Kitchen

Hairdresser on Fire. You see that on Fleet Street Kitchen's craft cocktail menu and you're immediately intrigued. That's not a question. So you continue on to the ingredients. Mezcal? Smoky and potent. Check. Campari? Classic bitters - this is going to be strong. You're in. Sherry … sherry? Wait, what? Apologies in advance to chefs and old ladies, but sherry, to me, is a cooking ingredient at best … or maybe something my grandma would take a nip of on special occasions. Why would I drink that?

When considering where to watch a Ravens playoff game, Harbor East doesn't come immediately to mind - or really at all. It's a place for fancy dinners and shopping sprees, not for cheap beer and bar food. Townhouse Kitchen and Bar is an exception, even if the industrial-chic bar doesn't look it. With its modern artwork, open space and touch-screen taps at select tables, it's a bar that certainly feels as if it belongs in Harbor East. But on Saturday, it will likely be a sea of purple, and many of those fans will be enjoying reasonably priced food and drinks, thanks to Townhouse's surprisingly good gameday offers.

A small kitchen fire caused by a pot left on the stove damaged an Edgewood home early Tuesday morning but no injuries were reported, according to the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company. Firefighters were called at 2:35 a.m. to the 600 block of Harr Park Court, where smoke was pouring from a two-story townhouse. Crews extinguished a small fire in the kitchen. Fire officials said residents sleeping on the second floor were alerted by smoke detectors and they were not injured.

A wall with one long window separates the Timonium office of Michele's Granola from its bakery space, but neither glass nor drywall can keep out the intoxicating smell: a mix of vanilla, coconut and sunflower seeds, among other ingredients. When complimented on the aroma, the business' founder and owner, Michele Thornett, smiled knowingly. "We get that a lot," she said. Wearing earth-toned clogs and a peasant skirt (which match her green eyes and red hair), Thornett looks like someone who should be into healthy snack food.

All restaurants make mistakes. How they handle them is a test of their mettle. During our visit to 4 Seasons Grille in Gambrills, the kitchen messed up, serving a piece of undercooked chicken. But the staff handled the error professionally and swiftly, and raw chicken aside, the dish was good, leaving us with a positive impression of the place. Located in the Village at Waugh Chapel, 4 Seasons is part of a small, locally owned chain. Inside, the space is full of warm colors and comfortable booths, most of which were filled with families and small groups of friends on a recent Thursday night.

All's well at Cafe Hon , and Chef Gordon Ramsay is very pleased. That was the message of Friday night's "Kitchen Nightmares" on Fox, as Ramsay revisited the Hampden eatery where he was instrumental in tamping down a war that had erupted over owner Denise Whiting's decision to trademark the word "Hon. " After recounting Ramsay's initial visit to the restaurant, in fall 2011, the segment got down to brass tacks. First, he stopped in to see MIX 106.5's JoJo and Reagan, who assured him that, as far as they knew, things were going just fine at Cafe Hon. The food was better, they said, the staff seemed happier -- the first piece portrayed them as primed for a full-scale revolt -- and the community seemed ready to let bygones be bygones, especially once Whiting made good on her promise to let go of the trademark.

Chef Gordon Ramsay, whose visit to Hampden's Cafe Hon in the fall of 2011 helped diffuse the tension from owner Denise Whiting's attempt to trademark the word "Hon," returned to see just how much good his earlier visit accomplished. The "Kitchen Nightmares" episode featuring the return visit airs Friday.   Many area residents and one-time customers -- infuriated over Whiting's attempt to control what they viewed as a unique piece of "Bawlamerese" -- had been boycotting the business and pillorying its owner.

My husband and I paid our annual visit to the financial adviser who watches over our undoubtedly inadequate retirement savings, an appointment that is not unlike those with the dentist: necessary but never fun. During our meeting, I proudly listed the home maintenance projects I had undertaken as our retirement approaches - painting the interior and the exterior of the house, replacing the fence, updating the kitchen a bit and having the appliances and...

Gifts of love from your very own kitchen, including oatmeat squares, PB&C brownies and Far East party mix. If you haven't done so already, now's the time to decide what gifts you're going to provide for family, friends, neighbors and the like. Food is always a good idea. Mainly because it's disposable, so nobody has to find a place to hang it, display it or store it. Besides which, a gift of food can show a great deal of thoughtfulness on your part. That's because you'll undoubtedly take into account your givee's likes and dislikes - not to mention their allergies: nuts, dairy, gluten (all the rage these days)

Kitchen backsplashes are a popular kitchen upgrade, right up there with a fancy stone countertops. Tile and glass are probably the easiest and the most common — even the big-box stores carry them now for DIYers. And the Internet is filled with photo galleries for inspiration. But what Jackie Smith and her architect husband, Chris, do for their customers is off the grid. (Excuse the tile pun.) "I ask them what would make them smile when they come down for their morning coffee.