Restaurant News: 98 Cannon Riverfront Grille Favors a Chesapeake Bay Flavor

Coconut butter swordfish with sweet potato puree and mango chutney (Photo courtesy of Raw & Refined)

If you happen to be poking around the Eastern Shore this summer, why not check out 98 Cannon Riverfront Grille in historic and picturesque Chestertown?

Executive chef ChristopherGolder, formerly of The Boathouse Canton, recently took the helm of the kitchenof the newly renovated restaurant located at thetown’s marina. Formerly the Fish Whistle and before that the Old Wharf Inn, 98Cannon presents elevated, casual cuisinewith a focus on Chesapeake Bay seafood and farm-to-table fare.

The restaurant also offers kayak and paddleboard rentals, live music and cool events.

Meanwhile, in Pikesville, there’s already a lot of buzz about Yesh Hummus & Grill, a kosher Israeli restaurant under the supervision of the Star-K certification organization. Yesh recently opened at 607 B Reisterstown Road in Pikesville, the former location of House of Spice, next to Domino’s Pizza. Menu options include such Mediterreanean dishes as schwarma, falafel, and hummus and pita.

The Jerusalem-born owner of Yesh is MenasheShabtai, former co-owner of the now-defunct Café 921 in Pikesville. Forinformation about Yesh, call 410-484-9374.

Raw & Refined lobster
Wood Fired Lobster with honey butter and roasted corn, zucchini and blistered tomato (Photo courtesy of Raw & Refined)

Raw & Refined, a bright, airy restaurant, has opened on the waterfront in Canton. The menu offers a fresh take on coastal cuisine, reimagined street food from around the world and an ambitious bar program.

Just steps from the Canton marina, the Raw & Refined property features a waterfront patio and nautical-themed deck bar.

Tiny Brick Oven, a new pizza shop, opened at 1036 Light St. in the heart of Federal Hill. The “fast-casual” spot specializes in artisan, personal-size pizzas prepared in a portable brick oven that takes only two minutes to cook.

Kinda cool, right? The menu includes custom pizzas (including vegan options) and gelato.

Twisted Teahouse, a traditional tea room, has opened in Hampden on The Avenue. Serving scratch scones, doughnuts and muffins and tea in china cups, check out their “High Tea,” which is served every day from 2 to 4 p.m.

Barking Up the Right Tree

Attention, puppy parents! “Thirsty Dog Thursdays” will take place every – yes, you guessed it! — Thursday through Sept. 5 on the patio at Birroteca, at 1520 Clipper Road in Hampden. Take your “pawsome” pups for complimentary doggie ice cream!

Another puptasticevent, “Dog Days of Summer,” is on Aug. 4 from noon to 5 p.m. Enjoy doggiepools, a photo booth, live music, cornhole, giant beer pong and localrestaurant and brewery pop-ups.

And Birroteca will present a Nickel Taphouse pop-up on Sunday nights featuring the now-defunct Mount Washington restaurant’s most popular menu items, including duck wings, the nickel burger, baked oysters and —  wait for it — Key lime pie.

DiningAl Fresco!

Warmerweather in Charm City means it’s time for dining al fresco (Italian for, in the cool).

Hereare a few hotspots that recently opened or reopened for the season around town:

Phillips Crab Deck has opened for the season in downtown Baltimore. Perched by the harbor on an overwater dock, the Phillips Crab Deck offers a menu of Eastern Shore faves, including steamed crabs straight from its steaming station.

From the folks at Avenue Kitchen & Bar, the outdoor bar called Garden Party is open for business over at The Rotunda. Serving crab cakes, crushes, and frosé (frozen rosé), this open-air restaurant also has a great green space next to it for the kids (big and little) to enjoy.

Quality Snowballs, a shipping container-turned-snowball stand, opened at 1014 W. 36th St. on The Avenue. Look for a huge assortment of new, fun flavors (Banana-Oreo, Dirt Cup), as well as the B-more classic, egg custard with marshmallow.

Cunningham’s in Towson has a beautiful patio with comfy seating and tasty food, including brick oven pizza, crab cakes (‘tis the season), rockfish and tenderloin — and they make a really good burger.

Coming Soon!

Pan-seared sesame salmon
Pan-seared sesame salmon (Photo courtesy of Clean Cuisine Inc.)

Jerry Schlichting, owner of Clean Cuisine Inc. and former longtime general manager of the now-defunct Gourmet Again, will open a retail location specializing in clean healthy meals. It will cater to specific dietary needs, as well as full-service catering, at the Crondall Corner Shopping Center in Owings Mills in mid-September.

The fourth annual Trifecta Food Truck & Music Festival returns with extended hours on July 27 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds from noon to 11 p.m. Check out local artisans, live music and more than 40 of your favorite food trucks, including: Gypsy Queen, Jimmy’s on the Go, Kooper’s Chowhound, Greek on the Street, Iced Gems Baking and The Smoking Swine,. (trifectafestival.com)

The Bowie-based Rock & Toss Crab House will open a 3,060-square-foot seafood restaurant in Foundry Row in Owings Mills this summer.

RandiRom is president of RJ Rom & Associates. She is a freelance columnistand writer who represents some of the region’s top restaurants and food-relatedevents. Contact her at randirom@comcast.net.

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