Tables & Tastes

On display at a recent ‘Made In Baltimore’ pop-up event at Brick + Board on N. Howard Street were these examples of striking furniture design, all hand-crafted by local artisans. Three struck me with their sleek, contemporary takes on classic mid-century modern designs: this dining table/desk by Kate Christian/Bliss Woodworks…

…this oval coffee table by Mike Ryback/Ryback Woodworking…

…and this bench-style coffee table by Lawrence Moore/Heavy Paper.

TV celebrity chef Bryan Voltaggio’s AGGIO restaurant at Power Plant Live! hosted a tasting for local food writers and bloggers that featured some of their summer menu items. From their antipasto small plates menu: deep-fried zucchini with bail-buttermilk dressing, pine nuts, burrata and chili oil on a focaccia crisp…

…meatball al forno with pomodoro sauce, provolone picante and garden basil…

…and provolone frito, deep-fried with chili-tomato agrodolce and pistachios on a semolina cracker.

A perfect complement to the bites was the Tintaretto cocktail, a refreshing mix of pureed strawberries, ginger beer and Prosecco. {AGGIO, 614 Water Street, Downtown}

This one’s just a tease for the brand new Avenue Kitchen + Bar on the Avenue in local restaurant-mecca Hampden, opening this week. Barman Joe mixed up this perfect margarita for me when I was on a pre-opening tour recently. Look for an in-depth report on this place in a coming post; everything I’ve sampled here so far suggests this will be the new neighborhood hotspot for the fall.