A culinary compendium of restaurant, food, and beverage news and trends from the Chesapeake region
Send Out the Welcome Wagon
Who doesn’t love a good sandwich? Full On Craft Eats & Drinks plans to open later this fall in Annapolis Harbour Center (in the former location of Baja Fresh), offering a full menu of not only sandwiches, but also snacks, soups, and salads. This is the second location for Full On, which also operates in Rockville. The owners plan to offer a full bar and, hopefully in the future, an outdoor beer garden. According to the Full On’s website, the restaurant’s wings have been rated best in Maryland by Delish.com and Buzzfeed. Sounds like a taste-test is in order! 2478A Solomons Island Road, Annapolis | fulloncraft.com
We’re always on the lookout for a good margarita, so it’s welcome news that Agave Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar plans to open in West Annapolis. The restaurant, which has long been a favorite for those vacationing at the Delaware beaches, will anchor MRE Properties’ redevelopment project, opening on the bottom floor of the 15,000-square-foot mixed-use building. Sadly, however, Annapolis has to wait a few minutes before giving Agave a shot (of tequila), as it’s not slated to open until fall 2022. 106 Annapolis Street, Annapolis | agavelewes.com
Speaking of West Annapolis, here’s one new place you don’t have to wait for—Always Ice Cream Co. recently opened in the neighborhood. It’s the second scoop shop for the owners, who also founded Main Street’s Annapolis Ice Cream Co., serving up both dairy-based and vegan ice cream in all the flavors you might expect—and some you might not. More locations are in the works, with planned shops in Edgewater and Severna Park. 116 Annapolis Street, Annapolis | alwaysicecreamcompany.com
If you mourned the loss of Anne Arundel’s Greene Turtle locations last year, here’s some good news: The sports bar will return to the Waugh Chapel Towne Center this fall, reopening in the former location of Houlihan’s Restaurant and Bar, which closed in December 2020. Greene Turtle’s prior locations, now Smashing Grapes Kitchen + Wine Bar, were franchises, but the Waugh Chapel location was reportedly one of the chain’s highest-volume restaurants. This iteration will be owned by Greene Turtle itself; it will also accommodate the ghost kitchens for two delivery-only businesses, MrBeast Burger and George Lopez Tacos. 1407 S. Main Chapel Way, Gambrills | thegreenturtle.com
Kudos!
Any kind of anniversary is special, but making it 20 years in the restaurant biz is no small feat. This month, Killarney House is celebrating two decades of Irish craic (that means “fun” in Gaelic) in Davidsonville. Co-owners Michael Galway and Anthony Clarke took the old, burned-out building of Spring House Restaurant & Deli on Central Avenue and turned it into a community favorite. “We appreciate the unending support our customers and neighbors have shown us, not just through our twenty years here in South County, but especially throughout the strain of the pandemic,” said Galway in a press release. Killarney House will celebrate all month long with live music, special menus, giveaways, charity fundraisers, and more. Slainte! 584 W Central Ave, Davidsonville | killarneyhousepub.com
More accolades are in order, this time to a trio of Easton restaurants: Bas Rouge, The Stewart, and The Wardroom, all under the umbrella of Bluepoint Hospitality, were awarded a 2021 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. According to Wine Spectator, the Award of Excellence is given to restaurants with thoughtfully chosen selections appropriate for the cuisine and representative of a range of regions and styles. basrougeeaston.com; thestewart.com; thewardroom.com
Bottoms Up!
Flying Dog, Maryland’s largest brewery, is always doing something new and fabulous, and that’s just the case with its Victress Cranberry Lime Kettle Sour, now with expanded distribution. The beer, brewed in collaboration with the Pink Boots Society (created to assist, inspire, and encourage women in the brewing industry to advance their careers through education), is a fusion of sweet and tart flavors. Plus, proceeds from the beer are donated back to the Society to support educational scholarship and programming for its members. If you’re not much of a drinker, Flying Dog has a beverage for you, too. The cleverly named Deepfake is the brewery’s first non-alcoholic release, and it mimics the aroma and taste of a masterfully crafted IPA. “Choosing a non-alcoholic beer shouldn’t mean suffering through a tasteless, watery imposter,” said James Maravetz, VP of Marketing at Flying Dog Brewery, in a news release.
There’s nothing like a good literary-inspired beer, and thankfully, RavenBeer—named after Baltimore’s own Edgar Allan Poe—is back in business. The 20-plus-year-old brewery paused production and put plans for a brewpub on hold in February 2020, but they recently signed a deal with Oliver Brewing Co. to take over brewing operations, distribution, and marketing. Using the original recipes, Oliver has reintroduced Raven Lager, Tell Tale IPA, and Annabel Lee white ale.
BTW, Guinness Open Gate Brewery up in Halethorpe celebrated its three-year anniversary last month. If you have yet to make your way up to Baltimore County, what are you waiting for? It’s worth the drive.
Calling all Type As! If you’re one to plan and track everything in your life, you’re going to love the new MD Craft Beverages app from Grow & Fortifty, which represents the Brewers Association of Maryland, the Maryland Distillers Guild, and the Maryland Wineries Association. The smartphone app (available for iOS and Android devices) features an up-to-date listing of the state’s distilleries, breweries and wineries, upcoming events, deals and discounts, and virtual passports that allow users to track the businesses they’ve visited.
From Day to Night: Coffee
Even if you don’t have students returning to school, September seems to be the time to buckle down and get your life back in order after the laziness of the summer—and how would that be possible without the help of our old friend, coffee? More than 60 percent of Americans drink a cup every day, and there’s no reason to feel guilty about it. Unlike other vices, coffee and its right-hand man, caffeine, offer up a bevy of benefits ranging from protection from heart disease to neurocognitive perks.
Ideally, you’d have time to start each day with a high-quality brew, whether it’s a pour-over or even just a French press. Sadly, that’s not always feasible, so drip coffee it is. If you’re not loving what’s coming out of the coffeemaker, though, try out some of these pointers to improve your morning java.
Have you cleaned your coffee machine lately? If you’re like most people, probably not—and a dirty machine can really destroy the flavor. Clean it out once a month by running a mixture of 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water twice, then follow it up with water.
Buy whole-bean coffee (it doesn’t have to be ultra-premium, pricey stuff, we swear) and grind it yourself. Some people say you really need to have a burr grinder, some say blade is best, but what really matters is that you grind just before you brew.
Turn that auto-warmer off. Coffee is best when it’s fresh, so if your second (and third) cup isn’t quite as good, it’s probably because the quality degrades the longer it sits. Look at how long it takes you to work your way through the pot, and consider brewing smaller batches independently of each other.
Once the day is done, you can still turn to coffee for moral support—coffee-flavored spirits, that is. Try this one out:
Grant Brulot Black Manhattan
Serves 1
- 1 oz. Grand Brulot
- (coffee-flavored cognac)
- 1 oz. bourbon
- 1 oz. sweet vermouth
- 3 dashes orange bitters
In a mixing glass, stir all ingredients together. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass with ice or serve up. Garnish with an orange twist and two cocktail cherries.
*Recipe and photo courtesy of Grand Brulot (www.grandbrulot.com)
Have culinary news to share? Send an email to Kelsey Casselbury at kcasselbury@whatsupmag.com.
