Restaurant Owners

Consumer advocates pleaded with lawmakers Monday to let customers bring their own bottles of wine to restaurants in Baltimore City and three other counties, saying the state's high-end eateries want to extend the option to their clienteles. But opponents of the legislation, including the Restaurant Association of Maryland and the liquor lobby, argued Monday before the House Economic Matters Committee that the arrangement would eat into restaurant profits and generate uncertainty about liability when consumers drink too much.

The owner of Basta Pasta restaurants in Fallston and Timonium is accused of sexually harassing employees, including teenagers, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, alleges that owner Michael Sakellis, repeatedly would inappropriately touch or would make sexual comments toward female employees, some of whom were teenagers. One female employee said she was given alcohol, which she believed was drugged in an attempt to sexually assault her, the suit says.

Carroll County restaurant owners say they haven't been kept informed about proposed liquor law changes and they told the County Commissioners yesterday that the industry deserves representation on the county liquor board."

The Dogwood Restaurant in Hampden has closed, according to owner Galen Sampson, who co-owned the restaurant with his wife, Bridget. Its last day of service was Saturday. "This weekend we were forced to make the decision to close The Dogwood Restaurant," Sampson wrote Sunday evening in a statement released to Baltimore Diner. "We had hoped we could keep it going, but after three very poor weeks of revenue there is no option but to close the restaurant. " He wrote that the restaurant would be able to pay employees the wages they are due. "We did our best to try and restructure our business model in order to keep our employees employed," Sampson continued.

Some Carroll County restaurant owners have banded together to fight a proposed amendment to the county's liquor regulations, which would impose additional restrictions on when restaurants can serve alcohol.Under the proposal, restaurants in Carroll County could begin serving alcohol one hour before meals are available and must stop serving liquor an hour after the kitchen closes.In a letter to the Board of License Commissioners, restaurant owners Monday said the proposed regulation would drive away late diners who might linger over a bottle of wine and customers who stop by for dessert and after-dinner drinks.

A proposed 1 percent meal tax to raise money to lure visitors to Baltimore appears dead, a casualty of considerable opposition among restaurant owners and a statewide restaurant group.Donald P. Hutchinson, president of the influential Greater Baltimore Committee, which had proposed the tax, told restaurateurs, bar owners and hoteliers yesterday that he would urge Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke to drop the idea for lack of support.That spells almost certain doom for the proposal: Mr. Schmoke said from the beginning he would move forward only if city restaurants demonstrated substantial support for the tax and a proposed "tourism district," comprising about 125 restaurants, where the tax would be levied.

As momentum builds for casino-style gambling in Maryland, a trade group representing restaurant owners has dropped its long-held opposition and now supports bringing slot machines into the state. Marcia Harris, the president of the Maryland Restaurant Association, said yesterday that the group reversed its position based on a survey of its members and a determination that revenue from slots may be the best way to balance the state budget. The association was one of only a few business groups to oppose Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s proposal this year to allow Wal-Mart-sized slots casinos at four horse racing tracks.

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.

A bill to allow sidewalk cafes in Annapolis has the support of the Economic Matters Committee and is heading for a full vote by the city council.Downtown restaurant owners and merchants favor the measure, sponsored by Ward 8 Alderman Ellen O. Moyer. They say it will allow outdoor eating with fewer government restrictions.The bill is considered more favorable to restaurants than the one Mayor Alfred A. Hopkins proposed earlier this year. The mayor's bill would require restaurant owners to spend as much as $4,300 for separate liquor licenses and conditional use permits for outdoor dining.

Several Howard County restaurant owners are lobbying for the right to sell refillable containers of beer and wine to dine-in customers, but the plan has raised concerns from the owners of a liquor store that the sales would result in irresponsible drinking. Corinne Gorzo, who co-owns Glenwood Wine and Spirits with her husband, John, spoke out against refillable containers to state lawmakers, voicing concern about potential sanitation and safety issues resulting from customers drinking to excess.

The owner of a West Baltimore restaurant has been charged with operating an illegal after-hours club, police said, after a triple shooting this month in which a man was killed outside the establishment. Timothy Fraser, 58, owner of Ras-a-ter International, was charged Tuesday with two counts of operating his restaurant as an illegal bar, three counts of failing to have a licensed security firm on premises and three counts of violating capacity limits of 150. Baltimore housing authorities say the charges, based on city zoning codes, are a first step toward halting predawn operations at the restaurant.

Restaurant owners and management were scrambling to return to normal operations on Tuesday morning. A few places were already doing business in the early morning. Many full-scale restaurants were skipping lunch service, usually because of restrictions placed on driving and the suspension of public transportation. Among those posting notices on social media that they would be open for Tuesday dinner service (but not for lunch) were Crush , M&S Grill, Brewer's Art, Caesar's Den, Linwoods , The Wine Market , and Franc & Nic's West End Grille Also opening Tuesday evening: B Bistro, Talara, Woodberry Kitchen, McGerk's, Social Pub & Pie, Portside Tavern, Ten Ten, Towson Tavern, Pazo , Johhny's , Cinghiale , Petit Louis , Cafe Gia, Waterfront Kitchen, Donna's Cross Keys , Heavy Seas Alehouse, and Clementine Also open for dinner on Tuesday: Chazz: A Bronx Original, Aldo's Sotto Sopra , Ranazul, Victoria Gastro Pub. Fogo de Chao, Delia Foley's, Ropewalk, Stalking Horse Saloon, Portalli's and the Diamondback Tavern.

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.

Who needs a Zagat when you can have a Franchot? Every so often, Md. Comptroller Peter Franchot will whip out his quill and dash off a Certificate of Recognition for a Maryland restaurant, and on Wednesday morning, the comptroller dropped by Sascha's 527 with such a certificate, which he presented to the restaurants owners Sascha Wolhander and Steve Suser. The certificate reads, in part: "In celebration of your culinary achievements, serving American cuisine with global touches from Asia to France in a stunning 19th-century atmosphere.

A burglary at Marie Branch's breakfast restaurant in Canton spooked her enough that she scrapped her popular late-night hours. But it wasn't enough to get police to write a report of the incident. The break-in occurred June 30 at Branch's restaurant, Simply Marie's, and gained notice this week when Orioles center fielder Adam Jones tweeted about it, calling it "disrespectful. " Branch said in an interview that she saw a man with a knife cutting through the screen of a back door, and called police, who she said searched a nearby park for a possible suspect.

During 37 years as a feature writer, sometime editor and longtime restaurant critic at the Sun, I had many proud moments and even a few awards. But I don't think anything pleased me as much as being named The Sun 's Best Blogger by the City Paper in the fall of 2007. A few months before, my editor had told me I would be joining the digital age. I would write a food and restaurant blog, to be called Dining@Large. I wasn't sure I knew what a blog was. Being a restaurant critic was a fabulous job, but I'd done it for a long time.

Alderman Louise Hammond is rallying the support of business people and historic district residents to fight two bills she says violate a delicate compromise that limits downtown night life.The Ward 1 Democrat has assembled a 70-page packet, emblazoned with the quotation "A Deal's A Deal," that argues that the bills violate an agreement brokered over a 3 1/2 -year period by diverse interests. The material is intended to help fuel opposition to the measures at a public hearing scheduled for Sept.

Carroll County will have its first summer restaurant week Aug. 21-28. Over two dozen participating restaurants will offer fixed-price menus for lunch, for dinner, or both,  priced at $5 increments beginning at $10.11. The idea for a Carroll County Restaurant Week is credited to restaurant owners Dante Liberatore (Liberatore's, Eldersburg) and Ken Lurie (Bud's at Silver Run) and the promotion is being co-produced by the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce and the Carroll County Department of Economic Development/Tourism Office.   

Several Howard County restaurant owners are lobbying for the right to sell refillable containers of beer and wine to dine-in customers, but the plan has raised concerns from the owners of a liquor store that the sales would result in irresponsible drinking. Corinne Gorzo, who co-owns Glenwood Wine and Spirits with her husband, John, spoke out against refillable containers to state lawmakers, voicing concern about potential sanitation and safety issues resulting from customers drinking to excess.