TenTen's Derby Hat Cocktail

I attended a very fun networking event before Christmas at the new TenTen on Bagby Row in Harbor East. Recognizing the bartender from Ixia, B&O Brasserie and Chazz I knew I could trust him to make me something wild and wonderful. He suggested the Derby Hat.

Derby Hat, Bourbon, Sweet Vermouth, Buckwheat Honey, Grapefruit and a little entertainment on the side. I've always wanted to try this lighting-of-the-orange-peel trick. He's releasing the essence oil out of the skin of the orange and lighting it on fire. It smelled like Christmas.

The drink was delicious. Not too sweet with a tangy tartness from the grapefruit juice mellowed by the bourbon. The bar is lit from below and cast a beautiful glow on my new friends and conversation.

I ordered the duck fat fries for a nosh that came with a chive creme fraiche and truffle aioli. Need I say more? They were decadent.

It was wonderful visiting with a friend that I met four year ago in the bathroom at Ixia on Valentine's Day at this happy hour. Yes, I'm one of those people who meets people in bathrooms, stays in touch via Facebook and will attend events if invited. I am TOTALLY becoming my mother. Lisa (@lisaatVerb), it was so wonderful seeing you after all these years of Tweets back and forth! Thanks again for the invite.

I met another friend from Twitter in real life @hollisthomases who ordered the scallops and beet salad. Looked delicious! E. and I tried to go there after seeing a movie this weekend and it was PACKED. I suggest making reservations or going after the big 8pm crunch on a weekend. The space is small and charming with casual four tops in the bar with high bar stools and regular booth seating in the main dining room. The space has a nice rustic feel with exposed rafters. I look forward to visiting again soon for dinner.

Best of Luck

While strolling in Harbor East I happened upon this bright and cheerful candy shop called Best of Luck the week of Halloween.

The colors are so cheerful. I'm dying for that yellow and white rug!

The shop has many different candy and chocolate options as well as retro candy that line the walls. Wax lips are one of my most favorite party favor for a photo booth area!

I had never seen Halloween Peeps before.

The vignette's were darling and suggested creative tablescapes with candy.

Lucky Thompson is the owner and I simply adore her name! She told me that her older brother named her and it stuck. The candy is sold by the pound and also in large buckets above the check out desk.

She has a friend that bakes all the packaged cookies and spiced pretzels. 

Wouldn't this be a delightful location for a party? Kids would go crazy. I think bachlorette's would swoon with a little champagne and pop rock combination!

Lucky has an assortment of bags that are themed with the season. You can call her and she can arrange the bags for your corporate group or kids party. I ran into her gifts at an art opening recently! I knew immediately they were made with luck.

I'm not a big candy person but have so many food memories as a child. I remember eating my first Whatchamacallit with my cousin Chris at the lake in Georgia. There was as rite of passage as a teenager when we were allowed to go to the gas station (via boat or car) without our parents and pick out any candy bar in the store.

Wishing you the best of luck and all the success in your darling location Lucky! It was wonderful meeting you.

Chazz: A Bronx Original

After a very long Labor Day weekend with work obligations and friends in town, Monday night meant our first date night in a while. E. and I went to the new restaurant Chazz: A Bronx Original in Harbor East. Enrico was manning the brick oven. He was the maitre d' at Big Grano in Hampden. We were lucky enough to go to Chazz for their soft opening and saw Enrico behind the counter and asked, "What is Gino going to do without you?" Turns out he worked for the Vitale's at Aldo's prior to going to Grano and is now back with them at Chazz. Eric assumed that Chazz would be there on opening night and I completely doubted it. But he was there on opening night and has been there five out of the seven times I've been to the restaurant. This was the only night I didn't see Sergio or Alesandro Vitale because it was Sergio's birthday and he took the night off. Happy Birthday Sergio! You work your tail off and deserved the break with your family.

Enrico is Mr. Personality. If this pizza station was in the back of the house he would have never accepted the position.

The oven area is wonderful and you get a front row seat to all of the action.

Chazz is named after the actor Chazz Palminteri and the restaurant was conceptualized a few years ago while he was in town doing the one man show, A Bronx Tale, at the Hippodrome here in Baltimore. He asked someone where to go for good Italian food and Aldo's was suggested. He went back ten nights in a row and sparked up a friendship with the Vitale family. A few years later Chazz was born. 

The Bronx Tale is a gripping coming of age movie and was Bobby De Niro's first film as a director. Turns out he and Chazz are besties and we hear he is coming to Baltimore soon to check out his friend's restaurant and promote a new movie.

 

The bar has a great, energetic vibe. They make a delicious dirty martini. Not too salty and extra cold with ice shards. E. spoke with the manager Pete about beers for what seemed like twenty minutes. E. loves a good beer and they have a system to keep the beer really cold on tap.

I'm getting rusty taking "blog" food photos. We were starving and dove into the beet and fried goat cheese salad before I could take a pretty shot. This is still detox worthy less the sugared pecans. I'm still on my health kick and realize that I'm allergic to sugar and flour and get a stuffy nose when I eat them.

The fried calamari was dredged with flour, but the stuffy nose was worth it! This calamari is hands down the best I've ever had in my life. The Carlyle Grill in Shirlington held the title for me until recently. It's so crispy and the calmari is uber fresh. The Remoulade and marinara sauces are perfection.

Throwing my detox out the window, we devoured the Broccoli Rabe and Sausage pizza with a bechamel sauce. To die for delicious. They have really perfected the dough recipe and crustiness of the crust since the first night opening. They also offer gluten free pizza, which tastes a little like a cracker made with rice flour. 

The crust is crunchy but soft and chewy (good chewy) in the middle.

Enrico invited me to the oven area for a closer look. 

It takes 90 seconds to make a pizza in this brick oven. It gets to 600 degrees on the cooking side and can be upwards of 2000 degrees where the fire is stoked.

My Charlie was hard at work and didn't miss me during my adventures in the kitchen.

The pepperoni pizza is one of my favorites.

My video barely does the oven justice.

I love visiting the back of the house.

The head chef was shy, and Enrico practically put him in a headlock to get his photo taken. Love seeing happy chefs.

The signature dessert at Chazz is their Nutella pizza. If you have never had Nutella, run don't walk, to your nearest specialty grocery store. It is a Hazelnut butter-chocolate sauce. The Nutella ads on TV just kill me, suggesting this is a great way to get protein for breakfast. Uh huh, and it will rot your teeth out it is so sweet! However, for a night of breaking detox buck up and order it.

They even have samples sometimes on the pizza bar, give me strength.

The specialty pizza of evening was the Farmers pizza with eggs on the top. This is the before shot...

...and after with the eggs cooked medium. I love the breakfast pizza at Woodberry Kitchen so I'm sure this is delicious.

There is also a charcuterie station at the restaurant. I love nothing more than cured meat but the star of this platter is their pickled vegetables. They are seriously so delicious and as my nutritionist says, are good for your gut. Each area of the restaurant allows you to experience something a bit different. As you enter the restaurant it feels as if you are at the Bronx subway station in New York.

It was an honor getting to meet Mr. Palminteri in person last week. I love how dedicated he is to this restaurant concept and how much he loves Baltimore. They have hopes to open more in Las Vegas and Atlantic City in the future. I'm glad we can claim the original. Well done fellas, and best wishes for your continued success.

Charleston

I was fortunate enough to attend a luncheon at Baltimore's beloved Charleston last weekend.

E. brought me here for my very first birthday in Baltimore in February 2008. We had a five course meal with wine pairing during truffle week. Strangely enough I don't remember the specifics of the meal, but I remember the atmosphere and impeccable service. Owners, Tony Foreman sent us champagne and Chef Cindy Wolf came and spoke to us for a generous ten minutes. I was blown away by the interior design of Patrick Sutton. Frankly, I couldn't believe such an elegant restaurant existed in Baltimore. I was so naive back then, having only been here for two months. Much did I learn about the culinary prowess of Baltimore that evening and the following months. This town has amazing restaurants. Many are owned by Tony Foreman and Cindy Wolf, or the Wolf Foreman group. I think they should have combined the names and called their company Wolfman. :)

The light during the day was brilliant and the rooms were stunning.

The blue sky reflected off of every object.

The restaurant is tucked away on a corner in the tony Harbor East neighborhood. It is across the street from another Foreman Wolf property, Cinghiale, and has a lovely view of the Inner Harbor. They are no longer opened for lunch but will open for private events.

Guests are allowed to come and view the open kitchen which is run as tight as a ship.

I covet these copper pots.

I look forward to going back with Eric and having a martini at the bar.

The dining room is magnificent. I love the simple gold and red edged china.

This is a restaurant that reminds me of our honeymoon at the Grand Hotel. You get dressed to have dinner here. You wear a cocktail dress and your diamonds. Go here for a romantic evening and just enjoy as the meticulous staff caterers to your every need. If you have a question about wine, the sommelier can nearly tell you the row from which the grapes were plucked. Tony Foreman and Robert M Parker Jr. are besties so the wine list is to die for fabulous at Charleston, Pazo, Petite Louis and Cinghaile.

The meal was light and perfect for lunch.

The bread is baked daily. We were offered corn bread, raisin fennel or a French roll.

The artichoke soup would have made David Tanis cry it was so good.

I opted for the lobster Cobb salad that was served with a quenelle of saffron mayonnaise.

Chef Wolf came and spoke to our group about the vision of the restaurant and the Foreman Wolf owned restaurants and wine shops.

I had to take a photo of the flourless chocolate cake with pistachio ice cream. Isn't it beautiful?

My fruit plate was delicious.

Back in December while shopping for last minute prizes I stumbled upon the famous restaurant interior designer Patrick Sutton's new shop Home. The floors are polished cement and the space has a great unfinished quality to it with exposed lighting fixtures and high ceilings.

There are original works on paper and anything your design hungry self would desire.

He even has a nice selection of glassware and stationery.

I am in the business of place cards and nearly picked up this box of one hundred cards, but alas they didn't take my corporate Amex. 

I'm a huge geek for Molton Brown and spotted their signature bottles on the shelves. I made sure we had Molton Brown in the powder rooms at our wedding reception site. Simply love them.

There are also lovely soaps for sale.

It's a gorgeous shop and a nice addition to Harbor East.

If you haven't been to Baltimore lately you should come and see the treasures that await you in Harbor East. I truly believe we have some of the finest restaurants in the world. Little did I know in 2008. Thank you Chef Wolf for such a gorgeous meal.