9-22-2024 AA Restaurants - Flipbook - Page 1
THE BALTIMORE
SUNDAY,
22, 2024 22, 2024
BALTIMORE
SUN SUN
MEDIA| GROUP
| SEPTEMBER
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER
BEST RESTAURANTS
OF ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY
And the
winners
are …
By Tracie Rawson
Fans of Lures Bar & Grille and JesseJay’s
Latin Inspired Kitchen overwhelmingly
voted their support in the readers’ poll this
year.
More than 7,500 ballots were cast in 46
categories during this year’s contest —
demonstrating that eateries are dishing
it out like never before in 2024. There’s
something for everyone, from fine to casual
dining, food trucks to sit-downs, and familiar favorites to new on the block.
Editor’s note:Winners and honorable
mentions were determined by popular vote.
Readers were invited to nominate and vote
online from May to June. The results are
generated solely by readers’ votes. The Baltimore Sun does not take responsibility for the
services offered or advertised by those listed.
AMBIENCE: LURES BAR & GRILLE
Honorable mentions:
JesseJay’s Latin Inspired Kitchen
GameOn bar+arcade
Vin 909 Winecafe
BAKERY: BLACK MARKET BAKERS
Honorable mentions:
Carlson’s Donuts & Thai Kitchen
InGrano Bistro Bakery
Blondie’s Doughnuts
BAR FOOD: LURES BAR & GRILLE
Honorable mentions:
JesseJay’s Latin Inspired Kitchen
GameOn bar+arcade
Davis’ Pub
BARBECUE: PIT BOYS
Honorable mentions:
Adam’s Taphouse and Grille
The Hideaway
Mission BBQ
BARTENDER: JAMEY STALEY,
JESSEJAY’S LATIN INSPIRED
KITCHEN
Honorable mentions:
Jessica Cummings, Lures Bar & Grille
Amity Fernandez, GameOn bar+arcade
Meaghan Frisina, Lures Bar & Grille
BEER LIST: LURES BAR & GRILLE
Honorable mentions:
GameOn bar+arcade
Heroes Pub
Fox’s Den
BEST OVERALL: LURES BAR &
GRILLE
GLENWOOD JACKSON
SETTING
THE SCENE
Q&A with Sloane Brown, Baltimore’s social maven
By Michelle Deal-Zimmerman
A
s autumn enters the
chat, thoughts turn to
gatherings with family
and friends, old and
new. It’s also the start of the social
season — making it a good time to
spark new relationships.
Readers of The Sun will have their
own guide to the city’s social turn
with our new feature, Baltimore
Scene by Sloane, a weekly column
from Sloane Brown that offers an
inside look at Baltimoreans hitting
the town for galas, fundraisers,
parties and events.
We spoke with our columnist to
get the inside scoop on Charm City’s
evolving social scene.
This interview has been edited for
length and clarity.
Q: How did you become the queen of
the Baltimore scene?
A: I came to town as a television
anchor and reporter, and also
INSIDE
Baltimore Scene by Sloane checks out
the fashionable people at Baltimore
MET Gala 2024. Page 6
became a news director for radio,
so my name was kind of recognized
around town. When The Baltimore
Sun’s longtime society columnist Sylvia Badger retired, I was
suggested as a possible replacement.
And I had covered arts and entertainment, and I was out on the social
scene, so The Sun thought it was a
good fit. That’s how it began. It was
great. It still is.
Q: Now that parties and events are
coming back after the COVID-19
crisis, what are some changes that
you’re seeing?
A: COVID-19 allowed a lot of orga-
nizations to reboot. Because what
happens with events is they can
get tired, and yet you have board
members or major supporters who
are used to it being done a certain
way. And they want it done the same
way again and again. So at first, the
crisis, it hurt them, because they
had to shut down the social events.
And then a lot of them realized this
was their opportunity to completely
redo their events. The Everyman
Theatre Gala (A Night for Baltimore)
is a good example. They’ve gone
much more casual. Some events have
completely changed the time of year
that they’re held. There does seem to
be a feeling of refreshment. And I see
people enjoying themselves more
at these events. There’s a certain
amount of gratitude, like, yay, we’re
getting back out there.
Q: Any other notable differences?
A: Well, I think I’m seeing a little
Honorable mentions:
Leo Annapolis
JesseJay’s Latin Inspired Kitchen
GameOn bar+arcade
BLACK-OWNED RESTAURANT:
CHICK AND RUTH’S
Honorable mentions:
Davis’ Pub
Blondie’s Doughnuts
BREAKFAST/BRUNCH: LURES
BAR & GRILLE
Honorable mentions:
Iron Rooster
Miss Shirley’s Cafe
Grump’s Cafe
BURGER: LURES BAR & GRILLE
Honorable mentions:
Leo Annapolis
Five Guys
JesseJay’s Latin Inspired Kitchen
CHEF: KEN ZELLERS, LURES BAR
& GRILLE
Honorable mentions:
Matthew Lego, Leo Annapolis
Jesse Ramirez, JesseJay’s Latin Inspired
Kitchen
Scotty Szekretar, VIN 909 Winecafe
CHINESE: JACK’S FORTUNE
Honorable mention:
Golden Dragon
Turn to Winners, Page 4
more of a mix, which is great, at a
lot of events — ages, race, ethnicity.
There used to be silos, almost, and
I’m seeing a little more crossover. For
instance, the BSO gala used to be a lot
of blue-haired symphony fans. But
there was kind of a turning last year
— there was a huge influx of younger
professional fans as well as the older
ones. It was really nice to see.
Q: If you haven’t been socializing in a
while, and you want to get back out,
any advice on a good place to start?
A: One of the ways you can tell
about an event, sometimes, is the
Turn to Brown, Page 9
Grilled Single MD Crab Cake“Southern Fancy,”
panko encrusted, smoked gouda, pimento
cheese risotto balls, shaved Brussels sprouts,
smoked bacon and jalapeño Cajun cream
sauce at Lures Bar & Grille in Crownsville.
JEFFREY F. BILL/STAFF