurant weeks, each with varying discount dining.

Get the full list and links to the Winter Restaurant weeks around the country at the Examiner.com/Travel.

Barrel and tank tasting at Linganore Winecellars

 Learn about wine production from the vine to the bottle with the owner and president, Anthony Aellen whose parents started Linganore in 1971. Taste right from the barrels the aging cuvée earmarked for champagne production; compare a 2015 ruby port versus a silkier, smoother aged 2014 port.  The enthusiastic Aellen generously shared his wine production knowledge and entertaining antidotes during the media barrel tasting tour.  

Read the complete story and check out the slideshow HERE.