A Look Into the Baltimore Restaurant Scene

This week I am going to clue you all in on some restaurant info.

Baltimore is constantly growing and changing in the restaurant industry. Restaurants are closing, new restaurants are opening and new chefs are being appointed with brand new menus.

My goal this week is to give you a list of some of the most anticipated restaurant openings in the Baltimore area.

Aromes Restaurant is the newest addition to the quaint Hampden neighborhood. With it’s eye on American and French inspired cuisine, Aromes will fit right in.

Scheduled to open in early 2015, Aromes will be the newest farm to table spot to hit Baltimore, promising to source ingredients from Maryland farms.

Many of you might be familiar with the Bagby Restaurant Group who owns Fleet Street Kitchen, TenTen, Bagby Pizza Company and Towson’s very own Cunninghams.

The restaurant group has plans to open a quick-service version of Bagby Pizza Co that will still hold true to their farm to table methods.

A location has not been specified but the restaurant is scheduled to open in early 2015.

Ristorante Firenze, which plans to open later this winter, will be an upscale Italian eatery in historic Reisterstown off of Hanover Road. Firenze will feature family recipes paired with the freshest ingredients. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, this eatery promises to have some of the best Italian dishes in the area.

Main Street Grille is also opening in Reisterstown in the former space of Martha & Mary’s. The restaurant is still under renovation but is planning on opening in early 2015. The family friendly restaurant will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner with special deals.

More information is hopefully coming out soon.

A few of my favorite restaurants are opening new locations as well. Ryleigh’s Oyster House has plans to open their third location in Mount Vernon this winter. Also, La Tolteca is opening another location in Canton off of Boston Street this winter.

Make sure to reserve your table at one of these restaurants well in advance. Check the website for contact information or look at OpenTable for reservation availability.

I hope you all have a chance to make it out to one of these new Baltimore restaurants. For more information, keep an eye out for my twitter @GoodEatsMD.

 

I look forward to your readership in 2015. Until next time. I wish you GoodEats!

 

 

Edited by Jared Kurlander.

Cunningham’s (1 Olympic Place)

This past Thursday, a few friends and I decided to try a nicer restaurant for one of our friend’s birthday. The choice was easy: Cunningham’s. Cunningham’s is relatively new to the Towson area and adds a more upscale feel to the community.

Located right off of York Road accessible from the roundabout, the restaurant is easily spotted from the street. The restaurant is beautiful, with a huge dining room and an open kitchen giving the diner a sneak peak at the magic. Cunningham’s menu is full of farm favorites, featuring menu items picked at the peak of their flavor, freshness and nutritional content.

The menu is broken down into four different main sections: table, appetizers, entrees and sides. Our waiter suggested the housemade charcuterie ($15), which features fresh cured meats and cheeses served to share. The Steak Tartare ($12) was unanimously decided by the table. The dish featured a tartare with chimichuri, quail egg and burgundy truffle, served with a few kettle chips to bring it all together. It was exquisite. Our table also tried the Pork Belly and Shrimp Dumplings (light dumplings with a salsa verde dipping sauce) ($9). These were by far the best starter. I also highly recommend taking a look at the flatbreads, they are huge and plenty to share. We went with a Housemade Chorizo ($12), featuring pickled shallots, grilled scallions and mozzarella.

Choosing a main course at a fancier restaurant is always tough. Cunningham’s entrée menu was refined and all looked delicious. The big decision was meat or fish. I personally like to try something a little different so the decision was between the Pan Roasted Halibut ($27) and Pan Seared Rockfish ($27). With some help from our server I went with the rockfish, which had a tomato, zucchini and squash puree served beneath it. The fish was tender, yet still had a perfectly crispy and seared skin. One of my friends treated himself to the 16oz Creekstone Farm Strip Steak ($42). It was a masterpiece, with huge strips of perfectly juicy meat fanned across a plate. Going a different route, my other friend tried the 14 oz. Pork Chop ($28) and was pleasantly surprised by the flavorful meat.

Pan Seared Rockfish. Photo by Taylor Seidel/ TU Student.

Cunningham’s also features a café/bakery around back, which serves breakfast sandwiches and breads, along with lunches. They also feature a full assortment of coffee and espresso drinks. The café is only open until 5 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. on weekends.

Cunningham’s also features a Sunday brunch prix fixe menu for $30 a person. Additionally, they feature a weekly happy hour from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, a half-price wine night on Tuesdays and Neighborhood Night on Sundays that has 20 percent off entrees and bottles of wine.

Whatever your reason for visiting Cunningham’s it’s sure to include some incredible food and fantastic service.

Until next time. I wish you GoodEats!

My friends and I enjoying Cunningham’s. Photo by Taylor Seidel/ TU Student.

 

 

—Edited by Jared Kurlander.