Hot Plate: OyFest 11, Scittino’s expanding, The Duchess has an opening date, and more
Nov 01, 2024
From collaboration dinners to news about long-awaited openings, this week is a juicy one in the Baltimore restaurant world. Here’s a look at what’s happening:Openings & announcementsBeloved Italian market Scittino’s is expanding. The Catonsville shop has plans in the works to open a new shop/restaurant on Falls Rd. in Baltimore County, hopefully in about a month. Tickets are now on sale for the grand opening of The Duchess, the new Foreman Wolf restaurant taking over the old Café Hon space in Hampden. The restaurant’s grand opening nights are Dec. 4 and 5.Marta turns twoFriday, Nov. 1 is Marta’s second anniversary – congrats to the team! The Butcher’s Hill restaurant will celebrate with special food and drinks. Pasta dealsIn addition to its recent menu changes, Cosima has now added a half-priced pasta night on Tuesdays. They have deals several other days of the week, too, including half-priced wine on Wednesdays, $10 pizza on Thursdays and a $45 prix fixe menu on Sundays. Love, Pomelo also has a new pasta deal in the works. Every Wednesday, the restaurant offers a $20 pasta menu all day. Día de Muertos celebrationsWith Halloween behind us, Day of the Dead has arrived – and several local restaurants are marking the occasion, which is meant to honor loved ones who are gone, with celebrations.Maximón will honor the holiday on Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2 with traditional dishes, tequila and face paint. On Saturday, Clavel and Alma Cocina Latina are partnering to create a multi-course dinner, served at Alma. The ticketed meal, which has two seatings, will feature thoughtful food from chefs Hector Romero and Carlos Raba, plus cocktail and spirit-free pairings.La Calle’s event will take place on Sunday. The restaurant will host a special dinner (two seatings) featuring a tasting menu designed for the occasion.Chili for a causeOn Saturday, Baltimore Station’s 10th annual Stars, Stripes and Chow Chili Cookoff will take over Oriole Park at Campden Yards. The event, which raises money to support homeless veterans, features chili entries from home chefs, along with live music, kids’ activities, raffles, a silent auction, and more food and drinks. OyFestAlso on Saturday, the 11th annual OyFest will pop up at Union Collective. The party, which is hosted by Union Craft Brewing, The Local Oyster, and True Chesapeake, is a fun way to support Oyster Recovery Partnership, while enjoying oysters from multiple local oyster farms, including True Chesapeake Oyster Co., Annapolis Oyster Co., Fallen Pine Oyster Co., Johnson Bay Oyster Co. and South Bay Shellfish Co.The event features and oyster eating contest, live music, tons of oysters, shrimp, crab and more. Trivia at HEXBaltimore artist and swimmer Katie Pumphrey will pop up at HEX Superette on Sunday afternoon for a special trivia event. During the game, HEX will offer a menu of drinks, bites, sandwiches and more. Cookhouse x Bunny’sOn Sunday evening, the crew from Cookhouse will take over the bar at Bunny’s Buckets & Bubbles, showing off their cocktail menu in a new neighborhood. Santorini tasting at The Black OliveOn Wednesday, The Black Olive will host a tasting event exploring the wines of Santorini – their history, characteristics and flavors – along with an overall look at the food and wine culture of ancient Greece. Happy 12 to PeabodyPeabody Brewing celebrates 12 years in business starting Friday, Nov. 8. On Friday and Saturday, the brewery is throwing a weekend-long party, complete with 12 different beers (including some old favorites that will make a triumphant return), live music and food collabs with local favorites like blacksauce kitchen, Fuzzies and Ekiben. Thinking about ThanksgivingNow that Halloween is behind us, it’s safe to turn our attention to the next holiday on the docket: Thanksgiving. A couple local restaurants have already started accepting orders for Thanksgiving takeaway options.Though The Corner Pantry is currently under renovation, they are accepting orders for Thanksgiving – and are always a good bet for everything from turkeys (raw or cooked) to pies. Heritage Smokehouse is also taking Thanksgiving orders for its tasty sides, desserts, sausages and smoked turkeys and hams. Planning for the futureMark your calendars for:Nov. 16: Chili Cookoff at Waverly Brewing Nov. 16: 18th Annual Oysterfest at Ryleigh’s Nov. 23: 10th Anniversary at Azumi