Happy summer, Baltimore foodies. As the temperature heats up, so too does the area’s dining news. I’ve rounded up the latest in this week’s Bits & Bites.
On Thursday, the winners were revealed for The Baltimore Sun’s Best: Readers’ Choice 2025 poll. Naturally, I had to try some of the front-running spots in the Best Food & Drink category — from Ethiopian platters to Baltimore’s classic frozen delight: the snowball.
Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant in Mid-Town Beledere won in the Ethiopian restaurant category. I opted for the Dukem combo #3, which contains the kitfo — a velvety raw beef tartare zhuzhed up with cardamom and other warming spices. They’ll cook it for you if you want, but you’ll miss out on the raw beef’s mildly sweet flavor and delicate texture, both of which are harmonious complements to the slightly sour and bouncy injera flatbread (which also doubles as your eating utensil).
Next, I headed to Taco Love Grill in Federal Hill, which took home first place in both the Latin and taco restaurant categories. You can’t go wrong with the restaurant’s well-seasoned al pastor taco, which balances caramelized morsels of spicy pork with warm and juicy bursts of fresh pineapple.
For an elegant intermission (and certainly not because I was already getting full on this packed tour), my next stop was tea house category winner Emma’s Tea Spot, which, with a Hamilton Hills dining room full of three-tiered tea and pastry stands, gilded cups and plenty of frills, looks like it comes right from a children’s storybook. Sipping its cinnamon-plum tea only reinforced that feeling of nostalgia — and made me very prematurely yearn for the fall season.
Next came Towson’s Spice and Dice Thai Kitchen, which won in the Thai restaurant category. I opted for lighter fare that (fortunately or unfortunately) proved to be just as filling: the larb gai, a minced-chicken salad packing plenty of vinegary, Thai chile heat, as well as a coconut-and-galangal-based tom kha soup, which was more refreshing and less creamy than other versions I’ve had across the country. Spongey pieces of fried tofu soaked up the comforting broth with ease.
The tamarind duck at Spice and Dice in Towson.
Finally, I rounded off the day in Brewers Hill with (Don’t laugh at my inexperience!) my first snowball at Icy Delights, which won for the category. I went for one of my timeless frozen treat flavor combinations: coconut ice topped with caramel drizzle, though I did also sneak a bite of that bright-orange egg custard flavor topped with marshmallow sauce. On a 90-degree day, these ultra-sweet concoctions were the perfect remedy.
If you want to see the journey for yourself, check out our video on Instagram. Here’s what else I’ve discovered lately.
Thai restaurant opens in Quarry Lake
Chat Thai is officially open for business in The Shops at Quarry Lake. Owner Punnathorn Chaiphongrattana said that the restaurant’s successful soft and grand opening events make her optimistic for its reception by the Quarry Lake dining body.
“People here are very nice,” she said. “I think they are very excited, and they’ve been waiting for us to open.”
One learning curve, said Chaiphongrattana? Turning down the heat.
“Some of our food is kind of spicy, and some of our customers cannot eat spice,” she said. “Mostly, we make the food fresh, so we can just adjust the taste to how they like it.”
From the first week of business at 2592 Quarry Lake Drive, Chaiphongrattana reported an unsurprising most-ordered dish: pad Thai. She encourages diners to look out for rotating and improved menu items in the coming months.
“We will adjust the food, adjust the menu and improve the food for our customers so that everyone can eat,” she said.
Food anniversaries
In an industry where longevity seems to be getting rarer by the year, three institutions in the Baltimore area have celebrated milestone anniversaries in recent months with fanfare: Miss Shirley’s Cafe, Petit Louis Bistro and the Bel Air Farmers’ Market.
Miss Shirley’s — winner of The Baltimore Sun’s Best breakfast/brunch and gluten-free restaurant categories — celebrated its 20th birthday in May. To commemorate the occasion, employees received custom cookies from Owings Mills baker Steller Cookies, and guests participated in charity-centric giveaways, according to Facebook posts.
Pancakes with a berry topping are a choice for breakfast at Miss Shirley’s.
Later this month, Petit Louis will celebrate a landmark birthday. Helmed by longtime Baltimore restaurateur Tony Foreman, previously of the Foreman Wolf restaurant group with his former business partner Cindy Wolf, Petit Louis will celebrate 25 years of operation on Sunday.
When Foreman first opened the bistro, he had initial trepidations about curating an authentic French menu and ambiance — after all, he said, when he first put French words on the menu, “people were terrified of it.” Now, however, Foreman doesn’t shy away from his Francophilia, from his daily greeting of “bonjour” to waitstaff to the French-language menu, from poitrine du poulet (chicken breast) to the ever-favorite mousse au chocolat.
To celebrate the big birthday, Petit Louis will hold a “Joyeux Anniversaire” celebration Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the restaurant’s 4800 Roland Ave. location. Tickets are $65 and are available on Toast.
Profiteroles au caramel are served with salted caramel ice cream, warm chocolate sauce and caramelized nuts at Petit Louis Bistro in Roland Park.
Finally, the Bel Air Farmers’ Market turned 50 years old on Saturday.
“What does it mean to be 50 years?” mused Jennifer Sekowski, board chair of the market. “It’s just shows the enduring value of community-supported agriculture. Agriculture supports healthy choices available to the community and the whole agricultural ecosystem locally.”
Every Saturday, the market buzzes with Harford County shoppers and over 60 vendors, slinging specialties like local beer and coffee brews, fresh produce and jarred goods.
“The farmers market customers are appreciate food, and they understand the importance of buying local food,” said Betsy Depman, owner of the vendor Coffee Coffee. “I think that the people that go to the market know what they want.”
This week’s food news
In case you missed it, here’s a bite-sized roundup of recent food happenings in the Baltimore area.
Covering the James Beard Foundation Awards weekend was eventful, to say the least. It was my first time attending, and I was immediately gobsmacked by the sheer amount of free-flowing food and drink available. The after party was stacked with samples from restaurants and chefs across the country. I covered both the Restaurant & Chef Awards and the Media Awards. (Spoiler: Maryland saw winners in both.)
Also in recent weeks, we reported on a handful of restaurant openings, resurrections and new developments, including brunch chain Eggspectation in the Baltimore Peninsula and fast-casual Indian fusion concept Tikka Shack in Owings Mills. As if this news isn’t tantalizing enough, My Mamas Vegan chef Debonette Wyatt has also taken over restaurant Swadi, which specializes in American, Italian, Indian and Nepalese cuisines. Wyatt will also be operating weekly pop-ups at her new digs, as well as showcasing new vegan dishes with South Asian influences.
Have a news tip? Contact Jane Godiner at jgodiner@baltsun.com or on Instagram as @JaneCraves.
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