It’s baaack! One of my all-time fave restaurants, Clementine on Harford Road in the Hamilton neighborhood, closed a year ago so owners Winston Blick and his wife, Cristin Dadant, could focus on their catering business and spend more time with their young son.
But there was a huge void, not only for them but the community and regular customers. So they decided to reopen – Yes! Clementine focuses on fresh food with an ever-changing menu, using local products whenever possible. Right now, they’re open Wednesdays through Saturdays for dinner (the bar is open until midnight), and brunch is coming soon.
One especially cool thing is they serve both large and small portions of menu items so you can do your own thing or share a bunch of plates. They’re well known for their house-made charcuterie, desserts, regional cuisine and fan favorites like potpie and meatloaf. Gotta say they have the best roast chicken I’ve ever had. Except, of course, for Mom Rom’s. (ClementineBaltimore.com)
If you fancy yourself a foodie (and a drinkie), check out the award-winning Iron Bridge Wine Company in Columbia. Full Service Restaurant Magazine named bar manager Stephen Wecker one of the “40 Under 40 Rising Stars in the Hospitality Industry.” Wecker took over and added craft beers and innovative cocktails to a bar program that relied almost exclusively on wine sales.
They also were listed as one of the “Ten Places to Go in America for Amazing Food and Drinks” by USA Today, and Wine Enthusiast Magazine named them “One of the Best New Restaurants in the United States” in their first year of operation. Executive chef Tyler Skinner has elevated the dining experience by introducing Asian influences to their newly launched winter menu. (IronBridgeWines.com)
Dinner and a show? Germano’s PIATTINI will offer a fab prix fixe menu in addition to their full PIATTINI menu and a special Valentine’s Day show, “Rhythm and Romance” with cabaret icon Steve Ross, the “Crown Prince of Cabaret,” in the Cabaret at Germano’s. Li’l Italian lesson — Piattini means small plates, people. Germano’s is owned by Germano Fabiani and his wife, Cyd Wolf, a friend from back-in-the-day at Pikesville Senior High. (GermanosPiattini.com)
Executive chef/owner Barry Fleischmann opened Rachel New American Cuisine in Federal Hill in a cool, rustic, 1875 townhouse. The new spot features mid-Atlantic Chesapeake cuisine, craft cocktails, a carefully selected wine list and lots ‘o’ special events such as weekly tap takeovers, wine dinners and beer dinners.
This is the first brick-and-mortar for Fleischmann, who has over 30 years of experience in the catering biz and is partnered with chef James Taylor. The restaurant is named after his daughter. (RachelFedHill.com)
Matt Robicelli, previous owner of the popular Brooklyn bakery Robicelli’s, was supposed to open a bakery here in B-more but due to health issues it didn’t happen. (Yet, it’s on the back burner.) Having recovered, Matt is returning to the savory side of dining as the new exec chef at Trinacria Café, an offshoot of a century-old North Paca Street deli in Mount Vernon. He’s overhauled the dinner menu which showcases simple-but-done-right Southern Italian dishes as well as Robicelli’s pastries. (TrinacriaBaltimore.com)
Da Mimmo’s Italian Restaurant in Little Italy is offering a unique and exclusive dining experience for two. You and your guest will be escorted to a table adorned with a dozen long-stemmed red roses and petals where your server will open a bottles of champagne and wine for you and ask you only one question for the entire evening: Do you wish to eat from the land or from the sea?
What follows is a seven-course Italian meal designed by their executive chef, which concludes with their signature homemade limoncello and you can take the roses home. The cost is just $250 including tax and tip. And they only take one reservation an evening! (DaMimmo.com)
Randi Rom is the president of RJ Rom & Associates, a marketing, branding, events and public relations firm specializing in the hospitality and entertainment industries. She is a freelance columnist and writer who represents some of the region’s top restaurants and food-related events. Have a hot scoop? Contact her at randirom@comcast.net.
Cristan Dadant, left, and WInston Blick from Clementine. Courtesy photo
Duck Leg Confit from Iron Bridge Wine Company. Photo by Vincent Culotta photography
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