Food Truck

The owners of Kooper's Tavern , Katie and Patrick Russell, will open a Baltimore County location in Lutherville's Round Wood Shopping Center. The new location will be called Kooper's North . A new food truck, Woody's Taco Island , is also on its way. The Lutherville location was formerly the home of Roddy Domacasse's Restaurant Sabor, which closed suddenly last summer. The Russells will operate Kooper's North in a partnership with Miles Perman, according to Patrick Russell, who said that he hopes to have the new location open by Aug. 21. In addition to Kooper's Tavern, the Russells own the Thames Street properties Slainte Irish Pub and Woody's Rum Bar and Celie's Waterfront Inn. They also own Kooper's Chowhound Burger Wagon, the first truck in Baltimore's food-truck fleet.

The Woman's Industrial Exchange, famous for its tomato aspic and its no-nonsense waitresses, will reopen in November under the no-nonsense management of food truck owner Irene Smith, who says she is determined to honor the tearoom's traditions that Baltimore held so dear. "The tomato aspic is already on the menu," said Smith, "along with chicken salad. " Smith, who has made her culinary mark with her popular food truck, the Souper Freak, plans to open the day after Thanksgiving, and she hopes to ride the retail wave through Christmas.

Everyman Theatre has enlisted a food truck to provide dinner for its patrons at its new home. When the professional Equity theater reopens in its new home on West Fayette Street, Charm City Gourmet will be parked outside the theater for several hours before each performance. Patrons will be able to order from the truck and eat their food outside, but Charm City Gourmet will also be providing table service inside the theater's lobby. The truck, a side project of Shapiro's Cafe , serves a full cafe menu that includes New England lobster rolls, falafel and Israeli salads.

The city of Baltimore ordered a couple food trucks to shut down Wednesday morning because they didn’t have a license that, during the permitting process, they were never told they needed. The license costs a measly $25, nothing compared to the $450 mobile food vendor permit and other expenses involved in getting the trucks up and running. But it could take weeks, or even months, to secure. The delay could have put them out of business. By early afternoon, City Hall was emitting the beep-beep-beep you hear when something big, like a food truck, or a bureaucracy, is backing up. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake had granted a reprieve , allowing the trucks to operate while the licensing issue gets straightened out. Irene Smith, owner of the Souper Freak soup truck, was hopeful in the midst of the shutdown scare that the mayor would come through.

A chocolate banana milkshake, grilled cheese sandwich and peppermint truffle all for well under 500 calories? For attendees at Small Foods 2013, the impossible was right in the palms of their hands. The annual event started as an hors d'oeuvres party nine years ago, but has since grown into a community gathering that tasks participants with creating mini versions of their favorite foods. Each year the event grows larger, but the food continues to get smaller and smaller. "I adore the little food," said Waverly resident and Small Foods veteran Tammy Mayer.

Michael Marx has indeed sold Rub , the Texas barbecue restaurant that he opened in Riverside back in 2006. The new owners will not be keeping the barbecue concept, which is fine with Marx. He's taking the smoker with him. The smoker is a Southern Pride wood-burning oven. “It holds 700 pounds of meat,” Marx says. “I can serve 1,000 people with it.” Marx says Rub will now operate out of a trailer, which will take up temporary residence on the lot at Miguel's Cocina y Cantina , his Mexican restaurant in Locust Point.

It's time for another food truck rally. The Gathering will be held Friday on the parking lot of Stratford University in Little Italy, just a few blocks way from where the very first Baltimore food truck rally was held in June 2011. So far, 19 trucks have confirmed, including these, according to Gathering planner Damian Bohager. Busia's Kitchen Cazbar Chicken 'n' Waffle Cupcake Runners Four Brothers Great Cookie GrrChe Gypsy Queen Iced Gems Jolly Pig Karlita's Kooper's Chowhound Miss Shirley's Miss Twist Noodlerolla Souper Freaks South Carolina BBQ Woody's Taco Island    

Founded just last year, Union Craft Brewing has established itself as a major player in Baltimore's craft-beer movement. Tours and tastings are given every Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the brewery's headquarters in Woodberry, in the shadow of the Pepsi sign, The brewery is also developing into a popular venue for medium-sized events, indoor and out. Parking is easy, and the brewery is steps away from a light rail stop. On Friday, the brewery is hosting an event called the Truck Party Food Rally, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., featuring a group of popular food trucks, including Gypsy Queen , Kommie Pig , Kooper's Chowhound and Sultan . Guests at the event can buy $4 pints of Union Craft beers.

The Cazbar empire is growing. The downtown Turkish restaurant now operates a full-time food truck, Cazbar on the Go. And this year, chef/owner Haluk Kantar and the Cazbar group have introduced a more casual concept called Homeslyce Pizza Bar. The first Homeslyce opened this spring in South Baltimore, and the second opened very recently downtown, just a block away form Cazbar. The menu includes a few Cazbar appetizers - hummus, baba ghanoush and delectable feta-stuffed meatballs made from lamb and beef - and a refreshing Mediterranean salad, too. But Homeslyce's focus is on pub food like wings, stuffed sandwiches, and, of course pizza.

The Sunday dining review is of the Woman's Industrial Kitchen, the freshly minted revival of the old lunchroom at the Woman's Industrial Exchange. The woman behind the revival is Irene Smith, operator of the popular Souper Freaks food truck, who came into the project with a clear vision of what the new lunchroom should be. That's half the battle won. The other half is getting it done. I think she did. Here's the review of the Woman's Industrial Kitchen and a photo gallery of the restaurant's menu items and restored interior.