January 25, 2013

The Restaurant Week Issue – Winter Edition

It’s that time – that magical week when Baltimore’s finest restaurants roll out their red carpets and shine their nicest silverware: It’s the start of Winter Restaurant Week!

Beginning today thru February 3, 2013, participating restaurants are offering three-course prix-fixe dinner menus for $30.13.

Some restaurants even have two-course lunch menus for $15.13.

Lucky for us, many of these excellent restaurants are located right here on Charles Street. So I had to bring you the juicy details – just in time for lunch!

Let’s begin:

Brewer’s Art

Chef Dave Newman has quite a culinary range. From his Korean-style boneless short ribs to his French Ratatouille, I know when I head to Brewer’s Art, any cuisine I’m in the mood for will taste just perfect.

For Restaurant Week, Chef Newman has created a menu of warm Winter favorites, like parsnip bisque and duck prosciutto.

Pictured above is his Ozzy Brined Fried Chicken with Pickled Wax Beans, which will be served with German Style potato salad (not the potato salad shown), and ghost pepper honey.

Pair it with his Spinach Salad – made with pickled red onions, crispy mushrooms, cured egg yolk, and warm bacon vinaigrette, and you can call that dinner! Mmmm.

You can see Brewers Art’s full Restaurant Week menu here.

The Brewer’s Art is located at 1106 N. Charles Street and open Monday-Saturday from 4 pm and Sunday from 5 pm. (Dinner starts at 5:30). Call 410-547-6925 for reservations. Website: http://www.thebrewersart.com

Cazbar

The dish above is Cazbar’s signature entrée, called Doner Iskender. It’s made with spicy lamb that’s grilled on a skewer and served on toasted garlic bread.

The yogurt garlic butter you see dribbling across the photo is a mouth-watering finish.

“I’m constantly challenging my chefs,” says owner Haluk Kantar. “We serve Turkish food with a twist. I have a vision in my head – that sets us apart from the rest – and am always striving to reach it.”

Haluk created the lamb dish above by playing off another famous Turkish lamb dish made with cubed meat.

“Cazbar is my eighth restaurant…. I came to this building (at 316 N. Charles Street) with my Dad,” he continued. “I wasn’t planning on buying it, but I immediately fell in love with the space. I mean, what’s better than Charles Street in Baltimore?!”

For Restaurant Week, Cazbar is whipping up specialties like broccoli, squash, potatoes and eggplant baked in a bechamel sauce with homemade ziti pasta.

You can see the full list of Cazbar’s Restaurant Week specialties here.

Cazbar is located at 316 N Charles Street and is open Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner, Sunday for dinner only. Call 410-518-1222 for reservations. Website: http://www.cazbar.pro

Creme Restaurant and Lounge

Creme Restaurant (also known as CR Lounge) is a special place. They cook up southern soul food (think shrimp & grits and banana pudding), but they do it in a sleek & contemporary, urban space.

Their food has also been compared to a work of art, according to The Baltimore Sun.

And their Restaurant Week menu is no exception. You can enjoy their pan-roasted chicken breast with jasmine rice and a vegetable medley (pictured above), and a wild mushroom dish that’s sauteed in an earthy truffle oil and topped with a manchego cheese. Full Restaurant Week details can be found right here.

Creme is located at 518 N. Charles St. They’re open for dinner Wednesday-Sunday and closed on Monday and Tuesday. Call 443-869-3381 for reservations. Website: http://crloungebalt.com.

Helmand

“Have you ever had cardamom ice cream?” I asked my seatmates. Shaking their heads no, I generously gave them a bite. They immediately placed an order. It’s hard to describe – a delicate warmth plus chilled, smooth & creamy confection. The dried figs and mango bits add a nice touch. Wow.

You can see The Helmand’s entire Restaurant Week menu here. The Helmand is open nightly for dinner and is located at 806 N. Charles St. Call 410-752-0311 for reservations. Website: http://www.helmand.com/

Sascha’s 527

Sascha calls this Baltimore’s Best Carrot Cake. Believe her. I was presented with a tower of moist carrot-y, raisin goodness, drizzled with caramel and served with fresh whipped cream. I’m looking forward to leftovers for the next few days. You can see their Restaurant Week menu here. Sascha’s is open Monday-Friday for lunch and Monday-Saturday for dinner. 527 N. Charles Street. Call 410-539-8880 for reservations. Website: http://www.saschas.com/restaurant.html

The Prime Rib

Okay, so I’ve So I’ve waxed poetic about The Prime Rib’s succulent steaks on more than one occasion.

Well, don’t blame this girl for being a carnivore – The Prime Rib is known for some of the best meat on the East Coast. They were even named as serving one of the top 20 Steaks in America by Esquire Magazine!

But did you know The Prime Rib also serves delicious seafood?

That’s right, and on their Restaurant Week menu, you can try their Crab Imperial (pictured above), served with huge chunks of lump crab meat, prepared with butter, a little salt, black pepper and that’s it – when the crab’s that fresh, you don’t need anything more!

The Prime Rib is located at 1101 N. Calvert St. They’re open nightly for dinner. Call 410-539-1804 for reservations. Website: http://www.theprimerib.com/bal/index.html

Enjoy Restaurant Week!

Fun Things Happening the Rest of This Week

The Hotel Monaco’s lobby

This just in – Our friends at the Hotel Monaco are extending their 25% discount on hotel stays through February!

They’re calling it the “401″ promotion. Click here for a calendar of rates – you can enjoy a ‘staycation’ for as little as $130 per night. Come see why Baltimore’s Hotel Monaco has been named as one of the top 200 hotels in America by Conde Nast Traveler.

The Hotel Monaco is located at 2 North Charles Street.  Call 888-752-2636 for reservations.

Website: http://www.monaco-baltimore.com/baltimore-luxury-hotel/index.html

Beginning in March (the 2nd of the month to be exact), The Walters Art Museum will present an exhibition on Jewish communities in the Islamic World. Entitled “Threshold to the Sacred: The Ark Door of Cairo’s Ben Ezra Synagogue” this exhibit will feature a decorated and inscribed medieval wood door from a Holy Ark—a special cabinet that holds the Torah scrolls, the sacred Jewish scripture. You won’t want to miss it! The Walters is located at 600 N. Charles Street. General museum information: 410-547-9000 or www.thewalters.org.

Mr. Warren

Tonight (Friday, January 25) at 8pm: beat the Winter blues with hot music at An Die Musik!

The jazz sounds of Butch Warren, Freddie Redd with Matt Wilson and Brad Linde will be on hand. Butch Warren’s first professional job was playing in his father Edward Warren’s group at age 14. Early on, the bassist worked locally in the Washington, D.C., area, most notably with Stuff Smith. In 1958, he moved to New York to play with Kenny Dorham at the Five Spot and stayed in town throughout most of his career. During the next six years, Warren was in great demand for club work and appeared on many recordings, particularly dates for the Blue Note label led by Joe Henderson, Jackie McLean, Stanley Turrentine, Donald Byrd, Herbie Hancock, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Clark, and Dorham. He was a member of Thelonious Monk’s quartet from 1963-1964 and then moved back to Washington, D.C., where he worked on a television show from 1965-1966. You can still find Butch playing at many local DC jazz venues.

Fredie Redd is a hard bop pianist and composer. Since the 1950s, he has worked extensively with highly regarded musicians and recorded several albums as leader.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online or by calling 410-385-2638. An Die Musik is located at 409 N. Charles Street.

On Sunday, January 27 – celebrate the conversion of St. Paul at Old Saint Paul’s Church! There will be a free harp concert performed by Fullbright scholar Jasmine Hogan at 5:30pm, followed by a festive Choral Evensong at 6:00, led by the choirs of Old St. Paul’s.

Old Saint Paul’s is located at the corner of Charles and Saratoga Streets. See their website for more information.

On Monday, January 28 – give our Baltimore Ravens football team the proper sendoff at 11:30 at the Inner Harbor Ampitheatre! Members of the Ravens’ 2000 Super Bowl XXXV team will also be in attendance, while current Ravens players and coaches – including head coach John Harbaugh and LB Ray Lewis – are scheduled to arrive at the rally at 12:15 pm. See you there!

It tries to hide, but we can see it

Finally, on Wednesday, January 30, at 6:30pm – our friends at Downtown Partnership of Baltimore invite all business owners, property owners and residents in the 300 block of Charles Street to attend a meeting to hear the Partnership’s plans to install light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures on the Charles Street façade of the Verizon building (323 North Charles Street)!

The LED lights will project multi-color light on the façade of the building during the evening hours. The Partnership’s intent is to give the Verizon building a lively nighttime appearance that greets pedestrians with an interesting light display. These light fixtures have red, green, and blue LEDs, allowing nearly any light color to be displayed during the evening or for special occasions – purple for the Ravens, red for Valentine’s Day, pink for breast cancer awareness or red, white and blue for Flag Day – which will create a new way of looking at the building.

Downtown Partnership’s offices are located at 217 North Charles Street.

The meeting will start with a brief presentation and then a light demonstration at the Verizon building. For questions about the meeting contact David Carrodine at dcarrodine@dpob.org and/or call 410.244.1030.

Trivia Time!

This week, in lieu of a question – I want you to check out the Restaurant Week website.

You can enter to win a $75 gift card at B&O Brasserie AND tickets to the new performance of August: Osage County at the new Everyman Theatre!

http://mix1065fm.cbslocal.com/baltimore-restaurant-week/

Good luck, and Good Eats!

Laura Rodini

 

The Historic Charles Street Association (HCSA) is a non-profit organization, 501 (c)(3),whose mission is to support and promote the businesses, cultural attractions, entertainment venues, restaurants and retail establishments along the Charles Street corridor. HCSA serves as a problem solving and information resource for its members, as well as provides a forum for networking, communication and collaboration.