Red Canoe - coffee and books in Lauraville

I've been reading a ton about restaurants popping up in the Hamilton/Lauraville neighborhoods, but I had no idea where they were. So this morning, after referencing the September issue of Baltimore magazine, I jotted down directions to Clementine, and we hit the road seeking breakfast.

Long story short, I got distracted from my end goal when I saw Chameleon Cafe (another new restaurant I've heard tons about), so I parked and got out, only to find that they're closed on Sundays. Whoops. Fortunately, a bookstore and coffee shop called Red Canoe was next door and looked inviting.

Great find! The interior is super cozy, just like you'd imagine a bookstore and cafe to be. We decided to stay once we saw they had 1) breakfast burritos and 2) outdoor seating on a back deck. We pretty much had the back yard to ourselves, and we were happy to enjoy our accidental find. I would highly recommend the breakfast burrito with basil pesto. It gave a new flavor to a regular menu item.

I never did find Clementine, or Hamilton Tavern for that matter. But Red Canoe is worth a try. As we ordered, I could hear kids upstairs rehearsing music, and later a little ballerina came in for classes. Someone's making good use of all the floors of this rowhome.

Frederick Wine Trail. Or part of it.

Ok, so it's been a while since I posted. Guilty as charged! Joe was in Australia for a good week, and to be honest, my nights were pretty predictable. Then I spent a few days in Virginia Beach doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING with my family, which was bliss.

Joe and I had our first full day together in two weeks on Saturday. We had picked up some pamphlets on local wineries at Great Grapes in July, so I suggested we follow the Frederick Wine Trail. Frederick County has done a great job of trying to market their wineries, and we fell for it hook, line and sinker. Any semi-knowledgeable wine drinker will tell you that Maryland wines leave MUCH to be desired, but we are always on the hunt for nice scenery, so we hit the road.

First stop, Elk Run Vineyard in Mt. Airy. Tastings were $4 for 5 wines, so we indulged. Our favorite was the 2006 Liberty Tavern Reserve Chardonnay. Very warm and buttery, aged in oak barrels. We learned that the Elk Run Pinot Noir is produced from the only Pinot Noir grapes that are actually grown in Maryland! Pinot Noir is a very delicate grape to grow and is usually best suited to the Pacific northwest. It was a good wine, but not great. 

Joe grabbed a glass of the champagne, I took the Chardonnay, and we went outside to sit on a picnic table overlooking 10 acres of vines. The grapes were still swelling on the vines, which we'd somehow never seen anywhere else. Gorgeous variations of green, blue, and purple grapes just fattening up for a September harvest. The backdrop was the Elk Run homestead, built in 1756. I talked to the teenage boy living there now and asked if it was haunted. He told me stories about how a man died dozens of years ago in his parents' room and they sometimes hear the floorboards creaking at night when everyone's in bed! Another night, his brother, who sleeps next to the 2nd floor porch, woke up to see a man standing on the porch outside his window! Ah! I love it!

But moving on. We knew we wanted to sit outside at our next vineyard, so we drove about 15 miles to Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard in Dickerson, outside of Bethesda and Rockville. The tasting room is attached to a beautifully restored red barn, and the fermentation tanks are completely visible inside a modern glass building with floor to ceiling windows. We did a tasting here as well, and then I got sangria and a fruit and cheese plate for us to share on the brick terrace. 

We recently talked to Sugarloaf staff at Great Grapes, and they'd mentioned their plans to open this outdoor terrace for tastings and entertainment. It was great! They had about 15 wrought iron tables with umbrellas set up for you to enjoy their wine and listen to live music. People brought their dogs (including an ENORMOUS Great Dane and a Weimaraner), and we listed to an acoustic set with a guitar and upright bass. Had ourselves a little sing-along.

It was the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Until Joe, bless his heart, started falling asleep in his chair. Wine tasting when you're post-call maybe isn't the best idea :) He was exhausted.

So back to Baltimore we went and finished off the day with live blues at Bertha's in Fell's Point.

Cross one off

So I'm a little out of order with my posts, but I thought this was worth mentioning. We went to Lemongrass Tuesday night. It's been on our "need to go" list for a while.

Lemongrass, the Thai fusion restaurant that originated in Annapolis and is now open in downtown Baltimore, has an amazing outdoor dining area. Tsunami and Lemongrass share the outdoor dining space, which is in between the two restaurants and not visible from the road.

The outdoor area is about the size of a rowhouse, and I could honestly live there full-time (given perfect weather year round and no rain, of course). The exposed brick walls have been painted a tan color, and about 10 old wooden beams are the only things separating you from the sky. A simple, sleek bar divides the terrace in the middle, and soft lighting makes for an intimate setting. Super chic.

Since we have a tendency to go out on odd nights of the week, such as this Tuesday evening, there weren't too many people hanging out. However our waiter, who we'll just call "Awesome" for privacy sake, was FULL of stories. Joe and I are suckers for burgeoning artists, and this struggling poet was hungry for an audience. And I learned way more than I was comfortable knowing about certain businesses. Let's just say Tony Soprano had nothing on our waiter.

Had an appetizer tray of chicken satay, spring rolls, crispy wontons and fried calamari with a glass of Arrogant Frog Chardonnay. We'd intended to stay only for a drink and appetizer, but surprise, surprise, we ordered dinner. (Give us a good outdoor table, and we'll camp out all night!). The Pad Thai Tofu was a delicious vegetarian option.

We'll be back for outdoor cocktails in the next two weeks, I bet.

Koffee Therapy - we all need it

Coolest new coffee discovery - Koffee Therapy.

Since Sundays are my coffee-and-a-newspaper mornings, I've been salivating over this super hip coffee shop in Mt. Vernon, silently willing them to offer Sunday hours. And imagine my glee as I was stalking the store yesterday and found it to be open! They now have summer Sunday hours, opening at 11:00am.

Parked myself at the front outdoor table with a croissant and coffee, and when the sun chased me indoors, I curled up on the black vinyl couch for 2 more hours of reading. The atmosphere is SoHo chic and retains all the original charms of this historic rowhome, like wide plank hardwood floors, giant windows, a fireplace and elaborate tin ceilings.

So check it out, especially on Sundays so they'll keep hours for me! Great venue for local artists or exhibits. Wireless internet. And major plus - an entire back terrace for outdoor, private seating! Jackpot!