Five things to eat, drink, see, hear, and do with your Charm City weekend.
EAT
Feb. 27-28: Sugarvale Brunch
Sugarvale, 4 W.
Madison St. 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. 410-609-3162.
sugarvalebmore.com.
After last weekend’s announcement of Parts & Labor brunch, we thought we had our Saturday mornings set for life. But here comes Sugarvale—the kid
sister spot to the ramen den that is Dooby’s in Mt. Vernon—adding eggs and extra-special
drinks to its menu of cocktails and charcuterie. This weekend, the tiny eatery is
having a soft open but its certainly not weak. Not with house-cured duck bacon
avocado toast; buttermilk biscuits and gravy with garlic-sage sausage; or eggs
Benedict with Tasso ham, hollandaise, and grits. That blood orange mimosa? Done and done. On top of that, if you stay
awhile on Sunday night, guest bartender Perez Klebahn (formerly of Mr. Rain’s Fun House) will be
serving craft concoctions with ingredients like mezcal, sake,
tamarind, and peach, all served with hand-cut ice.
DRINK
Feb. 28: Union Pinewood Derby
Union Craft Brewing,
1700 Union Ave. 12-5 p.m. Free. 410-467-0290.
unioncraftbrewing.com.
Whether you were a cub, boy, Eagle scout or not, there’s a good chance that you remember the small toy race cars of 1950s America. Union Craft certainly does, and for one Sunday fun-day, the Woodberry brewery is paying homage to that old pastime with a throwback pinewood derby. Get a build kit, make a car, and race it on the brewery’s 40-foot track. Consider it a bonding experience, though prizes will be awarded for style and speed, with swag ranging from back-pats and beer to T-shirts and trophies. But everyone’s a winner at UCB, with food on hand from Alewife and award-winning Duckpin on draft all afternoon. The taproom opens at noon, the race begins at 3, and beers will be flowing until they close at 5 o’clock.
SEE
Feb. 27: Charm City Roller Girls
Skateland North Point, 1113 N. Point Rd., Dundalk. 7 p.m. $5-15. 443-475-0088. charmcityrollergirls.com.
Anyone who has ever said that girls aren’t tough clearly hasn’t seen the live action of ladies’ roller derby. Rip-roaring and rough-and-tumble, this fast-paced sport is a badass bout with high energy, necessary helmets, and eight little wheels. This Saturday, it’s back in Baltimore for an all-new season of the Charm City Roller Girls league, and to kick things off, they’re throwing a triple-header at the old skate hall in Dundalk. With football finally over and baseball just around the corner, spend your night with friends and family at this action-packed event, featuring meet-and-greets with the athletes, Maryland beers by Fin City Brewing, and an after-party at Angle Inn in Southeast Baltimore.
HEAR
Feb. 26-27: Charm City Django Jazz Fest
Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. 8 p.m. $22-28. 410-276-1651. creativealliance.org.
Django Reinhardt might not be a household name, but his influence on jazz music is unmistakable. The Belgium native was born to entertainer parents, picking up an ear for music—and then a guitar—at a very early age. By the 1940s, he had become a European sensation and even made his way to America to tour with legends like the late, great Duke Ellington. This weekend, celebrate the musician’s legacy at the Creative Alliance during its first-ever Django festival. For two music-filled nights, hear tribute performances by multiple bands, including our very own Ultrafaux, a rip-roaring local gypsy swing group, and Stephane Wremble, a French-born jazz guitarist who was recruited by Woody Allen to score Midnight in Paris, his 2011 Oscar-winning film.
DO
Feb. 27: Bromo Art Walk
Bromo Arts District, 218 W. Saratoga St. 12-4 p.m. Free. 410-528-7710. bromodistrict.org.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the workweek, it’s sometimes easy to forget that we live in a pretty awesome city, ripe with history, art, delicious food, and culture. This weekend, get a good dose of that metropolitan vibe and visit some places you’ve never been before. On Saturday afternoon, the Bromo Arts District is throwing an impromptu gallery hop, with nine participating venues from the dozen-plus block stretch. Follow Franklin Street from Open Space to First Continent. Swing down Howard for a stop in Current Space. Turn onto Saratoga for Maryland Art Place (which currently has an awesome juried show with the Maryland Artist Registry) and Jordan Faye Contemporary (we love the barren landscapes of the Dorit Feldman exhibit). While you’re at each, grab a drink, snack on small bites, and absorb all the artwork—for free.