Cafe Hon

Denise Whiting, who sells real estate and does some catering on the side, has opened a small restaurant in Hampden that probably wouldn't be getting so much publicity if it weren't for its wonderful name. Cafe Hon has its virtues, but there are plenty of other places that offer good hamburgers and cheap prices.I'll say this: Cafe Hon is, well, cuter than most sandwich places. It has cute little tables with bachelor buttons in little vases. It has a vintage Fire King stove and cute little prints on the walls and pretty floral tablecloths.

Denise Whiting has not only built her life around the fabled Balmer Hon, opening Cafe Hon and founding the city's annual Honfest — she's helped to make the three-letter term of endearment a household word around town. Now she owns it. Whiting has officially trademarked the word "Hon. " Over the years, she has trademarked almost every play on the word she could think of. Like the words " Cafe Hon " and "Honfest" and "Hon Bar" and "Hontown," the name of her newest Hampden shop.

A statewide civil rights group has filed lawsuits against two Baltimore restaurants accusing them of failing to accommodate people with disabilities as required by federal law.More than 40 people -- many of them in wheelchairs or on crutches -- gathered Wednesday in Fells Point to close a five-week statewide campaign by ACCESS Maryland to bring attention to the failure of businesses to provide access to the disabled.As part of the campaign, the nonprofit agency has filed 14 federal lawsuits against hotels, clothing stores, banks, and the restaurants.

It isn't easy to create a "hon." The face, with the glittery, heavy eye shadow, has its challenges, say the third-graders in Ms. Roman's art class. But even with glue, the hair -- arranged high into Bawlmer's classic beehive style -- is even harder, the students say. "It's hard to make it look real," says Silvia Caceres, who notes that while she's technically 8 years old, she will turn 9 on Friday. This is not too young to make an artistic debut. She and 26 other third-graders at Baltimore Highlands Elementary School in southwest Baltimore County have earned the honor of displaying their portraits tonight at the shrine to Baltimore's stereotypical hausfrau, Cafe Hon, on West 36th Street in Hampden.

The idea — the very idea! — that one woman could legally own a word so deeply entrenched in Baltimore's lexicon, a term that seems to touch on the city's very blue-collar, audacious essence, did not sit well with many Baltimoreans. On Sunday, capping a week of outrage about Cafe Hon owner Denise Whiting's trademarking the word "Hon," about 50 people gathered in Hampden to protest. The demonstration was organized through social media, particularly a Facebook page called "Boycott Cafe Hon . " It was one of several sites that sprang up last week after Baltimoreans found out that Whiting had established legal rights to the word "Hon.

The real problem with Cafe Hon specifically and Hampden in general ("Beleaguered café owner drops her 'Hon' trademark," Nov. 8) is that the folks there have turned a quirky, eclectic neighborhood into a tourist trap. It should be avoided at all costs. C.D. Wilmer, Baltimore

Just read the article by Steve Kilar about Baltimore's local currency, the BNote ("Baltimore's local currency, the BNote, is 2 years old," May 7). This is such a great idea. I'm headed out to find some BNotes, have dinner at Cafe Hon and then head up to Liam Flynn's Ale House for a couple of Bohs. Jack Arnold, Middle River Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

It's been seven months since Cafe Hon owner Denise Whiting publicly dropped her controversial trademark of the word "hon. " Chef Gordon Ramsay and the rest of the "Kitchen Nightmares" crew were even in town last week for a follow-up to the original Cafe Hon "Kitchen Nightmares" episode. So, with Honfest set for this weekend, is Hampden and the rest of hon-loving Baltimore ready to put the hon-troversy to rest? Whiting thinks so. "We have heard from an overwhelming number of our neighbors since the 'Kitchen Nightmares' experience ... generally, most everyone who objected to the initial trade-marking have embraced our efforts to put the issue behind us," Whiting said in an e-mail.

Cafe Hon's new digs look something like a nice old-fashioned Hampden eatery -- but all bright and shiny, the way '90s versions of '50s diners are.You'll be eating off a table that will remind you of your mom's kitchen table. The china is mismatched. But everything is freshly painted (off white, with the exposed pipes painted silver). There's a handsome bar. And you'll love those chandeliers made from coffee cups. The new Cafe Hon, which moved from a smaller spot across the street, is still homey; but now it's chic as well, hon.Owner Denise Whiting didn't change the menu when she moved.

Baltimore's 18th annual Dining Out For Life is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 22. Restaurants particpating in Dining Out for Life will donate 20-50% of their Sept. 22 take to Moveable Feast, an agency that provides meals to Marylanders living with HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, blood cancer and other life-threatening conditions. Brewer's Art, Clementine, Gertrude's, Woodberry, The Dizz, Iggie's , b bistro, Alonso's, Blue Agave, Cafe Hon, City Cafe, Jack's Bistro, Marie Louise, Minato, Sotto Sopra and Yellow Dog Tavern are among the paricipants.