With the warm springtime weather comes outdoor dining, good times and … live music! And Tark’s Grill & Bar at Green Spring Station is getting into the swing of things. Tunes@Tark’s will kick off May 3 and continues each Thursday night, featuring live music from 8-10 in the Courtyard at Green Spring Station, 10751 Falls Road.
Also in a musical vein, Encantada at the American Visionary Art Museum this month introduces a jazz and piano brunch on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., as well as a new seasonal menu. Encantada features clean, fresh dishes including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. The cauliflower steak is my fave.
On May 4 and 5, the FlowerMart, a Charm City tradition since 1911, will be held from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at historic Mount Vernon Square. This event features flowers, grand hats, a puppy parade and show, original arts and crafts, and live music from Gene Vincentt & the Cadillac Cruisers and David Smooth’s Motown Revue.
This year’s event will be a total food fest, combining old traditions with a new twist. Bawlmer-style treats include Maryland fried chicken, crab cakes, hush puppies, Eastern Shore soft shells, pit beef and, of course, lemon peppermint sticks, New fair food options include frozen fruit smoothies, gourmet chocolates, orange crushes, craft beer, funnel cakes, corn dogs and fried Oreos and Twinkies.
Coming Soon
Cured: Table & Tap and its lounge, 18th & 21st, two distinct dining concepts housed under one roof, will open this month in downtown Columbia. Brought to Steve Wecker, co-owner of Iron Bridge Wine Co. and his partner, Vince Culotta, former Iron Bridge general manager.
“Cured: Table & Tap will evoke fond memories of your favorite neighborhood corner bar,” says Wecker. “People always tell us that Iron Bridge is kind of like Cheers with wine. So we wanted to create that same feeling and have some fun with the menu.”
Cured’s menu will offer sandwiches and salads as well as beef, poultry and seafood choices. 18th & 21st will be an elegant, modern supper club and speakeasy named after the constitutional amendments that enacted and repealed Prohibition. It will offer a fine dining menu with handcrafted cocktails and live music. Executive Chef Christopher Lewis crafted individualized menus for each spot. The restaurants are located approximately 300 feet from the main stage at Merriweather Post Pavilion.
This summer, Duck Duck Goose will open at 814 S. Broadway in Fells Point. Southern Living magazine named the Bethesda DDG Maryland’s best restaurant, and Chef Ashish “Al” Alfred is bringing the popular French-style brasserie to B-more. The menu will feature classic cuisine spanning from classical to modern Parisian influences in a casual-but-elegant dining space.
R&R Taqueria, an authentic Mexican eatery, will open this fall at the corner of Charles and Lombard streets. This will be the third location for R&R, which has been featured on Guy Fieri‘s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”
Anthony’s Anchors Aweigh is slated to open this month at 3648 Washington Blvd. in Halethorpe. Owned by Anthony Orendorff — son of Greg and Colleen Orendorff, former owners of Luigi Petti in Little Italy and Gianni’s Italian Bistro — the restaurant will specialize in seafood dishes and offer Italian fare.
Randi Rom is president of RJ Rom & Associates. She is a freelance columnist and writer who represents some of the region’s top restaurants and food-related events. Contact her at randirom@comcast.net.
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