Christmas Dinner

Dec. 25 is still a quiet dining day. Eichenkranz (611 Fagley St., 410-563-7577) will be open again on Christmas Day, from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. The German restaurant in Brewers Hill serves what may be the currently longest-running Christmas dinner in the Baltimore area. Regi's in Federal Hill is serving a Christmas Day brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sotto Sopra is open on Christmas Day from noon to 10 p.m. Wit & Wisdom is serving a $105 fixed-price, three-course menu from noon to 8 p.m., and Bistro 300 (300 Light St., 410-528-1234)

Restaurants serving a traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes menu, along with their regular menus, on Christmas Eve include Donna's (5100 Falls Road, 410-532-7611, donnas.com/crosskeys), Aldo's (306 S. High St., 410-727-0700, aldositaly.com) ‎ in Little Italy, Cinghiale ( 822 Lancaster St., 410-547-8282, cgeno.com) in Harbor East and Aida Cafe & Wine Bar (6741 Columbia Gateway Drive, 410-953-0500, aidabistro.com) ‎in Columbia, which will be serving the seven fishes menu on Dec. 23 as well.

Turkey, homemade brownies and a piece of fresh fruit have been staples at Carpenter's Kitchen in Mount Vernon for nearly 25 years. They'll be on the menu one last time Saturday for Christmas dinner, the final meal for the weekly program that serves the city's needy. The program is one of the few in Baltimore that offers free hot meals on Saturday nights when many soup kitchens are closed, and has seen its regulars increase to nearly 300 in tough economic times. But Carpenter's Kitchen in the basement of Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, is having economic problems of its own. Organizers say they're reluctantly shutting it down, citing a steady, long-term decline in church contributions.

Here's what we know right now about Christmas Day. With the exception of Joey Chiu's in Lutherville, most of the restaurants that were open last year are again. Note that Bistro 300 at the Hyatt is currently operating on the hotel's second floor while its dining rooms are being renovated. Eichenkranz (611 Fagley St., 410-563-7577) will be open again on Christmas Day, from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. The German restaurant in Brewers Hill serves what may be the currently longest-running Christmas dinner in the Baltimore area.

Owners of local restaurants offering Christmas dinner say that business has been growing each year as customers decide to stay out of the kitchen on the big day.Still, there aren't many that will be open, so call early to make reservations. From my somewhat random survey, your best bet is hotel restaurants. Country inns and Chinese restaurants run a close second.To give you some idea of what's out there, here are a few I found:Antrim 1844 in Taneytown plans a holiday buffet for $50 a person.

The Bible tells how Jesus fed thousands of people with just a few fish and loaves of bread. The story is meant to show Jesus' miracle-making power, and also to teach a fundamental lesson in compassion. The Rev. Henry B. Hunt and members of Mount Hebron Memorial Church of God in Christ have taken that moral to heart. Yesterday, as they have done for nine years, the church members opened the doors of Heaven's Gate Eatery, a church subsidiary, offering a free sit-down Christmas dinner for anyone who wanted to come.

On Thanksgiving, I make four kinds of pie, at least two kinds of bread and several batches of homemade croissants, plain and chocolate. For New Year's, it's rib roast and Yorkshire pudding. I even do it up for the 4th of July with a blueberry, strawberry and pastry cream tart shaped like an American flag. But when it comes to Christmas, I settle for nothing but meatloaf. It was not always this way. When I was very young, Christmas dinner was always at my grandmother's house, and meatloaf was nowhere to be found.

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Forget those seasonal images of carol singers and jolly Santa Claus -- for Tokyo's fashionable young couples, Christmas is a time for steamy sex in luxury hotels.Most of Tokyo's top hotels have been fully booked for the nights of Dec. 24 and 25 for weeks.The guests are men and women in their early 20s, some still students, eager to spend almost as much on this one night of sex, fine food and wine as they earn in a month."On the nights of Christmas Eve and Christmas, we have no rooms available at all," said a spokesman at the Roppongi Prince Hotel in the heart of Tokyo.

Do you have special china or an heirloom platter that you use to serve Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner? A piece you treasure for its sentimental value? A service too nice for everyday use? Dishes that are as full of memories as the holidays themselves? Write to me at susan.reimer@baltsun.com and tell me about it. Please include a phone number where you can be reached during the day.

Just for Christmas, we'll step out of the moderate price category to recommend a special wine for a gift or Christmas dinner. This red Rhone wine is a classic of its kind -- an exceptionally intense wine with flavors of black pepper, blackberry, roast meats, herbs and those indefinably warm earthy flavors you only find in the Rhone. For all its robustness and aging potential, it's supple enough to enjoy young. Go on, splurge.

Off to a good start, with the cleaning in preparation for Kathleen's family's descent upon us this afternoon, accompanied by the lessons and carols from King's College on the radio. Kathleen and J.P. are finishing up the tapas for late afternoon and the Ukrainian holy supper afterward (mushroom soup, sauerkraut and barley, four or five species of pierogi). Alice is on her way over, and I have the wine chilling. Kathleen, of course, is obligated later for the Christmas pageant at Trinity, Towson, and in gratitude for my absence from all such involvements I will later pour myself a second glass of wine.

Thanksgiving may be all about food (and football), but Christmas has myriad elements besides the Roast Beast. Gift presentations and all that oohing and aahing, to be more precise. Growing up, we had a turkey dinner on both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am not allowed to repeat that tradition. For Dec. 25, "they" want an entirely different menu, and usually something different every year. Serves me right. I created these monsters, albeit adorable ones. My mother used to call it being "hoisted on your own petard.

Dec. 25 is still a quiet dining day. Eichenkranz (611 Fagley St., 410-563-7577) will be open again on Christmas Day, from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. The German restaurant in Brewers Hill serves what may be the currently longest-running Christmas dinner in the Baltimore area. Regi's in Federal Hill is serving a Christmas Day brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sotto Sopra is open on Christmas Day from noon to 10 p.m. Wit & Wisdom is serving a $105 fixed-price, three-course menu from noon to 8 p.m., and Bistro 300 (300 Light St., 410-528-1234)

A golden retriever named "Jazzy" is back with her family after a Christmas Day escape. Andi Vanko says on Christmas Day she was in the car with her boyfriend and mom when she saw the dog dash out into traffic on a Carroll County road. The group rescued the dog and continued driving to Vanko's sister's house where they were having Christmas dinner. The family found a tag on the dog that said "GRREAT," an acronym for Golden Retriever Rescue Education And Training. A call to the organization turned up the dog's owners in a database.

Turkey, homemade brownies and a piece of fresh fruit have been staples at Carpenter's Kitchen in Mount Vernon for nearly 25 years. They'll be on the menu one last time Saturday for Christmas dinner, the final meal for the weekly program that serves the city's needy. The program is one of the few in Baltimore that offers free hot meals on Saturday nights when many soup kitchens are closed, and has seen its regulars increase to nearly 300 in tough economic times. But Carpenter's Kitchen in the basement of Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, is having economic problems of its own. Organizers say they're reluctantly shutting it down, citing a steady, long-term decline in church contributions.

This year more restaurants than ever seemed to be open for Thanksgiving. But Christmas is still Christmas, and most places are closed on Dec. 25. Yes, many Chinese and Indian restaurants remain open on Christmas Day. But I always thought the annual Christmas Day dinner in a Chinese restaurant was one of those customs more honored in the breach than the observance. At least around here. Below are the handful of Christmas Day options I have found so far. Anything else I learn of will be posted on Dining@Large ( baltimoresun.

Titans@Steelers 1 p.m. [chs. 13, 9] This game presents quite a conundrum - for the officials. Both teams have benefited from rather, uh, curious calls this season in games against the Ravens. The Steelers got that mystery-plane replay reversal last week, and the Titans were awarded a fortuitous roughing-the-passer penalty on a play where Kerry Collins felt less pressure than you'll get at Christmas dinner from Mom about giving her grandkids. So, with no Ravens in the game, which team gets today's bogus call?

Linda Arnaud's The Artful Christmas (Stewart Tabori & Chang, 2002, $29.95) is a feast for the eyes. The 80 beautiful photographs of Christmas dinner tables include pictures of sumptuous foods such as glistening poached pears and braised duck legs, as well as decorations from delicate angels to brightly dressed teddy bears. Each chapter centers on a holiday theme and includes a menu, wine suggestions, decorating tips and a brief discussion of various Christmas traditions, such as the creche, Santa Claus and Christmas cards.

On Thanksgiving, I make four kinds of pie, at least two kinds of bread and several batches of homemade croissants, plain and chocolate. For New Year's, it's rib roast and Yorkshire pudding. I even do it up for the 4th of July with a blueberry, strawberry and pastry cream tart shaped like an American flag. But when it comes to Christmas, I settle for nothing but meatloaf. It was not always this way. When I was very young, Christmas dinner was always at my grandmother's house, and meatloaf was nowhere to be found.

Hanukkah celebrations •A grand menorah lighting will be held on the fifth day of Hanukkah, 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5 at the City Dock. There will be dreidels, latkes, doughnuts and more. Free. •A Hannukah bowl will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Annapolis Bowl, 2057 Generals Highway. Aleph Bet Jewish Day School will perform. Mention Chabad and get a discount on bowling game and shoes. Information: 443-321-9859. Christmas dinner and program The Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer will hold a Christmas dinner at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11 at the church, 7606 Quarterfield Road, Glen Burnie.