On the local restaurant scene, this was a year of big openings and small trends, chefs from the past making a new splash, and for me personally, a new appreciation of readers' passion for eating out -- brought about by the launch of my restaurant blog, Dining@Large, last April.
In spite of the generally gloomy economic picture, a surprising number of new restaurants opened their doors in 2007, from Aloha Tokyo in Locust Point to Zella's Pizzeria in West Baltimore.
The two that got the most press offer intriguing examples of important restaurant trends locally and nationally. Each is the personal vision of an experienced restaurateur, and their places could not be more different. (I'm not discounting the roles their wives and the other partners play in the two projects, but the contrast in the two men's styles is illuminating.)
Cinghiale in Harbor East is Tony Foreman's mostly successful attempt to re-create an authentic, traditional Italian enoteca and osteria. The more faithful it is to his original concept, the more Cinghiale looks to the best of the past.
Woodberry Kitchen near Hampden is Spike Gjerde's quirky farm-to-table "green" restaurant. The space and the eco-concept could not be any more future-oriented.
In fact, locally sourced dishes, organic ingredients and seasonal menus -- all part of this farm-to-table and green movement -- are surely the Restaurant Trend of the Year. We started hearing about it when Dogwood Restaurant opened in Hampden early in the year, along with Restaurant Local in Easton. But many Baltimore chefs have been stressing local, organic ingredients even when they aren't the raison d'etre of their establishments.
Others are doing what Foreman has done. Pazza Luna in Locust Point, which opened early in the year, moved away from the American Italian of its popular predecessor and re-created the cuisine of a trattoria, serving what owner Riccardo Bosio calls "hearty peasant Italian food."
Even national chains are going for authenticity. Fogo de Chao Steak House in the Inner Harbor, probably the third biggest opening of the year, promised to bring Baltimoreans the "centuries-old culinary tradition of churrasco." At P.F. Chang's nearby, the menu features the cuisine of a specific region in China every few months.
