Dining out: Baltimore’s makeover
Baltimore’s restaurants have bounced back with a “renewed sense of purpose, optimism, and more spirit and spunk than ever,” said Jane Marion in Baltimore magazine. After two years of pandemic flux, the scene abounds in new or revamped spaces where we can “eat something wonderful and leave feeling fortified, fueled, and connected.” Magdalena The “swanky” restaurant at Mount Vernon’s Ivy Hotel has been transformed from a stuffy fine-dining showcase to a “still upscale but far more approachable” home for globally inspired takes on “Maryland classics” by its first Black executive chef, Scott Bacon. Don’t miss his tagliatelle with braised duck ragù, which pairs house-made noodles with duck that’s cured overnight, braised, and fortified with garlic confit. 205 E. Biddle St., (410) 514-0303 Liora Matthew Kenney has a hit with this Inner Harbor spot, the first high-end vegan restaurant in the city. Chef Natalie Carter takes a Southern-inspired approach to dishes like smoked maitake mushrooms with cheesy grits, “full of funk and flavor.” Nutritional yeast and blended cashews in her mac and cheese “impart umami and mimic the consistency of cheddar.” 414 Light St., (443) 449-7184
Thacher & Rye Local treasure Bryan Voltaggio has turned the Frederick location that once housed his molecular gastronomy palace Volt into an exciting casual concept that draws from his own farm’s bounty and the Chesapeake watershed. Everything from duck rillettes with buttermilk biscuits to shrimp and grits is “divine and prettily plated,” but the lasagna, featuring 11 “tissue-thin” layers of noodles with pepperoni Bolognese and ricotta fondue, is something special. 228 N. Market St., (240) 332-3186