Fells Point

Ze Mean Bean gets a look-over in this Friday's Liive section. Read waht Kit Waskom Pollard has to say about the cozy Fells Point Eastern European cafe and wine bar. We'd been hearing that Ze Mean Bean , which opened way back in 1995, had been flourishing under General Manager Scott Lanphear. Pollard thinks so, and points out that Ze Mean Bean deserves some attention for its wine and beer programs, too. "We started with a refreshing Golden Pheasant pilsner ($6)

The man known for selling flowers in Fells Point restaurants and bars has died. His neighbors knew him as Nassir, but few other biographical details, including a last name, were known for certain about the life of a man who had become a familiar presence in the close-knit neighborhood. Moe Jadri, who spoke to Albatyna frequently in Fells Point, said that his last name was Albatyna. “He was a really, really good guy,” said David Bernstein, who was among a group of neighbors who collected money for Albatyna's funeral expenses on Saturday night.

Bond Street Social, the upcoming bar in Fells Point, still looks like a work zone. Scaffolding and ladders are scattered all over 901 S. Bond Street. There's sacks of tiles and dust everywhere. On a recent visit, construction workers hadn't yet added the fireplaces which are supposed to be one of the bar's hallmarks. But, Max Tucker, one of the owners, said he anticipates an opening by mid-October, a month later than the owners' original expected opening date . During a preview last week, Tucker said Bond Street is aiming to cater to a professional crowd.

Nearly 40 years ago, I learned that Baltimoreans never tire of tales about the stores where they shopped. At that time, I made a small career out of writing about the Bernheimer-Leader retailing empire at Howard and Fayette streets. The building is now an apartment house called the Atrium. About a year ago, I was contacted by Michael Lisicky, whose book on Hutzler's came out last year and whose John Wanamaker ( Philadelphia) opus is due for publication in a few months. A Fells Point resident and member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Lisicky is writing a history for the Fells Point newsletter about a place called Hecht's Reliable, on the east side of Broadway between Eastern and Fleet streets.

A 19-year-old pled guilty Wednesday to a number of robberies last year in which he held victims at gunpoint, taking money, cell phones and jewelry in Fells Point, officials said. Martis Anderson, 19, of the 2900 block of Ridgewood Ave. faces up to 25 years in prison for the Nov. 28 and Dec. 2, 2009, robberies, according to the city state's attorney's office. According to Anderson's plea, he and two others approached victims, robbed them at gunpoint and took off in a getaway car. The robberies occurred at various night spots in Fells Point and around the Intercontinental Hotel on Light Street.

Opened a couple weeks ago by two former skaters, Johnny Rad's pays tribute to the skateboarding scene without feeling gimmicky or patronizing. It's a neighborhood bar with a short but killer beer list, a solid happy hour and unexpectedly cool decor. If you went to Fells Point in the '80s and '90s, chances are, you'd see a pack of young skateboarders doing tricks in Broadway Square. It makes sense that years later, after the kids grew up, there would be a bar in the 'hood that celebrated skateboarding and underground culture.

Ryan Perlberg's mark on Fells Point continues to grow at a rapid rate. On July 13, after three months of preparation, the Stuggy's and Rye co-owner opened Willow, his third establishment in the popular Baltimore neighborhood. Willow is a Latin-fusion lounge focusing on Rye mixologist Doug Atwell and Julia Momose's hand-crafted cocktails and Stuggy's chef Benjamin Poison's take on Mexican food. If Perlberg's expansion resembles a corner of a "Monopoly" board - Stuggy's, Rye and Willow are all next to each other on South Broadway - it was not by design, he says.

Baltimore police found a man stabbed early Wednesday north of Fells Point. At about 2:24 a.m., officers found the man in the 200 block of N. Broadway stabbed multiple times. They transported him to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was described as being in stable condition. Police did not have many details Wednesday morning, and investigators are reviewing possible surveillance camera footage that might provide clues, police spokesman Det. Vernon Davis said. jgeorge@baltsun.com Twitter.com/justingeorge

Unless a 10-year resident or a frequent patron of the shops and night life in historic Fells Point, a visitor to Bond Street could not help but notice a group of beautifully restored, brick townhomes lined up at the edge of the cobblestones. Imagine the surprise, then, to learn they were built exclusively by Baltimore developers, Struever Bros., Eccles & Rouse less than eight years ago. The colonial-like exteriors of each of the three-story atrium-style townhouses belie the newness of construction in the meticulous architectural details they bear.