Nachos

BEST BITE Camden Pub 647 W. Pratt St., Baltimore -- 410-547-1280 Hours --11 a.m.-2 a.m. Mondays-Saturdays and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays. Open late for Ravens home games Restaurant's estimate --2 minutes Ready in --6 minutes Loads of cheese, olive and jalapeno pepper slices covered the chips in this order, $7.88. But most of the chips were broken into small pieces. Salsa and sour cream came in side containers.

A mourner showed up decked out in full Elvis splendor. A beer truck emblazoned with the Mr. Boh logo led the funeral procession. And more than 2,000 people packed the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen — it was standing-room-only in the rear vestibule and the transepts — to mourn Nacho Mama's owner Patrick "Scunny" McCusker and, as one longtime friend said, to put the "fun in funeral. " "This is what Scunny would have wanted — an audience," said Sean Leahy, who spoke Wednesday at the Mass for the Canton restaurateur hailed for his camaraderie, his philanthropy and his drive to revitalize the neighborhood.

Healthy nachos? It may seem an oxymoron, but that's the goal of Columbia's Martek Biosciences, which yesterday said it will begin adding a nutritional supplement to a new cheese sauce that is made by a Texas company and marketed to schools nationwide. It is a pairing that Martek executives hope parents will embrace after years of trying to force-feed their finicky children nutritional foods. But it is unlikely to satisfy medical experts, who bemoan the childhood obesity problem that is growing along with kids' waistlines.

From the Midnight Sun blog: On Thursday afternoon the cramped Canton bar Nacho Mama’s was log-jammed. Inside the bar, which is decorated like a shrine to National Bohemian, there were more people than Mr. Boh logos on the walls. The waitresses had a hard time delivering their regular orders. It wasn’t a flash-mob. The crowd, evenly split between young and rickety old-timers, was there to toast the tapping of one the first keg of Natty Boh in 15 years. Last week, Boh owner Pabst Brewing Company announced it would start selling the beer on draft, which since 1996 had only been available in in bottles or in its iconic gold-on-white cans.

Visit the new Romano's Macaroni Grill and you'll feel as if a little bit of Italy has come to Timonium. Well, almost. Having a Bob Evans next door is a problem. And I'm not sure how authentic it is to have "Volare" playing at top volume in the dining room. (Don't get me wrong. I love "Volare." What's not to love?) And nachos -- do they serve those in Italy? OK, maybe they do. But made with fried won tons?As Chili's is to Southwestern, so Macaroni Grill is to Italian. (Chili's is another "concept" restaurant in parent company Brinker International's portfolio.

Let's face it, the Orioles are losers. You know it, I know it, they know it. Certainly, their opponents know it. It's just a fact. So let's stop whining about their losing record, poor management and lack of focus and get out there and support our beloved losers. Call your friends and go out to the park and watch the Orioles lose. Cheer when they commit an error. Applaud when they blow a three-run lead in the ninth. Jump up and down when they get swept by the Yankees. Losing isn't so bad, particularly when your mouth is full of overpriced beer and stadium nachos.

For almost a decade, the Red House Tavern has been a fixture for live music and beer on a quiet side street in Canton. But anyone who remembers the old Red House Tavern will be in for a pleasant surprise these days. A new owner, some major remodeling and a thorough cleaning have made the Red House into the comfortable neighborhood pub it was always meant to be. The food at Red House now features more upscale, global fare than the usual corner bar, while leaving old favorites intact.

What's the second thing you think of when you think of Memphis (the first, of course, being Elvis)? It's a tough one, right? In your mind, "blues" and "barbecue" are in a photo finish. ++ At Red Hot & Blue, they go hand in hand, with a little Elvis thrown in for good measure.Starting in 1988 with only one location -- in Arlington, Va. -- Red Hot & Blue may well be the fastest-growing barbecue chain in the country. There are more than 25 outposts now, with plans in the works for another 100. Maryland has one in Annapolis, Gaithersburg, Laurel and the one we recently visited in Owings Mills.

Bunker full of Spam? Spread it around Now that the world seems to be Y2 OK, many people who feared the worst are stuck with stockpiles of Spam and other canned foods. If this sounds like you, you could learn how to mix up new recipes with some of your surplus canned and packaged foods (see the recipe for Spam nachos). Plus, you could donate some of the goods to a food pantry. America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest domestic hunger relief organization, announced a "Y Go 2 Waste" food drive until Feb. 15. "The food is very much needed by hungry people," said Deborah Leff, president of Second Harvest, which helps supply 50,000 local charities.

Just as Marjorie Merriweather Post was the grande dame of Washington society, so the Merriweather Post Pavilion has become the grande dame of area amphitheaters. With 30 seasons under its belt, the venerable venue has played host to everyone from Led Zeppelin to Blondie, from Sinatra to Madonna.But there's a difference between having a history and showing one's age. So as Merriweather heads into its 31st season, the Columbia landmark finds itself in the midst of a major make-over."We are undergoing phase two of a three-stage plan to give the entire facility a complete face-lift," Jean Parker, Merriweather general manager, said.

The life of Cockeysville residentPatrick 'Scunny' McCusker was celebrated in Baltimore in the days after his death. McCusker, who was raised on Summit Avenue in Carney and graduated from Loch Raven High School, died on Friday after being hit by a bus as he rode his bicycle along Coastal Highway in Ocean City. McCusker was perhaps best known as the owner of Nacho Mama's, the Tex Mex restaurant he opened in 1994 on O'Donnell Street in Canton, which was then unfamiliar territory. McCusker was remembered, too, for his outsize personality and his philanthropic efforts.

Patrick "Scunny" McCusker, the 49-year-old owner of Nacho Mama's and a force in the revitalization of Canton, was remembered Saturday by friends, employees, patrons and local leaders for his outsize personality, philanthropy and pioneering contributions to the community. "The neighborhood is what it is because of him," said Gianene Musotto, 43, who gathered with other customers at Nacho Mama's, one of the neighborhood's first popular destinations. Police said McCusker died Friday after being hit by a bus as he rode his bicycle along Coastal Highway in Ocean City . The Cockeysville resident was treated at the scene by emergency personnel.

Nacho Mama's wins the blue ribbon in Baltimore's "Michael Phelps Tweeted out love to us" sweepstakes. On Saturday afternoon, Phelps Tweeted out a photograph of the Canton restaurant's specials menu, which had this pro-Phelps message on top: Congratulations to Baltimore's own Michael Phelps! Good Job, Hon! Phelps, in his Tweet, said, "Gotta love home town love at one of # BMORE best restaurants !! O yeah # HON . " The most decorated Olympian of all time arrived back in Baltimore on Thursday (according to his own Tweets)

Let's face it, the Orioles are losers. You know it, I know it, they know it. Certainly, their opponents know it. It's just a fact. So let's stop whining about their losing record, poor management and lack of focus and get out there and support our beloved losers. Call your friends and go out to the park and watch the Orioles lose. Cheer when they commit an error. Applaud when they blow a three-run lead in the ninth. Jump up and down when they get swept by the Yankees. Losing isn't so bad, particularly when your mouth is full of overpriced beer and stadium nachos.

For almost a decade, the Red House Tavern has been a fixture for live music and beer on a quiet side street in Canton. But anyone who remembers the old Red House Tavern will be in for a pleasant surprise these days. A new owner, some major remodeling and a thorough cleaning have made the Red House into the comfortable neighborhood pub it was always meant to be. The food at Red House now features more upscale, global fare than the usual corner bar, while leaving old favorites intact.

Healthy nachos? It may seem an oxymoron, but that's the goal of Columbia's Martek Biosciences, which yesterday said it will begin adding a nutritional supplement to a new cheese sauce that is made by a Texas company and marketed to schools nationwide. It is a pairing that Martek executives hope parents will embrace after years of trying to force-feed their finicky children nutritional foods. But it is unlikely to satisfy medical experts, who bemoan the childhood obesity problem that is growing along with kids' waistlines.

Talented siblings Po and Jo Chang have opened a new venture alongside their popular 10-year-old Chinese restaurant, Cafe Zen. This time, they've looked to the American West instead of the global East to create a Tex-Mex comfort food hang-out called Zen West. At first blush, burritos and nachos seem like an odd detour from garlic shrimp and Hunan pork, but the Changs have pulled it off, though there's still room for improvement. Their new restaurant, overlooking Belvedere Square in the former home of Gator's Pub, opened in September and mixes "yeehaw" and "om" with ease.

O'Toole's Roadhouse is one of those eclectic restaurants that became a hallmark of the '80s. Eclectic in appearance; eclectic in clientele; eclectic in food.One doesn't go to an eclectic restaurant expecting fine cuisine. One goes for the atmosphere as much as for the menu. And, indeed, unless you overindulge in eclectic restaurants, the decor is arresting.O'Toole's is decorated with advertisements from your childhood and your parents' childhood; tools from the country's past fastened to the walls; an antique propeller hanging next to an antique snowshoe.

Talented siblings Po and Jo Chang have opened a new venture alongside their popular 10-year-old Chinese restaurant, Cafe Zen. This time, they've looked to the American West instead of the global East to create a Tex-Mex comfort food hang-out called Zen West. At first blush, burritos and nachos seem like an odd detour from garlic shrimp and Hunan pork, but the Changs have pulled it off, though there's still room for improvement. Their new restaurant, overlooking Belvedere Square in the former home of Gator's Pub, opened in September and mixes "yeehaw" and "om" with ease.

BEST BITE Camden Pub 647 W. Pratt St., Baltimore -- 410-547-1280 Hours --11 a.m.-2 a.m. Mondays-Saturdays and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays. Open late for Ravens home games Restaurant's estimate --2 minutes Ready in --6 minutes Loads of cheese, olive and jalapeno pepper slices covered the chips in this order, $7.88. But most of the chips were broken into small pieces. Salsa and sour cream came in side containers.