From the way eating places are opening up along Harford Road in the Hamilton/Lauraville neighborhoods, you would think every chef in the region had moved to the area and decided to open a restaurant or tavern there. This section of Harford has become a restaurant row to rival any in Baltimore, with Clementine (new this spring), Chameleon Cafe, Big Bad Wolf's House of Barbeque, the Alabama BBQ Company, Koco's Pub and Zeke's Coffee being among the best at what they do in the city.
"It's a convergence of several things," says Lorrie Schoettler, executive director of the Neighborhoods of Lauraville. "It's a very stable, middle-class neighborhood with families. There's a great demand for food and eco-friendly places."
She points to the fact that the business owners know each other, have brought others in and help each other out. Many of them have moved into the area in the last few years and like the fact that they can walk to work.
"We all got tired of driving down to Canton," says Tom Creegan, who owns the building where the Hamilton Tavern recently opened at 5517 Harford Road.
"It's comfort bar food, but everything is fresh," is how Creegan describes the new tavern. "You come in with a $20 bill, get fed, have a drink, leave a tip and leave happy."
There are no entrees offered yet - just appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers and a blue-plate special. But the produce used - corn, tomatoes, peaches - is from a local farmer's stand.
After major renovations, Hamilton Tavern still has its own rustic charm. The pressed-tin ceiling has been kept, along with a 1950s glass-front stainless-steel cooler. Creegan says he took up seven layers of linoleum and tile to get to the hardwood floors.
"It's streamlined right now."
While Hamilton Tavern has gotten the most press because Creegan is also a part owner of the popular Mount Vernon restaurant Brewer's Art, Lauraville House at 4528 Harford Road also opened recently. This bar with a dining room has a Peruvian owner, Luis Cabrera, so you'll find both American bar food and South American specialties on the menu.
And wait. There's more. Any day now, Grind-On Cafe at Harford Road and Grindon Avenue should get its final permits and will be selling sandwiches, ice cream and coffee - all with a local focus. This fall, Parkside Fine Food & Spirits should open where the Cameo was at 4709 Harford Road. (It's named after the Parkside movie theater that was in the building at one time.). It sounds like the most ambitious project yet: a restaurant, bar, bakery, delicatessen and gourmet-to-go designed to lure in folks from all over the city.
