The Grill Art Cafe has sprung up in the Hampden space that was vacated by the 22-year-old Chinese Pinebrook Restaurant when its owners, Lucy and Bill Chang, retired.
Cafe owners Milton Lentz and Rick Roberts revamped the space to give it a hip, comfy feel -- with chartreuse, gold and exposed-brick walls, a checkerboard floor and tables made of custom glass and industrial steel.
Exhibits of work by local artists will rotate every six weeks or so. Food-wise, yeah, there is an emphasis on grilled foods. Hence, the name.
"Grill Art -- the art of the grill, and the art on the walls," explains Lentz.
He says they're going for lighter, innovative fare. You'll find lots of entree salads and sandwiches, such as grilled slices of rare tenderloin with wasabi mayonnaise on a simple salad with herb dressing ($8.95), Thai grilled shrimp salad ($10.95), a grilled tuna sandwich with avocado ($8.95) and a spiced-up grilled cheese sandwich with sharp cheddar, red onions and cilantro on cheddar jalapeno bread ($5.95).
There are three additional entrees -- tortellini stew ($5.95, $8.95 with salmon), eggplant flan ($6.95) and a "totally inauthentic enchilada" containing grilled chicken ($6.95).
Open in the past for lunch and breakfast (yes, there is a small breakfast menu), the restaurant also has been offering dinner since Labor Day.
There is "tea-smoked duck, which we smoke ourselves," Lentz says, and "shish kebabs and grilled things, not big steaks, that's not our thing. We let Cafe Hon and places like that, that do it well, offer comfort foods."
Grill Art is awaiting liquor-license approval; in the meantime, it's BYOB.
Grill Art Cafe is at 1011 W. 36th St. Its expanded hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Sweet Retreat
For those who would rather go straight for dessert, head over to North Charles and 33rd streets, and the new Sweet Retreat. Tucked inside the Blackstone Apartment building -- right across from the Johns Hopkins Homewood campus -- you're bound to find something to satisfy your sweet tooth. There's gelato ($1.90-$3.57), made on the premises from imported Italian ingredients and fresh milk and fruit. Or you can go for a variety of baked goods. Slices of fancy cakes and tarts or comfort desserts such as lemon bars, blondies and cookies ($1.99-$3.99). There are also breakfast pastries and bagels ($.60-$5.25), as well as a few lunch savories like quiche and croissant sandwiches ($2.25-$3.99) and loaves of bread from the Bonaparte and Uptown bakeries ($.99-$4.99). Full-size cakes and dessert or breakfast platters can also be ordered at least a day in advance.
Restaurant consultant Linda Pompa -- who helped set up the business -- says there's not much seating available. But, any day now, she says, the owners -- who also have Niwana, the Korean/sushi restaurant in the same building -- hope to open seating space across a hall. When that happens, the lunch menu may expand a bit, too.
Sweet Retreat (410-235-3311) is at 3215 N. Charles St. Hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
