Lake Trout

Baltimore-inspired restaurant named Lake Trout is set to open Wednesday on Havemeyer Street in Brooklyn , N.Y.  The star of the menu is an iconic Baltimore sandwich, and the walls are decorated with enlargements of 70s-era Orioles, Colts and Bullets playing cards. Not surprisingly, one of the collaborators in the 14-seat restaurant is a native Baltimorean, Matt Lang, who has made a name for himself in the New York food world. He was the grillmaster at Fette Sau BBQ and was the winner on the Food Network 's "Best of Smoke" show.

Anthony Bourdain brought his "Guts and Glory" tour to Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre on Saturday night.  In typical Bourdain fashion, he began his performance with a round of shots. "Guts and Glory" is essentially stand-up comedy about Bourdain's personal relationship with food, his experiences traveling the globe and his opinion of fellow celebrity chefs -- most notably Guy Fieri.  With the birth of his daughter, Bourdain said he's shifted his appearance to be more age appropriate.

The ice snapped under my feet and a fierce wind bit my skin as I walked from my car to the Roost carryout restaurant at Reisterstown Road and Hayward Avenue in Northwest Baltimore. It was a bone-cold day.A few minutes later, however, I was aglow. I was feasting on hot "lake trout." The fish had been rolled in batter and fried in oil. Steam rolled off the pieces of fried fish. The aroma filled my car as I headed down Reisterstown Road eating and remembering. The smell and taste of fried fish triggered memories of church suppers, of fish sandwiches for lunch, of fish on Friday.

The very last episode of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" will offer a taste of both New York and Baltimore. The Baltimore flavor will come by way of "The Wire. "  As the Los Angeles Times puts it, Bourdain has frequently "geeked out" about "The Wire" and welcomed any number of its actors onto his food-oriented travel show. David Simon has been on, as has Felicia "Snoop" Pearson. Bourdain has also done some writing for Simon's other HBO project, "Treme. " In the final Travel Channel episode of "No Reservations" that airs Nov. 5,  the actor who played Omar, Michael K. Williams, shows Bourdain one of his favorite spots in New York for Caribbean, a place called Gloria's in Crown Heights.

What's in a name? When it comes to "lake trout" - that fried fish fare so unique to Baltimore it's almost a trademark - lies. Two for starters. Touted for decades on restaurant signs across the city, "lake trout" is filleted, breaded and deep-fried here at a clip of tons a week, then served up - usually in tin foil with two pieces of white bread - to customers who often assume that, based on its name, they are eating trout from a lake. But "lake trout" is neither. And if you are one of the few who already knows that, who has been told - perhaps by a frank fishmonger - that "lake trout" is actually "whiting," caught in the bay or ocean, well, that's not exactly right, either.

Anthony Bourdain brought his "Guts and Glory" tour to Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre on Saturday night.  In typical Bourdain fashion, he began his performance with a round of shots. "Guts and Glory" is essentially stand-up comedy about Bourdain's personal relationship with food, his experiences traveling the globe and his opinion of fellow celebrity chefs -- most notably Guy Fieri.  With the birth of his daughter, Bourdain said he's shifted his appearance to be more age appropriate.

Anthony Bourdain was about to say that he was "sorry" for the way he depicted Baltimore on his "No Reservations" show last winter on the Travel Channel. In that piece, he characterized Baltimore as a gritty city as he prowled rundown neighborhoods with characters from "The Wire," ate lake trout at The Roost in West Baltimore and pit beef at Chaps on Pulaski Highway, and chugged bluish cocktails with construction workers at Mo's Seafood in East Baltimore. The episode provoked outrage among some city pundits and bloggers, who thought it dissed the city.

The very last episode of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" will offer a taste of both New York and Baltimore. The Baltimore flavor will come by way of "The Wire. "  As the Los Angeles Times puts it, Bourdain has frequently "geeked out" about "The Wire" and welcomed any number of its actors onto his food-oriented travel show. David Simon has been on, as has Felicia "Snoop" Pearson. Bourdain has also done some writing for Simon's other HBO project, "Treme. " In the final Travel Channel episode of "No Reservations" that airs Nov. 5,  the actor who played Omar, Michael K. Williams, shows Bourdain one of his favorite spots in New York for Caribbean, a place called Gloria's in Crown Heights.

The liquor board will allow a downtown nightclub's patrons to stay until 4 a.m. as long as they don't have any fun. Lake trout is neither trout nor from lakes, but you already knew that. The Redskins are going to pay Coach Spurrier so much money, he'll have to play quarterback, too. Since when is it news that a chief executive officer lied to employees about how well the company would do?

SOULIVE The lowdown -- Tonight, improv jazz trio Soulive (above) performs at Rams Head Live. Alto saxophonist Sam Kininger joins organist Neal Evans, drummer Alan Evans and guitarist Eric Krasno for a handful of tunes during the band's set. If you go -- Soulive will perform at Rams Head Live, 20 Market Place, tonight at 10 p.m. Doors open at 8 p.m. $18 in advance, $20 day of show. Ages 18 and over; under 21 pay $3 extra at the door. Call 410-244-1131 or visit ramsheadlive.com. Sonar power The lowdown -- Hip hop/reggae/rock band Power Movement Project plays Sonar's club stage tomorrow.

Baltimore-inspired restaurant named Lake Trout is set to open Wednesday on Havemeyer Street in Brooklyn , N.Y.  The star of the menu is an iconic Baltimore sandwich, and the walls are decorated with enlargements of 70s-era Orioles, Colts and Bullets playing cards. Not surprisingly, one of the collaborators in the 14-seat restaurant is a native Baltimorean, Matt Lang, who has made a name for himself in the New York food world. He was the grillmaster at Fette Sau BBQ and was the winner on the Food Network 's "Best of Smoke" show.

For the past few years, Big in Japan has been one of the more enigmatic bands on the Baltimore music scene. Made up largely of former members of electro-rockers Lake Trout, Big in Japan gigged sporadically around town, changed lineups fairly often and recorded music but never released it. They were a live band first and foremost, with a reputation for putting on killer dance shows. Much of their music was improvised. "It was a one-time-only kind of thing," said Matt Pierce, who plays keyboards and flute.

Eric Ripert laughs when he answers questions about the differences between him and Anthony Bourdain. The two will appear Saturday night at the Hippodrome. Bourdain, who was born in New York in 1956, has described the American restaurant kitchens where he trained as lairs of lusty cooks who play by their own rules. Ripert, who was born in France in 1965 and trained there, says he comes from a different tradition. "In the kitchen where I worked, there was discipline, almost like a para-military organization," Ripert says.

Anthony Bourdain was about to say that he was "sorry" for the way he depicted Baltimore on his "No Reservations" show last winter on the Travel Channel. In that piece, he characterized Baltimore as a gritty city as he prowled rundown neighborhoods with characters from "The Wire," ate lake trout at The Roost, pit beef at Chaps, and chugged bluish cocktails with construction workers at Mo's Seafood. The episode provoked outrage among some Baltimore pundits and bloggers, who thought it dissed the city.

10 FOR THE ROAD Top spots to reel 'em in The top 10 places to go fishing with your family, according to cable TV's Sportsman Channel: 1. Clear Lake, Calif. (bass) 2. Sitka, Alaska (salmon, halibut) 3. Ecofina Creek, Fla. (catfish) 4. Lake Sinclair, Ga. (crawfish, crappie) 5. Guntersville Lake, Ala. (bass) 6. Venice, La. (red fish, trout) 7. Lake Ontario, N.Y. (salmon, lake trout) 8. Clinton Lake, Ill. (largemouth bass) 9. Cape Cod, Mass. (Atlantic striper) 10. Rogerson, Idaho (walleye, trout)

You didn't come to The Roost for its ambience. The carryout on Reisterstown Road in Northwest Baltimore still had the same shabby hut-shaped building from its days as a burger joint in the 1970s. The staff was a little surly, the neighborhood not the plushest and the wait for food almost always long. What you did come for were the fish sandwiches, fried golden brown and served on white bread with a little hot sauce. Or the fish dinner with two sides. The fish was so popular that just about everyone knew the carryout not as "The Roost," but simply as "Lake Trout."

This week marks the introduction of the SunSpot Survey. Check here each week for a new question and results of the previous week's vote. The Question Which of the following is the best band from the local music scene? All Mighty Senators Black-Eyed Susan Jimmie's Chicken Shack The Kelly Bell Band Lake Trout Other Vote at www.sunspot.net/live. Post your answer and see what others have to say, then look for the results (and a new question!) in next week's Live! section.

R. Kelly -- Lyric Opera House / R&B superstar R. Kelly plays the Lyric Opera House, 140 W. Mount Royal Ave., Monday night at 8. Tickets are $48-$66 and are available through Ticketmaster by calling 410-547-SEAT or by visiting ticketmaster.com. Ghostface Killah -- Sonar / Brilliant rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah lights up Sonar, 407 E. Saratoga St., Tuesday night at 8. Tickets are $18 and are available through Ticketmaster. Lake Trout -- Recher Theatre / Lake Trout headlines the Recher Theatre, 512 York Road in Towson, tomorrow night at 8:30.