Claddagh Pub, Canton

A couple of my friends came in from out of town, so a group of us decided to go out for dinner to sit and chat. We ended up choosing Claddagh Pub in Canton Square.

I ordered the Seafood Club ($9.95) which usually comes with crab cake, shrimp salad, bacon, lettuce and tomato. I opted out of the bacon though. Sounds delicious, right? Well, it was good but it just didn't work cohesively as a sandwich. First of all, it was piled WAY too high so I could hardly manage to take a bite! The shrimp salad was great - jumbo shrimp, celery, not overly mayo-y. The crabcake was also well done, with a good amount of meat. But together, the flavors didn't meld. I just felt like I was eating two separate things, which disappointed me a little. Though, I kept in mind it gave me the opportunity to try both! Oh, but the fries were pretty excellent, the right amount of softness vs. crispiness.

One thing I must mention is that most of our sandwiches came un-toasted, which was very odd since there was a "Cold Sandwiches" section on the menu. Doesn't that automatically mean the other sandwiches will be warm?

Anyway, the prices were good for what we got, but the food definitely didn't blow me away. Next time I come to Canton, I can't imagine choosing this place over the other options - especially when it's right next to Helen's Garden! If you just want to go to a pub for a couple of beers, then this place may be super fun, but not for a big group of people that wanted to get dinner and chat.

Man Vs. Charm City's Food

So, what are you up to tonight? How about watching Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel- Host Adam Richman is in Charm City for the Great Steak Challenge!

He heads over to Chaps Charcoal Restaurant, Obrycki’s Crab House and Steak & Main.

Steak & Main is where he’ll participate in his crazy challenge – he has ONE HOUR to eat FIVE different cuts of beef (74oz in total) and 1lb of sides. Check out this video for a sneak peek of the challenge: http://bit.ly/ethOs

WOW.

More power to him!

Check out Baltimore on TV, yay!!!! Wednesday (TODAY), Oct 28th, 10pm on the Travel Channel

I’ve never eaten at any of these places- have you? What do you think of them?

Really!?!?

As seen on Asylum's The Worst Candy Ever

I like wine. I like Kit Kats.

Not together.

Don Roberto Tequila at Morton's

As I mentioned on my blog, I was invited to Don Roberto's Tequila unveiling at Morton's Steakhouse. Once again, I had a really fun evening - great drinks, amazing food, and really great foodies/drinkies :) Also, I must say, if anyone knows how to cook a lamp chop- it's Morton's! Wow, those bad boys were good.

We had the option of trying three different tequila cocktails. Two were infused with Tea Fortes (one with lavendar, and one with lemongrass and mint that I was NOT a fan of) and one classic margarita. Ah the classic margarita. It was delish. Many times during the evening, I kept wondering out loud if my drinks had any tequila in it. Oh, there did, but it was just that smooth.

Don Roberto Plata (Silver, White spirit and un-aged); Don Roberto Reposado (Rested, aged 6 months in white oak barrels); and Don Roberto Anejo (Vintage, aged 1.5 years in white oak barrels).

We recieved a presentation about the Tequilas and it's new introduction into the United States. We also were offered Reidel Tequila glasses to sample the tequilas.

--- Straight ---

I had to sip on straight tequila?????

I was terrified. Drinking tequila straight is not my idea of delicious. But for the sake of the blog, I closed my eyes, tried not to smell it too much, and took a sip.

And you know what?

They didn't make me gag, spit up or cry! Miraculous!!!!!

In fact - they were smooth, had different tastes and I could see them being quite pleasant for a Tequila-sipper. That just shows you right there the quality of this liquor.

After our sampling was over, I went back to my margaritas - they were awesome!

p.s. I met Mark Burlet, who writes the Baltimore Drinks Examiner blog. Check out his post on the Don Roberto evening.

p.p.s. Tonight, at Morton's, is their Champagne and Chocolate Tasting. If you go (you are SO LUCKY!!!!!), let me know which chocolate is your favorite!!!!!

The Corner Stable, Cockeysville

Sorry to write two BBQ posts in two days, but the restaurants were quite different!

Corner Stable, which is located just down the street from Andy Nelson's is situated on the corner of Cranbrook Road and York Road - a fairly busy area, and yet I had never been!

I had heard about the ribs more than anything else, so I knew I had to get them. They are a little expensive, at $17.50 for a rack of ribs and fries (I split them with Dan) so I expected a lot.

They came out doused in their sweet BBQ sauce (hence the terrible picture quality below), incredibly succulent and juicy. The meat reminded me more of something you would get in a slow cooker than on a BBQ (which is how Andy Nelson's ribs tasted). Overall though, I felt they were excellent. Dan, however, liked them but said he would choose Andy's ribs over these any day. Once again - taste is all a matter of opinion! The fries were OK, a little too burnt for me.

Wow. This is a really terrible picture

Dan tried their Chicken Philly Cheese Steak ($7.99) which comes with thinly sliced grilled chicken, provolone, lettuce, tomatoes and fried onions. I ended up taking multiple bites from it, I liked it so much. Talk about comfort food. Be warned though - they put mayo on the sandwich, and I know some people (DAN) don't like the surprise of mayo-y sandwiches!

Even though it's a terrible picture, at least you can tell the size of it!

You'd think that we would be full with all that food, but since we went to watch a football game, after a couple of hours....I wanted dessert! We chose a cookie cake type sundae, and as you can see from the picture it was monstrous. The cookie cake (it was a huge cookie, therefore it had more of a cake or brownie consistency) came with vanilla ice cream, fudge sauce, and the most whipped cream I've ever seen. It was decadent to say the least.

So there you have it. Not exactly the most healthy meal in the world, but it went well with football and sharing :)

Andy Nelson's BBQ, Cockeysville

Cornbread, ribs, BBQ Tater Wedges, more cornbread and apple cake

Andy Nelson's BBQ is the go-to BBQ place for the Hunt Valley-Cockeysville-Timonium corridor. It's located on York Road, and you'll see it because there's a giant pig on the building. There's much more seating than you would think, and they also open a barn next door for larger parties.

Andy's is famous for slow cooking all their BBQ and serving it Memphis style.

I ordered a half rack of Memphis dry ribs. I always like to get ribs dry so that I can control how much of the sauce I eat. The ribs were yummy- they fell right off the bone and into my mouth! Also, I thought it was a generous half-rack portion.

With a couple pieces of cornbread (good- very sweet, though a bit dry) and the ribs, I was happily full. Dan ordered the same thing, but also with the BBQ Tater wedges that I'm not really fond of. They are too......potato-y. I mean, it's just too much. I'd rather have fries.

I also bought some homemade apple cake, which I saved for later, that was sweet and moist and full of large pieces of plump apples.

I've had the sandwiches from there before, as well as the brisket, and I must say the meat is just perfectly cooked here - very flavorful and tender. I would suggest getting cuts of meat or sandwiches where you can add your own sauce, because sometimes it can be a bit too much when they add it themselves.

p.s. Yes, Andy Nelson is a former Colts Football player - and there are lots of pictures and other sorts of memorabilia posted around the place. What's great is that most of the time, Andy Nelson is working there whether it's the weekend or weekdays. I love that commitment he has to his restaurant- it really shows.

Cooperstown Cookie Company

Cooperstown Cookie Company contacted me recently to try one of their cookies –Bunts – the classic shortbread baseball cookies.

Why are they called baseball cookies? Cause they’re shaped like baseballs and they come in cute baseball packages that you can customize based on your own Major League Baseball Team!

The best part of these cookies, to me, is that they have 5 ingredients! Sorry about the terrible picture below, but I was so excited when I saw this! How often do you pick up a package of something and not understand a word of the ingredients? It says Unbleached flour, butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Wow. I know what all of those words mean :)

And how do they taste? Like shortbread! Classic shortbread: buttery and not-too-sweet. It's great that you can find natural cookies, with real ingredients, and not have to sacrifice taste!

So check out the website: www.cooperstowncookiecompany.com and let me know what you think. There are lots of other cookies to purchase as well. These cookies would be a great gift for a Baseball lover!

10/28/09 UPDATE: Here is the new website: http://www.cooperstowncookie.com/

DISCLAIMER: Cooperstown Cookie Company sent me free cookies to try, but in no way was I paid for my opinions!

House of Kabob, Parkville

For our date night last week, Dan and I went to House of Kabob in Parkville. We both LOVE kabobs, or really just any type of Middle Eastern food, so we were happy to give a new place a try (plus, we had a coupon for a free entrée courtesy of The Entertainment Book!!!)

Our appetizer sampler- what a great deal!

We ordered the appetizer sampler for $6.99 which allowed us to pick 3 appetizers. We choose the hummus, kashk o’ bademjan (dip made of sautéed eggplant mixed with garlic and onion) and stuffed grape leaves. The sampler came with pita bread, and we got a second plate of pita without asking!

The hummus was very creamy and I could definitely taste the garlic and lemon. The kashk o’bademjan was hands down my favorite, Dan’s too. It was such a wonderful dip – you could really taste the roasted flavor of the eggplant. The stuffed grape leaves were not my favorite, I think it is an acquired taste, but I suppose I'm not a fan of the mint and dill combination.

In the forefront is the kabob platter, and the fesenjune is in the middle. Look at that rice!

For dinner I ordered the chicken fesenjan ($10.99) which is described on their website as sautéed chicken tenders and walnuts simmered in a sweet and sour pomegranate sauce. This actually doesn’t really describe it well. The sauce is made of walnuts and pomegranate sauce, which gives it a thick nutty consistency from the blending of both ingredients. The chicken was a bit dry and quite plain, but the sauce was sweet and well made.

$10.99 for this dish is a steal, as it is usually much more expensive at other Iranian restaurants. However, (and I REALLY hate comparing restaurants) I would probably go back to Orchard Market and Café if I craved this dish, though it is more expensive ($16-17). I must say, I was able to make this into 3 meals since there was so much food and after the chicken soaked in the sauce overnight, it was much more flavorful!

Dan ordered the Koobideh (ground beef kabob) and Chicken kabob combination platter for ($12.75). The platter was immense! I’ve never seen so much rice and meat at a kabob place before!! The koobideh was my absolute favorite. It was perfectly spiced and grilled. The chicken was good, but I’m not really a grilled chicken fan – but Dan is, and he loved it.

We were both WAY too stuffed to even consider dessert, but if we had room we both agreed that the Akhbar Mashti ($2.95), or Persian ice cream mixed with fresh cream, saffron and rose water would have been our only choice since that and the Faloodeh (lemon flavored ice with floating sweet noodles- so says the website) are the only options made in-house.

Next time, I think we are both going to stick to kabob platters, especially the Koobideh. YUM! Also, it's a BYOB (with no corkage fee), so that's a great plus as well!

Pom Iced Coffee

My husband loves to buy me new and fun products anytime he goes to the grocery store by himself. He also knows that I love POM anything, so this time he decided to get me Pom Iced Coffee, the Cafe Au Lait flavor*.

I was super skeptical at first, because a Pomegranate flavored coffee DID NOT appeal to me, but on closer inspection I read that it contains the "Pom Wonderful Pomegranate Antioxidant Extract" rather than pomegranate flavoring.

And the verdict? Pretty delicious, I must say! With the first sip I noticed an unfamiliar taste, but as I kept sipping the difference was really subtle but really nice. There was a very slight bit of pomegranate to the flavor, but it's not enough that would make me say it's flavored. It's definitely not overly creamy, which I like, and it's very smooth and has the right amount of sweetness.

I don't usually buy coffee this way, but if I ever saw this again and I was in the mood for a nice iced coffee, I wouldn't hesitate in grabbing it from the shelf. I think it would be especially delicious over ice!

There are two other flavors: Chocolate and Vanilla. Yes, please!

Check out POM's website, I love their drinks, including their teas. My favorite is their Pomegranate Lychee Green Tea (which my husband had chosen for me as a treat a while ago!) Soooo refreshing.

****I promise! In no way was I contacted by POM, nor do I represent POM. My husband really does like to buy me treats (yay!), so I thought I would share! :)

Strapazza, Towson

What a lovely little road Strapazza's is on in Towson. The trees are lit up with Christmas lights, there are plenty of outdoor seating, and suddenly Towson is sweet and charming.

If you come to Strapazza's for some hearty and authentic Italian food guess what? You will NOT be disappointed.

The food here is filling, plentiful and best of all AFFORDABLE. IT'S A MIRACLE!

I ordered the tortellini bolognese - tri-colored tortellini filled with parmesan and topped with a creamy bolognese sauce. This was amazing. VERY rich and hearty, and enough that you could either share - or take for lunch.

Dan ordered the gnocchi with a tomato, mozzarella and basil sauce (shown below). The gnocchi was soft and had just the right amount of chewiness. I loved them, those perfect little potato balls. The sauce was great because of the yummy cheesy balls melted throughout.

I also liked that they served fresh garlic bread on the house with your meal - perfect for sopping up the leftover sauce. Oh and sop we did. That was quite some bread - I'm pretty sure the chefs enjoy garlic butter :)

For dessert they offer a bunch of frozen options (the exact same menu from Pasta Blitz actually), as well as homemade tiramisu and cannoli. I asked our server if these were made in-house, but he just replied homemade.....I'm thinking that they are not made in house. That being said, the tiramisu was delish! Very very very creamy and decadent. The cannoli was good - I liked the cream better than the pastry, which left a weird cardboard-y taste in my mouth which I could taste hours later. Hm. Gross. Get the tiramisu.

Overall, I am more than excited to have a neighborhood Italian restaurant which I can't wait to support. And thankfully, because of their prices, AND because they are one of the restaurants on restaurant.com (which is currently taking 70% off their gift certificates until Sunday if you use the code PUMPKIN)- I can!

Yamato Sushi, Timonium

We get carry out from Yamato Sushi, so thought I would write a quick note about them.

They are delicious! I love their shrimp tempura, their salmon and avocado and their california roll.

Also, it's nice to note that every time my husband picks up an order, he always comments on how pleasant and friendly all the employees are.

The restaurant itself has plenty of other dishes to try, plus they are a BYOB with no corkage fee.

Thanks, Yamato Sushi, for making delicious meals for me to eat in front of my TV :)

This should be a "tweet"

I'm starting to feel like I'm the only person in the world that hasn't been to B&O American Brasserie. It doesn't make sense, I literally work right next to it. Anyone been there for lunch? Would it be the same?

Panera Bread, Timonium

Isn't it lovely when you wake up on a weekend morning and go out for breakfast? I don't know what it is about going out for breakfast, but it seems like such a wonderful treat, especially if it's a lazy breakfast with coffee and lots of conversation.

Well, recently we decided to meet my parents at Panera Bread in Timonium for just that - and unfortunately, everyone else in the area had the same idea. It was almost chaotic at 10:30am!

What makes it worse is that Panera's pick-up system is RIDICULOUS. Even though you order everything from the same register, you pick your pastries (BEAR CLAW) at the pastry counter, your coffee at the coffee counter, and your sandwiches all the way down the other end.

This makes for a confusing breakfast, especially when you are trying to figure out four people's meals. In the end it all worked out OK, sure, although I received bacon on a sandwich when I didn't want any and we got 2 orange juices instead of 1 - we still left hungry and satisfied. However, this was enough of an annoyance that would make me question coming back here again.

Now, onto the food:

I ordered the egg and cheese breakfast sandwich on ciabatta bread - pretty yummy and hearty, I must say.

Dan ordered the four cheese egg souffle (only because the turkey sausage and potato one was already sold out!) and he enjoyed it. I found the pastry to be a bit sweet, which I don't like because it's meant to be savory!

I also ordered the Pumpkin Spiced Latte, reviewed here

My parents swear by their Bear Claw - an almond paste-filled pastry. This is sooo delicious, and quite big too!

Overall I enjoy Panera's food - but they just HAVE to get a bit more organized or they are going to start losing customer's!

Quick!

From Dalboz17's Flickr

I had another Pumpkin Spice Latte for the sake of research *cough and because I love them cough*

Check out my addition of Caribou Coffee here!

How was everybody's weekend? Mine was pretty awesome - hung out with friends, ate a TON, watched football (boo) and Friday Night Lights! I love that show.

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Ginji Neko's Flickr

Drink some tea and stay warm if you can!

New Take on Wine Tasting at Swirl Wine

When I buy wine, I usually head towards a familiar bottle that I've had before, or I choose based on pretty packaging married with a happy price tag. I usually have an idea whether I want white or red, and after that I can also tell you which popular grapes I like the best - but sometimes even that throws me for a loop.

This is why it has been really helpful to go to Swirl, my local wine shop, for their free wine tastings on Fridays. They supply their customers with a list of the wines - and tasting notes they've written about each. I write ALL OVER that paper. I always take notes - especially if I like a bottle. Then I transfer those notes to my wine journal so I can keep a log of all the wines that I love. Because I've been going so often - I have a LOT!

Now, I know that many wine shops have free wine tastings, but I had to give a shout out to Swirl for coming up with an AWESOME idea for their tasting tomorrow (Oct 16th) - the Vs. Tasting.

They are going to have a blind tasting!

They will pair a Napa Cabernet (Freemark Abbey Cabernet) against an Argentinian Cabernet (Felino Cabernet)

and

An Italian white (Bidoli Pinot Grigio) against a Spanish white (Shaya Verdejo)

It will be interesting to see whether people like a wine they wouldn't usually choose on the shelf!

How much fun!

Swirl Wine

2320 York Road

Timonium, MD

410-252-7787

www.swirl-wine.net

Mobbies Gala

I missed it :(

I wasn't feeling quite myself, and didn't want to make anybody else sick - especially with all the handshaking going on.

Was it fun? How was the food?

Tell me everything!

Ace of Cakes Book Signing, Oct 27th

Head to Atomic Books to meet the cast of Ace of Cakes and get your book signed!!!

Duff Goldman, Mary Alice, and the rest of the gang will be there from 7-10PM to meet and greet. The book is called Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes

Tuesday, October 27
7-10PM. Free.

Atomic Books.

3620 Falls Rd., Hampden, Baltimore, MD.

www.atomicbooks.com

Cold Stone Creamery, Cockeysville and Everywhere

When I'm in the mood for ice cream, I usually just head to my local grocery store and grab a pint. This practice is MUCH cheaper, especially because a pint is four servings for me.

However, we were hanging out with our friends one evening and Dan suggested Cold Stone for some dessert. Usually I would give him the evil eye to make him re-suggest Taharka Brothers, but I decided to be a good wife instead and held back the evilness :)

When i go to Cold Stone, my favorite ice cream to get is actually a Signature Creation - the Banana Caramel Crunch (French vanilla ice cream mixed with bananas, roasted almonds and caramel sauce). I realize this is pretty taste specific because I LOOOOOVE bananas while others have intense hatred for them. But I'm telling you, if you love bananas, they are a delicious add-in! I am always happy when I get that, and then on top of the caramel and almonds- SOOOO extra special.

Not to take any business away, but I think it's important to note that this would be VERY easy to make at home. I should probably try that one day.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Update

I know everyone is waiting with bated breath to hear about my Pumpkin Spice Latte quest. Well, I decided to be proactive and contact Cosi to see what was going on, and I recieved this very nice (but extremely sad) email back:

Good Afternoon Nakiya,

Unfortunately the Pumpkin Latte will not be making a come back. This
year we're doing the Chocolate Covered Almond Mocha & the Peppermint Hot
Chocolate as our holiday beverages. We're sorry for this inconvenience.
Thank you for your continued support and patronage.

Marany

Cosi Guest Services

Whyyyy Cosi? WHYYYYYYYYY!?!?!?!

For good measure I tried the Chocolate Covered Almond Mocha, and unfortuantely I found it pretty undrinkable. The almond flavor was WAY too intense and almost mechanical. It was too overwhelming, there should have been more chocolate to balance it maybe. I cannot believe they thought this drink would be a good replacement for the genius that was their Pumpkin Spice Latte.

In order to mend my wounded heart, I scoped out other places for their versions:

Dunkin' Donuts: YIKES. I'm glad I got the small because this was so sweet I found myself cringing and wanting it to stop.

Panera Bread: Actually quite delicious and not overwhelmingly sweet. Maybe too milky though - I would have liked a stronger coffee flavor I think. I also discovered that a medium size at Panera Bread is quite a bit too much for me - I would definitely order the small next time. I ordered other things too, so I'll write a seperate post soon.

Starbuck's: OK fine. I know it's delicious. I just didn't want to admit it.

Caribou Coffee: Very sweet and much spicier than any that I've tried - definitely taste nutmeg. It also has a distinct orange color to it. Definitely go for the small (16 0z) version. Also, it was $4.24 for the medium, is that outrageous to anyone else?

Does anybody know of other places that sell Pumpkin Spice Lattes? Caribou Coffee is currently on my list, but I would like to try non-chains as well. Maybe Java Joe's has one?

UPDATED 10/19/09 with Caribou Coffee info

Last Day to Vote for the Mobbies

Thank you so incredibly much for your votes during the past two weeks (what a long time to vote!!!!) And most importantly, thank you for reading my blog!!!! I love reading and responding to comments! It humbles me to think that people check what I have to say about Baltimore's Deliciousness.

And to all my new readers - I hope you stick around!!!!

Once again, if you haven't already done so - please give Taste of Baltimore a little shout out for a Mobbie! Voting ends TODAY (October 9th) at 5PM.

Thanks :)

Cosi PART THREE, Everywhere USA

Before I get into my review, I think it’s important to mention that Cosi does not have their Fall Menu up yet! It usually shows itself in September! Where is my Pumpkin Spice Latte, Cosi? Where is it????? I’ve been a loyal fan (READ: OBSESSED) of your version, and now I have to contemplate getting my Pumpkin Spice fix elsewhere. Tragedy all around.

OK, now that I have that out of my system, onto the review!

I don’t normally eat at Cosi, which is surprising considering last year at this time I was pretty much a regular. Now, I only associate it with special coffee treats (see above) and nothing else. This may also be because I’ve had a couple of terrible meals from there before. However, I decided to give it another try, and aimed to get a delicious sandwich. I already loved the bread, so I knew I could join it with another love—TUNA.

I tried their tuna melt ($7.41 w/tax) and OH I WAS HAPPY! Soooo much melted cheese. Not that much mayonnaise! SOOO filling.

Thank you, Cosi, I have faith in you once more.

NOW JUST LET ME SPEND MY MONEY ON YOUR PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Caribou Coffee, Baltimore

Went there recently for a quick coffee (I feel like this has been a pattern lately! Why am I always so tired???!) and tried Amy's Blend, a medium roast coffee that was very easy to drink, it also cost $2.01 after tax for a 16oz, which made me realize that I wasn't wrong in this post.

Amy's Blend is named after Amy Erickson, a roastmaster from Caribou Coffee who passed away from breast cancer. In October, 10% of the sales of Amy's Blend (tea, coffee, and merchandise) will go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Also, at this particular location, the manager said he would dye his hair pink if they reach a certain amount! How great is that?

Another great promotion is the 1-2-3 Monday Coffee:

$1 for a medium coffee

$2 for a white chocolate cold pressed coffee (yes, please!)

$3 for a medium latte

OH yes, and I must not forget to say that they have introduced many Fall Favorites at their stores!

Treats:

Maple Scones

Reduced Fat Cinnamon Bundt Cake

Pumpkin Bread

Drinks:

Wild Pumpkin Coffee and Cooler: A white chocolate mocha with pumpkin syrup

Wild Caramel Apple Coffee and Cooler: A white chocolate mocha with a sweet and tart caramel apple syrup

p.s. Read an earlier post about Caribou Coffee

Baltimore Beer "Week", Oct 8-18th

(Photo courtesy of www.wendmag.com)

Get ready for Baltimore Beer "Week", which begins on October 8th and lasts through the 18th (Hence the quotes). I emailed Alexander Mitchell, the co-founder of the BBW, for some details. Check out his blog for a TON more information:

The inaugural Baltimore Beer Week will take flight starting on October 8th, 2009 with 10 full days celebrating "All things beer in the Land of Pleasant Living" and will include over 250 separate events with something for everyone who loves beer!

The event will begin with an "Opening Tap" formal cask-tapping ceremony aboard the USS Constellation on October 8th and will conclude on October 18. The week will feature beer dinners at area pubs and restaurants, appearances by noted brewers and brewery representatives, and tasting events at the area's many beer bars, brewpubs, and liquor stores.

Two highlights will be the Brewers Association of Maryland's Oktoberfest on October 10th, when 12 Maryland breweries will pour some 75 or more beers at the Timonium Fairgrounds; and the Society for Preservation of Beers from the Wood's annual Real Ale Festival held at the Pratt Street Ale House on October 17th, where some 36 or more cask-conditioned ales will be tapped. Also scheduled are various beer dinners at many restaurants, pairing food and beers, tappings of special, rare, or exclusive beers at several venues throughout the region, and a public homebrewing demonstration at the Pratt Street Ale House on Oct. 18th. Although the focus is on Baltimore, events have been scheduled as far away as Laurel, Elkton, Ellicott City, Cockeysville, and Columbia.

The official website is www.baltimorebeerweek.com , which includes a complete searchable schedule of official events.

Late updates are being posted at BBW co-founder Alexander Mitchell's beer blog, www.beerinbaltimore.blogspot.com.

Inserts are scheduled for inclusion in the Oct. 7 and 14 issue of the Baltimore City Paper.

Free Sample of Oregon Chai!

Sign up for your free sample of The Original Chai Tea Latte Mix from Oregon Chai - while supplies last, of course. It makes an 8oz serving.

Just an FYI, this is the same brand that Cosi uses to make their Chai Tea Lattes!!!!!

10/6/09 UPDATE: This promotion has ended due to overwhelming response

Gourmet Magazine is Closing!!!

(Credit: The Kitchn)

Word on the street (aka, The Kitchn) is that Gourmet Magazine will stop production after the November issue.

What!?!?!?!

I mean, I shouldn't really be surprised about this, especially because of the way a lot of magazines and newspapers are going, but Gourmet has been around for 68 years! You think that would give it some staying power! Luckily, the online content will still remain!

Do you subscribe to this magazine? Did you love a magazine that shut down recently?

I personally was saddened by the closing of Domino, especially because I was literally about to order a subscription when I heard the news :(

Happy Monday!

Let's start the day with something cute!

How about a cute cake?!?!?!?!?!

(From Sweet Tiers Flickr page, but first seen on Epi Cute!)

p.s. Don't forget about the Mobbies :)

One Lovely Blog Award - Thank You!!!!

My wonderful friend over at Simply Life, awarded me the "One Lovely Blog Award" - how Lovely, indeed! Before I gush with pride about being awarded something for my little Bloggy, let me first say that you should definitely check out Simply Life for her AWESOME recipes. I've saved many of them to make later, including the pesto recipe she recently blogged about :) Thanks again - you are SUPER!

OK, now time to gush - yayayayayayayayayayayaayay! OK, done.

As is Blog Award Tradition, here are the 10 blogs I feel are deserving of this award:

1. Ikea Hacker - SOO many tips for Ikea furniture and accessories.

2. An Indian's Makeup Blog - I LOVE her tips, enthusiasm, and makeup!

3. Epi Cute. The Cute Food Blog - Cuteness + Food = Nakiya's Heaven

4. Every Last Cookie - She is attempting to (and will succeed!) bake and blog about each cookie from Martha Stewart's Cookie Book before she graduates from college. She is also hilarious!

5. Culinary Concoctions by Peabody - Not only are her recipes/pictures delicious, but I look forward to reading her intros every time she blogs. She is insightful, witty and smart.

6. Copy Cat Chic - For someone who is constantly looking for a good deal on furniture or other home products, this is the blog for you!

7. The Look 4 Less - Similar to Copy Cat Chic, but with clothing and accessories instead

8. My Milk Toof - HILARIOUS adventures of two teeth named ickle and Lardee. Need I say more?

9. Smitten Kitchen - Amazing recipes, amazing photography.

10. Elizabeth's Edible Experience - Really yummy recipes

Now, let me easily segue onto ANOTHER award I am hoping for - A MOBBIE! Please vote for me if you haven't! You are able to vote every day until Oct 9th (one more week!!)

Thanks for your support :)

Dottie's Cafe, Baltimore City

Dottie's Cafe is in the Holiday Inn on Lombard Street. I wasn't planning on going there, but I was feeling sleepy and as I was passing by, I saw that it served Baltimore Coffee & Tea coffee (yay!)

I ended up paying $2.50 for a medium coffee. No fancy lattes or syrups or anything, just Baltimore Coffee & Tea's Baltimore Blend.

Am I wrong, or is $2.50 for a medium cup of coffee a bit too much?