Woodberry Kitchen, Bar Side

I've raved about Woodberry Kitchen on Grubarazzi before. With its eclectic eco-urban charm and great locavore food, it's one of the best restaurants in Baltimore. But I always make reservations weeks in advance to ensure a seat at an okay table with an above average view. That is, until I grabbed a seat at the bar on a whim with friends early one Saturday evening.

Call it luck. Call it perfect timing. We found three empty seats in a totally packed restaurant with a perfect view of the lively kitchen. WK is an entirely different experience sitting bar side, with handsome bartenders dressed up as hip urban farmers slinging perfectly measured and chilled cocktails in front of your eyes. It was magical watching them create one $12 cocktail after another with precision, grace, and the occasional taste test to ensure accuracy.

We went for one cocktail but stayed for three while we nibbled on One Straw Farm popcorn, deviled eggs,fancy roasted sprouts on toast, and gorgeous roasted beet flatbread. After we finally peeled ourselves away from our perfect little spot, we made our way to the fire pit outside. It was a beautiful but chilly night. The savvy waiter in charge of the hangers-on outside gave us a blanket to share, and coaxed us in to one more hot toddy by the fire. This was not hard to do since we weren't quite ready to say goodbye. Sure, we spent a small fortune for a few hours of luxurious imbibing, but Woodberry Kitchen is often worth its weight in gold.

Deviled Eggs, Sprout Bruschetta, Gov't Mule, and Roasted Beet Flatbread at WK

Grilled Asparagus Salad with Fried Quail Eggs

The Baltimore Farmer’s Market was beaming with pride as the stalls opened for the season on Sunday morning, and it has good reason to be prideful. It was recently voted #1 Farmer’s Market in the nation by Country Living. Since it was 7:00 am after a long night out I was appropriately armed with coffee, sun glasses, and hippy-ass reusable tote bags. Asparagus has been in the forefront of my thoughts since eating a memorably crisp asparagus salad at Woodberry Kitchen . When I saw a pile of garden-fresh spears I couldn’t resist getting a few bundles for the week as well as my fair share of blue kale, foraged mushrooms, spinach, organic quail eggs, ramps, and a multitude of other goodies. It is going to be a wonderfully food-filled week. Grilled Asparagus Salad with Fried Quail Eggs utilizes many of the seasonal ingredients I scored at the market. It’s only lightly seasoned to give the ingredients the stage. Fresh tarragon is laced throughout and the yolk from the gent...

A Recipe to Fall For

Some recipes evoke an absolute carnal lust in me that transcends reasoning. My mouth waters frenziedly, my eyes get big, and my smile widens with the anticipation of the feast. These lust inducing meals usually involve bacon, cheese and pasta covered in luscious red sauce. I am fairly certain my lineage does not contain a trace of Italian, but my favorite foods are profoundly Italian-American like these Meatballs in Bacon Sauce by Chef Beau MacMillan. This is not my recipe; however, I felt it deserved a special place on my blog after I dotingly made it for extended family on a recent ski trip to Whistler, Canada. The smell of the sauce simmering for hours, the gentle roasting of the simple meatballs and the absolute joy on the faces of everyone who ate it reminds me what Valentine’s Day is all about: love and family. If you make this for someone special tonight they will fall in love with you on the spot. That is a fact. Happy Valentine’s Day! Sp...

Mango Kale Smoothie with Coconut and Mint

Let’s talk about America’s love affair with smoothies. I can’t decide if we have convinced ourselves that drinking a milk shake instead of a meal is A-OK or if smoothies really are a wonder food. Once I finally gave in to the health benefits of protein powder I became fascinated with blending my breakfast. I am certainly not the first person to make a green smoothie, but I do think I have created the perfect blend of vegetables and fruit for a vitamin rich, delicious, and portable meal. Protein powder is a very personal thing. For instance, I cannot eat whey so I went on a quest to find vegan protein with very little sugar. I found perfection from a company called Arbonne who makes a delicious vegan based protein powder in chocolate and vanilla. Heed my advice; don’t start drinking this smoothie if you are not equipped for addiction. This is not low calorie or low fat, but it is packed with vitamins, healthy fats, protein and antioxidants to keep you moving throughout...

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