NEWS
Hampden Restaurant to Host Fundraiser for Keswick Road Fire Victims: Earlier this week, North Baltimore was rocked by a five-alarm fire that claimed two lives and damaged at least eight rowhomes. Unsurprisingly, the Hampden restaurant community is stepping up to help neighbors in need. Blue Pit BBQ & Whiskey Bar will host a fundraiser on Sunday, Oct. 20 from 3-9 p.m., donating 100 percent of sales to the victims. The event will also include a silent auction with gift cards and gift baskets donated by Hampden Merchants and other small businesses throughout the city.
Additionally, a handful of neighborhood eateries—including The Local Fry, The Charmery, Chuck’s Trading Post, Golden West Cafe, The Urban Oyster, and Catalog Coffee—will be donating a portion of sales on Saturday, Oct. 19 to the fire fund. See the full list of participating small businesses, here.
If you aren’t in the area this weekend but are looking to send support, the Hampden Community Council is accepting donations via Venmo and dividing them amongst all neighbors affected.
OPEN
Aveley Farms + Diamondback Brewing Co.: Locust Point’s Diamondback Brewing Co. and Towson’s Aveley Farms Coffee Roasters have unveiled their anticipated “all day and all night” concept off of Deereco Road in Timonium. Here, the craft beverage businesses combine coffee, beer, and pizza in a space that spans 4,800 square feet.
“Getting this location open is a big deal for both of our businesses as we expand our manufacturing and retail footprints,” Aveley Farms owner Corey Voelkel said in a statement. “We’re excited to serve many new and repeat Baltimore County customers here on Deereco.”
Expect a coffee bar; wrap-around beer bar with a 10-tap system; and booth, table, and high-top seating indoors. Aveley operates all of its roasting and green coffee operations out of this space, while Diamondback will add a 3.5-barrel brew system for lagers and experimental beers that will only be available at the Baltimore County location. With architecture by AEC Concepts, the new digs also feature a large outdoor patio that’s connected to the interior by roll-up garage doors.
In the mornings, the menu features pastries, breakfast burritos, and Aveley coffee, while the evening offerings transition to Diamondback draft beer and seasonally rotating Neapolitan-style pizzas. Look out for classics like a margherita, as well as a vegan pie with vegan mozzarella, fresh basil, and olive oil.
Bark Social Columbia: Dog bar concept Bark Social opened its fifth location on Merriweather Row in Columbia earlier this month. The indoor/outdoor venue features 14,000 square feet of yard space and an additional 2,500 square feet of patio space that includes an off-leash dog park, beer garden, full bar, coffee bar, cafe, and a retail store. The food and beverage lineup includes breakfast burritos and coffee in the morning, then beer and shareables like Italian meatballs, pretzel bites, tacos, and flatbreads in the evening. This is the third Bark Social location in Maryland, joining existing outposts in Bethesda and Canton, with the latter opening in 2022.
COMING SOON
Nine Tailed Fox: It’s been over a year since Atlas Restaurant Group announced plans to open a Chinese concept at The Village of Cross Keys, and as the opening gets closer, new details have emerged. Slated to debut spring 2025, the kitchen at Nine Tailed Fox will be helmed by executive chef Jeffrey Mei, who has nearly three decades of restaurant experience at places like Benny Chows and ONE Dim Sum in Houston, Texas, as well as the Sheraton Hotel in Flushing, New York.
Although details are mum on the menu, diners can expect a 200-seat space designed by longtime Atlas collaborator Patrick Sutton, featuring traditional Chinese design elements and a rooftop terrace that wraps around a second-floor bar. The name is inspired by a powerful figure in Chinese mythology. Also called huli jing, the nine tailed fox is often portrayed as a fox with the ability to grow additional tails as it ages. Stay tuned for a grand opening date in 2025.
Root City Kava Bar & Lounge: A new bar in Mt. Vernon is getting ready to open its doors this month—and it’ll specialize in a nonalcoholic beverage that you may have never heard of. The menu will emphasize kava, a spirit-free drink popular in the South Pacific Islands. The roots of kava plants are rich with compounds known as kavalactones, which are known to have calming effects. The drink has been consumed for thousands of years for social, ceremonial, and ritualistic purposes.
The Baltimore Business Journal reports that founder Nicholas Patrick plans to open the concept at 917 Cathedral St. and feature three stories—a cafe, a bar and lounge, and a retro arcade and gaming area. “We’ll have football, we’ll have an open mic night, we’ll have poetry night,” he told the paper. “All the different things you would expect from a really good bar.”
Tatte Bakery & Café: Annapolis Town Center will soon welcome the area’s first Tatte Bakery & Café, a Washington, D.C. go-to that has more than 40 locations. Taking over the space last occupied by Brio Tuscan Grille, Tatte will serve up its artisanal pastries, breads, and a scratch-driven menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. Diners can expect salads, sandwiches, shakshuka, and other seasonal offerings, alongside a selection of craft coffee, tea, and sodas.
EPICUREAN EVENTS
10/28-11/2: Bunny’s Turned Upside Down
Stranger Things fans, this one’s for you. Bunny’s in Fells Point will take a trip through the “Upside Down” (the mysterious alternate dimension from the popular Netflix show) for a series of back-to-back Halloween collabs. The week will feature pop-ups from other Baltimore restaurants and chefs including Nana/Clavel, Toki Underground, Ggoma Supper Club, Old Westminster Winery, Peabody Heights, chef Jonah Kim, and more. Follow Bunny’s on Instagram for updates and menu details.
(SOON TO BE) SHUT
The Arthouse: At the end of the month, this pizza bar and gallery in Hampden will close its doors after 11 years in business. Owner Joan Dolina added food and drink to an existing art gallery in 2013, and the result was “a welcoming, slightly funky bar that’s neither as fancy as some of its newer neighbors nor as divey as some of its older ones,” we wrote in a review from 2019.
The Arthouse wrote on social media that the closure was due to lease negotiations that fell through. “We have been unable to come up with a long term win-win solution for both us and the landlord,” the post reads. “We are now required to vacate the building by the end of October. We’d like to thank all the great patrons, amazing staff members, talented artists, musicians, and comedians that made The Arthouse a very special place.” The bar will host a “Going Out of Business” party on Oct. 26.
England Eatery: Soul food restaurant England Eatery, known for its hearty platters and crabby biscuits, will also close its doors at the end of the month. Its last day will be Oct. 27. Owner Aisha England told the BBJ that high food costs, city roadwork, and avoiding debt were all factors in deciding to close. “We are a small business,” she said. “Every penny literally counts.” While this chapter for the restaurant coming to a close, England assured followers on social media that it’s “not goodbye, it’s see you later.” Luckily, the restaurant will still have a presence at Melba’s Place on Greenmount Avenue.