Hamilton and Lauraville: Top Local Restaurant News Story of the Decade

The Baltimore Sun's restaurant critic, Elizabeth Large, has named Lauraville/Hamilton one of the top local restaurant news stories of the decade!

Ms. Large writes:

'9) The rise of the Lauraville/Hamilton neighborhood as a place to get very good food. It began with the Chameleon Cafe, which opened in the mid-90s but was something of an anomaly. It wasn't until this decade that we also got Hamilton Tavern, Clementine, Red Canoe, Parkside and Zeke's Coffee.'

The entire article is here.

Congratulations to all resturants that are mentioned in the article and to other eating establishments up and down Harford Road, such as the Lauraville House, Lost in the 50s, Los Amigos, Big Bad Wolf, Chef Mac's, Koco's Pub, Grind-on Cafe.

Chameleon Cafe: New Year's Eve

News from Brenda!

Greetings!

We’re preparing for an exciting week at The Chameleon.

Tuesday & Wednesday night we will be running regular dinner service, featuring our $30 3-course Prix Fixe menu on Tuesday, and 15 wines @ $15/bottle on Wednesday.

On Thursday, we will be serving our fabulous New Year’s Eve menu and will be welcoming in 2010! We still have some openings, especially for our 9pm seating. If you haven’t made plans yet, give us a call- we’d love to have you over!

I hope this December day finds you warm and well!

Best wishes,

Brenda

P.S. We will be closed New Year’s Day, and Saturday, January 2nd

The Chameleon

4341 Harford Rd.

T: 410.254.2376

Hours: Tues-Thurs 5-9 | Fri + Sat 5-10

www.thechameleoncafe.com

New Year’s Eve 2009

3-Course $65 (choice of appetizer, entrée, and dessert trio)

5-Course $80 (choice of appetizer, soup, salad, entrée choice, and dessert trio)

Appetizers

• Oyster Sabayon
• Chesapeake Bay oysters served hot on a bed of watercress, sorrel, and prosciutto with a Sabayon sauce
• Smoked Salmon
• Smoked salmon layered with champagne cream topped with caviar
• Tenderloin
• House smoked filet mignon served rare over celery root remoulade

Soup

• Saffron Mussel Soup
• Mussel velouté flavored with saffron finished with cream

Salad

• Blood Orange Camembert

Blood oranges, arugula, sorrel, hazelnuts and Camembert served with citrus vinaigrette

Entrees

• Quail: Grilled quail with potatoes fondant, morel sauce, brussel sprouts, and red cabbage
• Filet Mignon: Pan seared filet mignon with fois gras, Parmesan crust, Jerusalem artichoke leek gratin
• Grouper: Grouper with Marvesta shrimp and lobster, crab and wild mushroom orzo

Dessert

Trio of

• Hazelnut flourless chocolate roulade
• Dried plum & custard tart
• Ricotta walnut cake

Clementine's New Year's Eve Ring Dang Doodle!

Clementine's New Year's Eve Ring Dang Doodle!

Clementine

410-444-1497

Please call for reservations

Soups:

• Lobster & Corn Bisque 6
• Roasted Beet & Turnip Soup with Grafton Village White Cheddar Croutons & Rosemary Coulis 5

Salads:

• Crab & Avocado with Mache and a Mango Champagne Vinaigrette 10
• Red Rapids Greens, Hearts of Palm, Date, Olive & Manchego Salad w/ Vinaigrette 9
• Vande Rose Sirloin Tartare with Quail Egg, Chives & House Made Hot Sauce 10
• Pan-Seared Dry Pack Scallops and House Cured Pork Loin with Sundried Tomato Cream 12

Entrees:

• Portabello, Asparagus & Sweet Potato Napoleon w/ Vanilla Chevre Cream & Pickled Red Onions 19
• Grilled Green Peppercorn Rubbed Lamb Chops w/ a Grape & Mint Salad, Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes & Sauteed Vegetables 27
• Duck 2 Ways: Seared Duck Breast and a Smoked & Pulled Duck Leg with Sour Cherry Barbejus, Mashed Potatoes & Veggies 27
• Roasted Rockfish w/ Lobster Pate, Red Risotto and a Marjoram Scallion Emulsion 28
• Grilled New York Strip w/ Sauteed Oysters, Duroc Bacon & Leeks finished w/ Bourbon Cream, Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes & Sauteed Veggies 29

Paige is whipping some special desserts, too!

We thought about doing 2 seatings but we figured, 'Why not let people come when they want to?' I think after the holidays, we all feel a little over scheduled!

This will be ala carte and we'll be seating from 6 pm until 10 pm. Please make reservations so we know to expect you and, if you make it to the magic hour, we'll all do a Champagne toast (on Clementine's) after the countdown. We may even get Winston out of the kitchen for it!

Cristin & Winston

Clementine

Harford Road welcomes The National Aquarium

The Hamilton Gallery, 2927 Hamilton Avenue, hosts local artists' work inspired by The National Aquarium exhibit, Jellies Invasion: Oceans Out of Balance on Friday, January 8, 2010 from 6-9 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided by the local restaurants and pubs of Hamilton & Lauraville on Harford Road in northeast Baltimore City. Read more about the event and the exhibition on the Aquarium's blog.

Nancy Hotchkiss, Sr. Director of Visitor Experience & Education and Suzanne Rothrock, Director of Strategic Marketing, will be present to share information about the Jellies Invasion.

Members of the Hamilton Art Gallery will exhibit artwork in the gallery as well as in local restaurants and storefronts. The artwork will be on display throughout the month of January.

This event is sponsored by Hamilton-Lauraville Main Street, Inc.

Studio C Jewelry & Gifts in Lauraville (21214): A lovely place for unique and beautiful gifts

News from Constance:

Last Minute Christmas Gifts

We have great Christmas Gift Ideas from one of a kind jewelry, to clutches, totes, scarves, and more!

Special hours before Christmas to make last minute shopping easy.
Tuesday 10-5
Wednesday 10-5
Thursday, Christmas Eve 10-3
--
Constance Scott
Studio C Jewelry & Gifts
above The Red Canoe
4337 Harford Road
Baltimore, MD 21214
443.226.5871

Taco Tuesday and Holiday Hours Clementine (21214)

photo by picture perfect

News from Clementine....

Outside it may be frightful...

But inside we have a 'South of the Border' sort of vibe. Taco Tuesday is here.... get your taco platters, margarita, sangria & beer specials & pasteles tres leches! We have no palm trees or gently lapping waves but the food is definitely remeniscent of balmier climes.

The menu is on the bottom of the dinner menu on our website. Seriously, aren't you tired of the food court? And smoothies just don't cut it this close the Christmas!

www.bmoreclementine.com

Also, a reminder that Clementine will be closed Christmas Eve & Christmas but will be open for regular hours on the Saturday after. With seasonal drafts, delicious food and a warm atmosphere, it could be just the thing to soothe you after the holiday stress!

Cristin & Winston

Clementine

Snowy scenes on Harford Road

A cheerful snow family enjoys the winter wonderland

The 4300 block of Harford Road in Lauraville - warm & inviting in all weather.

A wintry view of the Estabrook & Company, Certified Public Accountant at 4904 Harford Road.
A dashboard view of Hamilton-Lauraville's record December snowfall

Build you own Wooden-Toy at Beth's DIY (Lauraville 21214)

Hi Everyone - Come on by any time between 10 AM and 5PM and build a wood toy. This is the last Saturday this year that the workshop will be open for toy making. For $10 come into the workshop and make a wood toy. I have plans, scraps of wood, and wood wheels. If you would like, you can bring in your own plans or ideas and lets see what we can create, but I have plenty of plans to choose from. The kids are welcome to come with you although they won't be able to use the power tools (except the scroll saw) they can at least see how things are done.

I also have beautiful fully functional bird house for sale at the shop. They are now marked down to $30. They are made from reclaimed wood and hand painted by a couple of local artists. There are also two kid size stools still left in stock.

So come on by, I will be here.

Peace to All - Beth

Beth Dellow

Beth's DIY WORKSHOP ***NEW NUMBER**** 443-708-0786

www.bethsdiyworkshop.com

www.youtube.com/bethsdiyworkshop

Beth's Home Repairs, etc...

410-370-0564

Christmas items 50% off at the Heart of Hamilton (21214)

Holiday news from Linda, owner of Heart of Hamilton

Three Wise Women would have…

Asked directions,

Arrived on time,

Helped deliver the baby,

Cleaned the stable,

Made a casserole,

Brought practical gifts and

There would be

Peace on Earth.

50% Off

All Christmas items

Starting 12/18

Merry Christmas from Linda

Heart f Hamilton

5523 Harford Road

443-627-8769

Holiday Shopping News from the Red Canoe Bookstore Cafe (Lauraville 21214)

Holiday News from Nicole at the Red Canoe

Hi Everyone!

Sale—yes SALE! Beginning on Friday, December 18, we will be offering a discount on all our books and toys. Wooden toys, games and puzzles, beautiful picture books, sing-along books, Christmas story books, and all the rest. Enjoy twenty percent off everything from Friday, December 18, all through the weekend. So come on in and have a cup of excellent Zeke’s Coffee, grab lunch or a snack, and shop!

And it is COLD!—so remember that you can get your hot, fresh coffee and breakfast to go here at Red Canoe. Every cup of coffee sold helps keep the bookstore going. And every cup of coffee you buy at Red Canoe is about as fresh as you can find anywhere—we order it, the guys at Zeke’s roast it, we grind it and brew it and serve it. Hot and fresh. Fuel up with a cup every morning and pick up a muffin or an egg sandwich to go.

So stop in soon and let us caffeinate and feed you, browse books for your soul, and share the holiday spirit!

Nicole and Peter

Red Canoe

4337 Harford Road

Baltimore MD 21214

410-444-4440

www.redcanoe.bz

Will's Hair Shop Celebrates Christmas (Hamilton 21214)

Wills' Hair Shop

5121 Harford Road

410-426-0142

Join Will's Hair Shop for a Christmas party on Saturday, December 19 from 12-4pm.

Gift certificates for your Special Someone or just a friend!

A great gift for the holidays is a Massage!

May all your stress just melt away

For a happy & healthy holiday!

Gift certificates for cuts & other services are also available.

Happy Holidays from Will's Hair Shop!

Jellies Invasion comes to Harford Road

More Pics from 2009 Holidays on Harford in Hamilton and Lauraville

Holidays on Harford in Hamilton and Lauraville began on Friday December 4th with a Happy Hour & Tree Lighting at the Chameleon Cafe.

Carolers from Hamilton Presbyterian Church perform at First Friday at the Hamilton Gallery.

Carolers from Soft Touch Photography, 5123 Harford Road (Cindy Fields & friends) and Will's Hairstyling Shop 5121 Harford Road performed outside the Gallery and up and down Harford Road.

On Saturday September 5th, Santa's arrival to Hamilton was not missed by some children eagerly waiting for him, even in the snow!

Santa (a..k.a Baltimore City Councileman Bob Curran) visited many local businesses, such as the Hamilton Vacuum, 5421 Harford Road, where he was greeted by some little friends.

Santa visited Upscale Hair & Nails, bustling with customers at 5515 Harford Road.

Santa poses with Linda Secor of The Heart of Hamilton gift shop, 5523 Harford Road.

Santa chats with Joi Scott of New Faces Unisex, 5514 Harford Road to learn about the Food Drive and Toy Drive donations that will end on December 18th.

Santa greeted many people on the street and handed candy canes to the children.

Santa stopped to check out Lost in the 50s Diner, 5512 Harford Road.

Santa' s sleigh for the day was a sidecar, owned by Bill O'Connor, and was parked at Clementine, 5402 Harford Road while Santa made his rounds in Hamilton.

Santa took a snowy journey to Harford Gardens Care & Rehab Center, 4700 Harford Road. Along with the cheerful voices of The Red Canoe Singers, Santa brought good cheer to many center residents.

Next, Santa was off to The Red Canoe, 4337 Harford Road where happy children eagerly awaited a visit.

Santa read letters, shared candy canes, and gathered his letters.

Taking pictures with Santa at the Parkside, 4709 Harford Road.

Thank you to Bill O'Connor for his motorcycle services, Cindy & Kelly Fields from Soft Touch Photography, and a special thank you to City Councilman Robert Curran (Santa #1) and Dan Fields (Santa #2 at the Parkside.) And thank you to all the business owners who graciously hosted Santa's visits on Saturday! Despite the challenging weather, a good time was had by all who ventured out!

Regina Lansinger, Director

Hamilton Lauraville Main Street

5500 Harford Road - Suite 201

Baltimore, MD 21214

410.319.7150

410.319.7151 (fax)

www.hamiltonlauravillemainstreet.org

Ring in 2010 at the Chameleon (Lauraville)

Menu message from Brenda:

Greetings!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Suddenly we find ourselves thrown towards the holidays at top speed. Hanukah’s already next week, and Christmas is following on its heels, and before you know it, we’ll be welcoming the New Year!

We’re planning a delicious feast to bring in 2010 featuring such delicacies as smoked salmon with champagne cream and caviar, filet mignon with fois gras, flourless chocolate hazelnut roulade.

Our holiday hours are as follows:

We will be closing Christmas Eve-Boxing Day (12/24-12/26), and New Year’s Day + the following Saturday (1/1-1/2).

I hope you can join the festivities- dining with friends on fabulous food and quaffing fine wine-I can’t think of a better way of sending off 2009!

All the best,

Brenda

P.S. Chameleon gift cards make excellent presents for any of your foodie & “hard-to-shop-for” friends!

The Chameleon

4341 Harford Rd

T: 410.254.2376

Hours: Tues-Thurs 5-9 | Fri + Sat 5-10

www.thechameleoncafe.com

2009 New Year's Eve at the Parkside (Lauraville)

News from the Parkside:

Hi all! We just wanted to let folks know that we'll be offering up
some Karaoke Goodness this New Years Eve!

We'll be opening up at 7pm offering a full buffet of FRIED CHICKEN, SMOKED PULLED PORK, FRESH ROLLED SUSHI, ROAST TURKEY, MAC & CHEESE, plus lots more! There will be plenty of vegetarian items too. Buffet will shut down at 1am and who knows how long Karaoke will go. There will be a free champagne toast at midnight. So, bypass the cooking,
cleaning and expense and join us at The Parkside for food, fun and friends. A guaranteed good time for all!

Happy Holidays,

Colleen and Chris

The Parkside

4709 Harford Rd

410-444-6004

Toy Drive at New Faces on Harford Road

New Faces Unisex salon & barber shop, located at 5514 Harford Road, is a Toy Drive & Food Drive destination for the holidays. Business owner, Joi Scott, is collecting donations to help make the holidays a little more cheerful. The drive ends on December 18. Look for the donation boxes in Joi's shop window.

Clemetine in Chesapeake Home Magazine

Winston Blick, chef and owner of Clementine (5402 Harford) was written about in Chesapeake Home magazine in an article written about comfort food. The article's author, Dennis Hockman, writes:

....Winston Blick, chef and owner of Clementine in Baltimore, points out that restaurants have access to the time, techniques, equipment, and ingredients people at home do not. “At Clementine, we aren’t doing anything fancy, we are doing it well, and with consistency. We make food like mom and grandmom made, but use fresh, organic, all-natural ingredients—a style of cooking that skips back maybe three generations to when people had to use fresh and local because that was the only option.” For Blick, ingredients and emotion are at the core of comfort food, and he draws a comparison to music. “It’s all derivative,” he says. “When I think back to my childhood and remember all the music that was being played, I didn’t really like it then, but today almost everything I listen to is either similar to, or has its foundations there.” That’s what comfort food is. Something you might’ve regarded with indifference as a kid, but today, brings back fond emotions or memories, perhaps of a better, simpler time; a dish that takes the best of the past and blends in new and unique influences of today—sustenance not just for the body but also the spirit.

the entire article is posted here

Clementine

5402 Harford Road

410-444-1497

Karaoke at the Lauraville House

The Lauraville House continues to offer Karaoke every Friday evening from 9 p.m. -1:30 a.m.

Enjoy the fun with Amy's Karaoke at the...

Lauraville House

4528 Harford Road

410-444-6664.

Open letter to Santa from the Red Canoe.

Dear Santa,

I am so glad you will be visiting Red Canoe this Saturday at 2pm. All the children and their parents are excited about eating cookies, drinking warm cider, and singing songs with you. We will gather in front of Red Canoe to wait for your arrival--and each and every one of us will have a letter (that we wrote at home) to give you to post to the North Pole.

So thanks again Santa for coming all the way over to Lauraville--you are just the best!

Love,

Nicole

Red Canoe

4337 Harford Ra

Good news about Hamilton Federal Bank

The Corridor Inc. wrote an interesting piece about Hamilton Federal Bank, that has its main branch on Harford Road in Hamilton.

Go here to read the article.

Porterfield's 'Hamilton' one of the decade's best...

...according to Richard Brody, of the New Yorker.

Read about it here

http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=19374

Holidays on Harford 2009

December 4-5

&

December 12-13

Friday, December 4 – First Friday!

• 5 – 7 pm Holiday Happy Hour at the Chameleon Café (4341 Harford Road) and Holiday Tree Lighting outside with a sing-along by several local talents.

• 6 – 9 pm Hamilton Gallery (2927 Hamilton Avenue) featuring work by local artists.

• 7 pm EggNOGLI at the HAC, (5440 Harford Road, 2nd floor) – enter next to the Hamilton Gallery.

• The Heart of Hamilton (5523 Harford Road) has 20% Holiday Shopping Discount

• Look for specials in restaurants, pubs & retail shops, and strolling holiday carolers.

Saturday, December 5 – Holidays on Harford!

• 12 noon Santa arrives in a motorcycle side car, strolls on Main Street in Hamilton making his way to The Heart of Hamilton (5523 Harford Road) to pick up letters written to him and take advantage of the 20% shopping discount.

• 1:30 pm Santa then works his way to Lauraville and stops to visit residents at the Harford Gardens Care & Rehab Center at 4700 Harford Road

• 2 pm Join Santa at the Red Canoe Bookstore Café (4337 Harford Road) for some hot spiced cider, discount coupon and to collect more letters for Santa. While you’re there pick up your discount holiday shopping coupon for Studio C Jewelry, on the 2nd Floor of the Red Canoe.

• 2:30 pm Santa will end his day at The Parkside Fine Food & Spirits (4709 Harford Road) for Holiday Photos with Santa. Photos by Soft Touch Photography by Cynthia for a nominal fee.

• 7 pm Top off your off your day with the Donovan Fund classic Christmas musical Meet Me in St. Louis showing at the Little Theater in Lauraville (4321 Harford Road, 2nd floor). All seats must be reserved due to limited seating. Call Chris Muldowney to reserve at 410-366-1980 x271. After the film a discussion is facilitated by Film Professor and Filmmaker, Chris Reed. For information on Donovan Fund and Film series www.fcsmd.org/events/donovan.htm

• Saturday, December 12 & Sunday, December 13–

Milk & Cookies with Santa!

10:30 – 2 pm Santa visits the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Performing Arts (5543 Harford Road) Santa visits with the children, reads a story, crafts, sits with his guests for milk & cookies. Enjoy a special holiday dance performance by students at MCPA. Three seatings available - reservations recommended – call 443-438-4525

www.BmoreMainStreet.com or www.hamiltonlauravillemainstreet.org

Hamilton-Lauraville Main Street – building a stronger community, one business at a time.

Hamilton-Lauraville Main Street

Eat, Drink & be Main Street!

check our website for full details:

www.BmoreMainStreet.com