Food

If you're a big fan, you already knew what was coming in the season finale. But it didn't make it any easier -- or less heartbreaking -- to watch. The majority of the Season 3 "Downton" finale, or the "Christmas special" as its called in the U.K., took place in Scotland, where the whole family (minus Branson) visits the Highlands home of the Dowager's niece, Susan, and her husband, Shrimpy. Most of the trip included bagpipes, hunting, more bagpipes and Scottish reel dancing. But more on that later (and more on O'Brien meeting her Scottish lady's maid doppelganger)

Based on its name, you might think MoonShine Tavern is strictly a place that's good for shots and not much else. And while it does deliver on the shots — its moonshine menu is a mile long — with a talented kitchen staff offering sophisticated twists on casual Southern food, Boston Street's newest addition deserves a closer look. During our Thursday-night visit to the Canton spot formerly occupied by The Gin Mill, MoonShine's rustic space — polished a bit, but mostly unchanged since the Gin Mill days — was moderately busy, but with more drinkers than diners.

IT'S Thanksgiving in the United States while, in Somalia, 2 million people are in danger of starvation.Typically, such a devastating famine prompts Americans to respond generously, if belatedly; once we actually start to see people dying on television, we send money. So at this time of year we often feel compelled to write an extra check to a famine relief organization at about the same time we write an extra-large check to the grocery store.The crisis in Somalia, however, is not being billed as a "typical" famine.

The Burger Bash episode clarified some story lines and character arcs. Two contestants retained their exalted status but the wheel of fortune was otherwise in overdrive, raising the downtrodden to dizzying heights and plummeting early favorites to miserable lows. O Fortuna! O Nikki Dinky! We're just two episodes in to Season 9 of "Food Network Star," and the have stopped calling Rodney Henry by his name. They now call him "the Pie Guy. " That could bode well for Rodney 'the Pie Guy" Henry, the Baltimore-based rock musician turned pie-shop owner if it gives him a leg up on rivals who are still struggling to forge a recognizable identity.

This weekend's Polish Festival will include food stands, a staple in ethnic showcases. The treats served are easy to carry around so you don't miss out on any of the festivities, but don't think their portability takes away from their authenticity. Coordinator Maryann Fredrick says that these foods are true to tradition and will entice people to come to the inner harbor. The menu she organized includes such favorites as: • Kielbasa (Polish Sausage): This recipe calls for pork, more pork, and a fair amount of garlic.

The Daily Meal, a food-and-dining website, has published list of the 10 Best College Towns for Food. Baltimore didn't make the list, but Baltimore isn't a college town. So, no hard feelings. The top ten college towns for food were 1) Berkeley, Calif., Ann Arbor, Mich., Princeton, N.J., Oxford, Miss., Chapel Hill, N.C., Burlington, Vt., Eugene, Ore., Ithaca, N.Y., Boulder, Colo., and Madison, Wis. Here's that list on TheDailyMeal.com. Did your old college town show up?

The Scientific American blog network has a juicy looking collection of posts up on the subject of food and eating. The round-up is called Passions of Food . I have to admit, I love this stuff, especially the articles by anthropologists. Some of the posts were produced freshly for this round-up; others, like Bora Zivkovic's Do you love or Hate or Cilantro? , are from the archives, I've barely cracked the spine, but I'm looking forward to Krytal D'Costa on the culture of  coffee drinkers and Christie Wilcox on the myths of organic farming . Bt right now, though, I'm going to read D'Costa's Are We Ashamed of Lunch?

Moms are feeding their babies solid foods before their bodies are developed enough to handle it, a new study by the Centers For Disease Control has found. The American Academy of Pediatrics has long advised that babies don't get solid food until they are four to six months-old. But 40 percent of the nearly 1,300 mothers surveyed in the study said they introduced food before that. Babies are better developed at 4 to 6 months of age, including having the ability to hold their heads up and open their mouths for food.

W hen comedian Jim Gaffigan needs inspiration for his stand-up routine, he looks to the low end of American life. Gaffigan loves to romanticize about lying on the sofa, eating unhealthy food like Hot Pockets and piles of bacon, or making a late-night Waffle House run. He plays the stereotypical American - whiny and ultra-lazy - like few other comedians. That could be why so many Americans relate to Gaffigan, who will perform two shows at the Lyric Opera House on Friday night.

Cook something sexy lately? Let’s see it! Send in your best food porn to Project Fresh for a chance to win the Show Me Your Food Porn contest. First place winner will take home some b swag and of course, all-time bragging rights. Entries must be received by 10 p.m., May 9. Send images in jpeg format to jasmine@bthesite.com. Need some inspiration? Wondering "What the heck is "food porn"? Check out... Foodgawker Tastespotting Food photography tips [101 Cookbooks]

As a pediatrician, my No. 1 concern is to keep children safe and healthy. Inside the walls of my office, I can provide services and counseling to help do just that, whether by giving an infant her first childhood vaccine, providing a mental health screening to an adolescent patient or counseling parents about how to keep their homes as safe as possible. Unfortunately, there are some threats to children's health that are beyond my control, including the food they consume. As was brought to light all too clearly recently when children as young as 1 year old were among the 81 people from 18 states (including Maryland)

Two food-truck events were scheduled for the weekend. But concerns about Tropical Storm Andrea have led the organizers of The Gathering to cancel Friday night's food-truck rally in Canton. This was to be the first-ever trip to Canton for the traveling event. It has been rescheduled for July 19.   ( Tropical Storm Andrea likely to bring Md. heavy rain Friday into Saturday ) But all is not lost. The City Paper is hosting a food truck rally from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday in Station North.

Giant Food has launched a prescription card that's good for discounts on prescriptions and other health-related products. The grocer's Prescription Savings Card is not an insurance plan. But customers who pay a $10 enrollment fee to sign up can expect savings on both brand name and generic prescriptions, Giant says. Gayle Shields, director of pharmacy operations for Giant Food of Landover, said in the retailer's announcement that customers can expect to get medications for themselves and their pets "at a fraction of  the price.

For the second year running, Gypsy Queen bested the competition at the Tastes of Two Cities event pitting Baltimore food trucks against their Washington rivals. Baltimore's El Cuervo, which serves tacos and Korean fried chicken, earned second place, and D.C.'s Feelin' Crabby took third at Rash Field -- the new home for the event, which had its inaugural outing last year on the Westport waterfront. Souper Freaks was the winner of the United Way's Golden Carrot, a first-time award for the food truck with the healthiest item on its menu , the Five Seeds Farms Bronze Fennel and Carrot Soup, sourced entirely from local ingredients.

Omitted from the May 28 Sun article regarding the Anne Arundel County Food and Resource Bank was my relationship with the bank prior to my court-ordered 400 hours of community service ("Arundel food bank chief helps those needing a second chance"). The article mentioned that a citizen in need years ago received a donated automobile from the Food and Resource Bank but did not mention that I donated two of my own vehicles to the bank, when I served in the General Assembly, in order to help two individuals needing transportation to hold on to their jobs.

It's a full weekend of dining events.  The Soft-Shell Crab Celebration concludes on Sunday. Some two dozen Baltimore restaurants are adding special soft-shell crab specials to their menus for Baltimore's fifth annual dining promotion. A packed weekend festival schedule kicks off on Friday night with the regular Friday night food-truck rally known as the Gathering, which returns to McHenry Row. The musical guest is Shook. But that's just a prelude to Saturday's big food-truck event, the second annual Taste of Two Cities . Baltimore's and Washington's fleets of food trucks will be squaring off this time on Rash Field, competing for the coveted Mayor's Trophy, presented to the best food truck as decided by a panel of judges.

County inspectors visited 154 restaurant and food handling businesses between May 1 and May 15 to check for health and safety violations.The establishments are evaluated in the nine areas most likely to contribute to food-related illnesses. Eighteen businesses were found in violation of county codes and were required to make immediate corrections. Several required reinspection.* Bavarian Soft Pretzel, Harundale Mall, Glen Burnie. Food not held at proper temperature.* Bayside Inn, 1200 block of Mayo Road, Edgewater.

St. Gregory of Nyssa Byzantine Catholic will hold its Slavic food festival on Saturday, Nov. 3,. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 12420 Old Gunpowder Road Spur, in Beltsville. There will be popular Eastern European foods and a bake sale including kolachi and other homemade sweet treats. Admission and parking are free. For further details, call 301-552-2434 or go to http://www.stgregoryofnyssa.net .

Herb & Soul began last September as a catering and carryout operation in the back part of a Parkville convenience store. The offerings included interesting Southern cuisine and soul food but also typical carryout items like cheese steaks and wings. The owners - Brandon Taylor, Yuriy Chernov and David Thomas, the executive chef - were encouraged enough by the neighborhood's response to think about expanding or even moving. They at one point considered a property in the Hollins Market neighborhood.