Brian Lawrence

Weekly outings

2010-03-17T14:39:30+00:00

March 10-12
On Wed. night, I joined six other media peeps for a great dinner tonight at Milan. A most-excellent roast chicken and nicely made Manhattan. Thursday, I stopped by the new Patrick Sutton Home store in Harbor East for a reception for artist Leslie Shellow, and enjoyed talking with Lisa Lewins, Robin Chesley and Lisa Schatz, before decamping across the street to the Oceannaire for some, wait for it… Manhattans. And on Friday, went to another reception for textile designer John Robshaw at Stiles Colwill‘s Halcyon House in Greenspring Valley. I got to catch up with Amy Newhall, Alex Baer, Steve Ziger, Jamie Snead and Mona Hajj before heading back out into the rain to catch most of the Maryland Terps game on TV at Tark‘s, where I also ran into Jack Gilden and David Schuler.

Expressions 2010

2010-03-11T21:40:25+00:00

Mon., March 8
I’m a longtime supporter of the Baltimore School for the Arts, and every year at this time their Expressions show is something we look forward to. The evening started with a cocktail reception at 6:30, followed by the show at 8:00. Lots of familiar faces here (and most are here every year as well, to support this great local cause): Patrick Sutton, Tracy Kwiatkowski, William Whitehurst, Hope Schab, Amy Elias, Sam & Carter Polikoff, Larry & Leslie Polikoff, Jon Kaplan, Joel Pearson, Bruce Bodie, Carole & Bean Sibel, Edie & Stan Brown. Everyone had a great time milling around looking at student artwork until the rooms were packed to capacity, then it was time to file into our tables in the theatre and watch the spectacular show unfold. These are some VERY talented kids!

Cosmic Cocktail Party

2010-03-05T20:28:32+00:00

Thurs., March 4
I joined the revelers this evening at City Paper‘s annual Cosmic Cocktail bash, held at AVAM. There was a line out the door to get into this event, always a popular one. I was greeted by CP publisher Don Farley and his lovely wife Maggie upon entering. My pal Jen Marsh, CP’s advertising director came over immediately and introduced me to staffer Donald Ely, who’s produced some cool illustrations for Style in the past year. I caught up with Sun restaurant reviewer Richard Gorelick to get the skinny on what’s going on there now that veteran critic Elizabeth Large has retired. Of all the restaurants that were represented at the party, I can easily say the tastiest thing I had all night was the thin-crust pizza from Bagby Pizza Co. in Harbor East. I had to return for seconds on that one. The mini burgers from Kooper’s Chow Hound were a close second. My friend Lars Rusins of Baltimore Foodies had a table there, manned by Foodies Neil & Deni Tabor. Ran into lots of other friends and acquaintances in the course of the evening: John Marsh & Michelle Geczy, photographer John Davis, Dru Bynum & Jamie Campbell, J.M. Giordano, Everyman Theatre’s David Alima, Bruce Alderman, and lots more. When the party was winding down, a few of us trekked up a few blocks to The Idle Hour for late-night cocktails and mingling.

Tequila Dinner

2010-02-26T16:23:15+00:00

Thurs., Feb. 25
Lars Rusins, honcho of Baltimore Foodies, was kind enough to invite me to a Tequila Dinner at the new Miguel’s in Silo Point this evening. A group of 26 assembled for the four-course extravaganza of a meal prepared by Miguel’s (and Rub) owner Michael Marx. We enjoyed a pre-dinner cocktail of Palomas (the Paloma is the most popular tequila drink in Mexico- a highball made of tequila, grapefruit soda and lime juice) then proceeded through courses of scallops in a salsa verde, duck breast on dressed greens, thin rounds of pork tenderloin in a rich molé sauce, and chocolate empanadas with mango sorbet, all excellent. To accompany each course, Tom Brinkley of Casa Noble introduced a different blend of the high-end tequila. After dinner, Tom and I headed over to The Reserve, where a live concert by Jason & Tony was going on. The bar was pretty packed, and I met up with Faith Deutschle of Downtown Partnership and her sister Hope. Also taking in the show where Jorby Clark, who’s getting ready to soon open nearby Blue Grass and Joe Woolman.

Chocolate Affair 2010

2010-02-12T15:31:10+00:00

Thurs., Feb. 4
It’s that time of year again, the annual Chocolate Affair at M&T Bank Stadium to benefit Healthcare for the Homeless. This was my fourth year serving as a judge, and it still never gets any easier choosing winners from amongst so many great food entries. The crowds turned out in force; I was talking to one of the original organizers, Pam Malester, who told me that attendance this year was at an all-time high of roughly 1,500 people! I dutifully made my way around the booths and tables, sampling my way through some 50+ concoctions. Too many memorable ones to list here, but I should point out that my pal Jerry Edwards of Chef’s Expressions took home two prizes: best booth display (designed by Stephanie Bradshaw) and best veteran participant (Jerry’s been a part of this event since its inception 19 years ago— bravo, Jerry!

Black & White Party

2010-02-04T20:15:30+00:00

Sat., Jan. 30
The snowy evening didn’t keep the crowds from turning up at the Pratt Contemporaries Black & White Party, held in the main hall of the Enoch Pratt Central Library downtown. The event was a sell-out, and the Black & White theme was borrowed from Truman Capote’s infamous B&W Ball held at The Plaza Hotel back in the late ‘60s. Accordingly, all guests arrived clad in combinations of black and white, and everyone looked quite smashing. Revelers included Jamie & Meg Kelley, Urbanite publisher Tracy Ward Durkin, photographer Joe Giordano and Michael Cook. Guests enjoyed an open bar and cocktail fare from Chef’s Expressions. The dance floor heated up as the night went on, with no one minding the slushy streets outside.

Milan Opening

2010-01-29T19:40:00+00:00

Wed., Jan. 27
This evening is the media preview cocktail reception for the new Little Italy restaurant/lounge Milan. I arrive on the early side and immediately see fellow media peeps Dara Bunjon, Randi Rom, Diane Macklin, Anne Boone Simanski, Eddie Applefeld and Reagan Warfield, who’ve claimed a nice corner niche near a glowing firepit in the lounge area. Some of us wander around through the large property that’s undergone an extensive renovation (it used to be Luigi Petti). There’s a large dining room upstairs, along with some private rooms, and a sizeable indoor/outdoor terrace lounge off the first level. It’s all tricked out in shades of white, South Beach cool. I meet general manager Peter Mooradian, who gives me some background on the project. There’s a large invitation-only crowd here tonight, and I encounter Da Mimmo’s Mary Anne Cricchio, Jess Blumberg from Baltimore magazine, Marc Kantrowitz, Christian Johannsson and Marty & Sharon Bass. A few of us take up residence out on the (heated) terrace in a comfy lounge area and sip some sparkling wine. I catch up with Faith Deutschle and Jason Albert while taking it all in, and pause to hear more about the project from Amy Elias and Amy Burke, both of Profiles. After that, it’s a quick stop at Pazo to say hello to some friends, then headed home for the evening.

Hotel Brexton & Roy’s

2010-01-26T18:27:59+00:00

Wed., Jan. 20
Two planned stops tonight, the opening party for the restored Hotel Brexton on upper Park Avenue and a birthday celebration for Diane Macklin at Roy’s. My stop at the Brexton turns out to be quite brief, as it is mobbed with people, most of whom I don’t recognize. I managed to sqeeze down the narrow hallway to a steep spiral staircase and alight on the fourth floor. The renovation of this historically significant structure looks lovely, but it was hard to really see much with so many people clogging every square inch, clamoring for the free glasses of wine and cubes of cheese. I left after 10 minutes.
Headed over to Harbor East, where I nipped in to the bar at The Oceannaire for a Manhattan to warm up, and owner/manager Nate Beechler came over to chat and show me the menu for the upcoming Restaurant Week (we’ll be there on Thurs. for dinner). Next to me at the bar were Sally Rich from B-mag and Teddy Bauer, owner of the Oregon Grille, so we had a nice chat while I waited for the birthday party to begin. Then, pals Celeste Corsaro and Scooter Holt posted, so we walked across the plaza to Roy’s. In a large private room in the rear, the party was in full swing with a live Polynesian band performing, complete with authentic hula dancers. Caught up with lots of media pals at the bash: Sloane Brown, Ron Matz, Reagan Warfield, Edie Brown, among others. Roy’s version of a pineapple vodka martini was tasty, and many were ordered. As that bash wound down, it was on to the new Rowhouse Grille in Federal Hill, then over to Ropewalk Tavern to end the evening when they kicked us out at 2:05.

Contemporary Winter Party

2010-01-20T20:30:38+00:00

Sat., Jan. 16
The Contemporary Museum held its Winter Party this year as a progressive party, with the initial cocktail hour held in its Center Street galleries, then moving to the top floor of the Peabody Court Hotel around the corner for dinner and dancing. In the galleries, I looked at the site-specific installations created for the “Participation Nation” exhibit, while chatting with committee members Tracy Kwiatkowski and Marcy Sagel, as well as gallery owner Jordon Faye Block and Sun columnist Sloane Brown. Later, I joined the crowd as we moved to the rooftop ballrooms of the Peabody, where I chatted with MAP director Cathy Byrd and architect Peter Fillat. But all eyes were on the Ravens/Colts play-off game, which was being televised in a viewing lounge adjacent to the ballroom. That’s where most of the crowd ended up. But by halftime, it wasn’t looking good, and by the fourth quarter, I left to head home to take solace in some nouveau beaujolais.

Gin Mill

2010-01-11T16:00:52+00:00

Thurs., Jan. 7
Tonight I joined some fellow media foodies for dinner at the Gin Mill in Canton. I remember the Gin Mill of old— when both upstairs and downstairs bars would be packed shoulder-to-shoulder on weekends with beer-quaffing revelers. The scene here now is way more sedate (it’s been completely redesigned), with dim, romantic lighting, quiet niches (try to snag a spot in the back room next to the roaring fireplace) and a decidedly more grown-up vibe. The bar prides itself on its list of handmade classic cocktails— a Sidecar or Harvey Wallbanger anyone? The friendly bartender mixed me an excellent Manhattan, since I always go the bourbon route on cold nights like this. After we made our way to our table, our waiter informed us that is was Comfort Food Night (as it is every Thursday) and that in addition to the regular menu, they were offering Chicken Pot Pie, Meatloaf (made with sausage and bacon) and an open-face Hot Roast Beef Sandwich— I had to opt for the pot pie ($10) and it was fantastic. I then ordered a Sazerac from the bar. The bartender wasn’t initially familiar with this rye-based vintage cocktail popular in New Orleans, but he did a little Internet research and returned to the table with a perfectly-mixed specimen. Even though my tablemates all initially declined dessert, I ordered a banana bread pudding for sharing. Needless to say, it disappeared quickly.