Table

Editor: I enjoyed [Jim Kennedy's recent column]. I grew up in Richmond, Va., and shad roe in the Spring was a big deal. I will admit that was 35 years ago. Each spring many local restaurants advertised "Specials on Shad roe. " Almost any way you could think of was a good idea. I personally enjoyed roe with scrambled eggs for breakfast. Sautéed roe for lunch or dinner was also very good. The local grocery stores advertised roe in their ads. We even had a local canner, "Tidewater," offer canned roe that made it available seasonable.

Casinos could give free cash to table game players under a bill passed by the House of Delegates Thursday. The measure now heads to the state Senate. Proponents said the change is necessary to allow Maryland casinos to compete with in what Del. Eric Luedtke called "what's becoming the most competitive gaming market in the country. " The bill allows casinos to give money to players in "promotional play," a marketing device to entice gamblers to Maryland's new table games, without having to count that cash as a casino profit.

Many were off work because of a snowstorm that never came, so they went to Hollywood Casino, tucked off Interstate 95, in search of games they thought they'd never see here: blackjack, roulette, craps and poker. For the first time Wednesday and about four months after voters approved it, Marylanders played table games without leaving the state. About 35 people were waiting when Hollywood sent out a small team of dealers to begin table play about 2 p.m., immediately after the Penn National-owned casino in Cecil County received permission from the state.

Maryland Live brought in more than $38.3 million in revenue in February - a new record by $2 million - despite a shortened month and the temporary removal of 700 video lottery terminals to accommodate table games. In all, Maryland's casinos brought in $47.8 million, the second-highest amount since last July, which was Maryland Live's first full month of operations. All but $15.8 million of the money brought in by casinos went back to the state. Hollywood Casino in Perryville generated a little less than $6 million, representing a drop of 48 percent year-over-year.

It was not our intention, but on a recent Friday night at the quickly popular Ale House Columbia, our table of four really tested the patience of the server. As Top 40 blared overhead, our server leaned in and asked for drink orders. She was knowledgeable about the wide selection of beer (including the many types of house brand Oliver Breweries), and offered what I heard as a beer "sampler. " After choosing four beers, it was the next person's turn. "I'll have whatever he's having," the friend said.

The company that spent $42 million in a failed attempt to block expanded gambling in Maryland will be the first to introduce table games in the state. Hollywood Casino, owned by Penn National, got preliminary permission Tuesday to operate 20 table games starting March 7 at the facility in Perryville, in Cecil County. Maryland Live, the state's largest casino, plans to offer table games April 11. Crews are working to move thousands of slot machines as the floor is reconfigured to accommodate 122 table games.

A prominent Idaho businessman has lost his job after allegedly slapping a toddler on a plane when the child wouldn't stop crying. While many parents and fliers can agree that "Toddlers on a Plane" would be a terrifying premise for a film, most of us can figure out that hitting a stranger's child is not OK. But what steps can parents take to lessen their children's impact on other passengers? Some people swear by slipping kids a little Benadryl , but I've never gone this route.

The plink, plink, plink of sap hitting the bottom of a metal bucket is music to Sheryl Pedrick's ears, she says. That means there will be a symphony in the woods around Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton in the weeks ahead. The education coordinator at the gardens has been tapping the maple trees the old-fashioned way - with a hand drill and metal spouts and stainless steel buckets that she's collected from farm sales - and before the season ends in March, she will have collected 30 or 40 gallons of sap and boiled it down until it becomes the delicious amber-colored syrup that puts Aunt Jemima to shame.

For the third consecutive year, BWI Marshall Airport set a record for commercial passenger traffic, with 22.68 million travelers passing through its terminal in 2012, airport officials announced. The 1.3 percent increase over 2011 comes during a time of expansion of airport facilities and by commercial carriers. "This is great for the region and great for the businesses we support," said Paul Wiedefeld, executive director of Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Baltimore will have to content itself with the Vince Lombardi Trophy, because according to Open Table, Baltimore is an also-ran in the romance department. The most romantic cities are, in order: San Antonio, Texas; Austin, Texas; Providence, R.I.; La Jolla, Calif.; and Columbus, Ohio. Baltimore comes in at No. 17. You can see the full list here . Headquartered in San Francisco, Open Table is a provider of online restaurant reservations. Its Most Romantic Cities Index was calculated, the company said, using three variables: the percentage of restaurants rated "romantic" according to Open Table diner reviews, the percentage of tables seated for two and the percentage of people who dined out for Valentine's Day last year.