From Sotto Sopra to Sugarloaf to BEER: events coming up

A few happenings around town that readers have brought to my attention:

• The folks at Sotto Sopra are doing a tax relief $1 Pasta Night on (you guessed it) April 15. More than that, your donations will go to benefit Kennedy Krieger Institute. The press release follows:

(Baltimore, MD-April 4, 2010) Dollar Pasta Night - dine at Sotto Sopra Restaurant at 405 N. Charles Street on tax day, Thursday, April 15th, make a donation (cash, check or credit card) to the Kennedy Krieger Institute that night and for just one dollar ($1) you can order from a selection of nine pastas - it is that simple. Sotto Sopra will be donating 10% of the evening’s proceeds to Kennedy Krieger Institute along with your donations. Reservations are required and will be taken starting at 5 p.m. through to 10 p.m. Call 410.625-

0534 for reservations.

Dollar Pasta Menu

Spaghetti alla Bolognese
Penne with Salmon and Pernod
Rigatoni with Eggplant and Mozzarella
Cappellini al Pomodoro
Fettucine with Mint and Pistachio
Penne Zucchine
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Spaghetti all'Amatriciana
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

A limited menu of salads, entrees and desserts will be offered this evening.

www.sottosopra.us

More about Kennedy Krieger

Internationally recognized for improving the lives of children and adolescents with disorders and injuries of the brain, spinal cord, and musculoskeletal system, the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD serves more than 14,000 individuals each year through inpatient and outpatient clinics, home and community services and school-based programs. Kennedy Krieger provides a wide range of services for children with developmental concerns mild to severe, and is home to a team of investigators who are contributing to the understanding of how disorders develop while pioneering new interventions and earlier diagnosis. For more information on Kennedy Krieger Institute, visit www.kennedykrieger.org.

• The following weekend the 32nd spring Sugarloaf Crafts Festival (April 16-18) happens at the Fairgrounds. I had no idea they actually had things of foodie interest but apparently they do! Exhibitors this time around will include exhibitors from as far as Massachusetts and Oklahoma, among others:
  
  
  Berkshire Sweet Gold Maple Farm
  Ron & Franks Gourmet Beverage Mixes
  Bittersweet Herb Farm
  Leonard Mountain Specialty Foods
  Meadowcroft Farms
  Deedee Desserts
  d’marie Gourmet Foods
  The Toffee House
  Terra Verde Farms
  Rising Sun Farms

• And don't forget what's going on at the Fairgrounds this weekend: The Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival! Granted it's a bit pricey but if you've got the cash and the love for beer and Bourbon AND BBQ, this might be the thing for you.
  

Owin fixin' ta not gao aout inna snaow

This is not addressed to anyone in particular, but y'all will understand the sentiment:

People, when a major snowstorm hits, why do you go and flood all the supermarkets with your presence? Seriously nobody needs THAT much toilet paper, bread or milk over a three day period.  Honestly, just whisper the word "snowstorm" around these parts and people act like they're hunkering down for Y2K.  It's not the end of the world, people.

Towsontown Center for the recession, er, holidays

Yesterday was my first chance to head to the mall - any mall, in this case Towsontown Center - for the holiday season. I was curious to see two things: 1) was it really crowded; and 2) were there really massive markdowns? My answer to both would be no. Which means both of two things: people are really waiting for those massive markdowns, and/or they just aren't shopping this season. It probably also means that Towson merchants have either not faced reality yet, or they have, and I'm one of the many people who isn't impressed by the markdowns they have. Pier One, for example, had most things marked down a mere 20%, though there are things in the 40 - 50% range.

I myself went to look, but I did buy one and only one thing: sugar-free peanut brittle ($9, a Christmas present for one family member - okay, this cookie thing isn't working out the way I'd imagined it). The lady at the See's Candies stand mentioned that the few boxes of it that they had left were it. Their supplier wasn't sending out anymore. Another cold reality about the economy today. Maybe when it finally (hopefully) gets better, See's might actually switch its Towson "location" from a seasonal Thanksgiving-to-Christmas kiosk to a full-time store, like they have all over the place in SoCal.

Actually, I did buy one additional thing at the mall, but it was for me, and it was also candy-related. I stopped by the Godiva Chocolatier for just a handful of truffles. I got three, for a total of $6. I liked two of them - their vanilla truffle in dark chocolate was my favorite, while another one enrobed in white chocolate with two different fillings was tasty enough. Their banana truffle, however, was odd-tasting, and I wouldn't recommend it.

I did get around to that brand new section of the mall also - the big, new Cheesecake Factory - Crate & Barrel - PF Chang's annex that also features a Pottery Barn (isn't this Baltimore's first?). I took a trip through Crate & Barrel, bit into a tasty free sample caramel covered in sea salt. That's all I wound up getting. Crate & Barrel is a bit expensive for, well, just about everything. Don't believe me? How about a "mini-sea-salt-grinder" the size of a Magic Marker for "just" $10? And although I didn't buy it, I thought the herb & spice jars with labels that look like they were swiped from the Periodical Table of the Elements ($13) was kind of snazzy.

Mind you, the mall may not have been overly packed, but it definitely wasn't vacant. I parked near Trader Joe's. That was more on purpose than out of necessity - my trip was bookended by TJ's. When I first parked, I went to Trader Joe's first, looking for things for last-minute odds and ends for a dinner I was throwing for friends last night (more on that in the next day or two). One thing I troll for at TJ's, Wegman's and especially Whole Foods are the free samples. At Trader Joe's they had a delicious brie fondue ($8), which was a bit difficult to spoon into individual sample cups. I bought nothing that first time, but stopped by before leaving to get some vanilla extract ($5).

Other photos

Aaaaannnnddd... What is this supposed to be exactly? Other than an "&"?

I'll kick your ass from here to Milan, so don't mess with me, bitch!

Cheap Grocery Alert

Cathy's father-in-law found frozen scallops at the Dollar General for a dollar. I just had some tonight - they're very tiny, about the size of really big cranberries. But they're tasty enough for my purposes.

A-rabbers

Fairfax mentions a diminishing breed in Baltimore City, the (mostly) African-American cart salesmen that are known as (and call themselves) A-rabbers (pronounced "Ay-rabbers"). The name may sound derogatory to those who are unfamiliar with this subculture of Charm City, but it certainly isn't. To be sure, A-rabbers are very proud of this title. A student of mine wrote a paper about the A-rabber culture that many Baltimoreans don't know so much about anymore.

I have no idea why they are known by this name, so I looked it up. The etymology is British, perhaps named after nomadic Arab traders, rightly or wrongly. And the name was applied to all street vendors. In Baltimore, this has always been their name.

Read more about this ever-smaller group of roving salesmen on their own web page, the Arabber Preservation Home Page.

The Sun Sets

I can't believe I didn't write on this sooner: Sunny's Surplus is history after 59 years of business. Their website isn't even up anymore. The outdorrs and military surplus place filed for Chapter 11 last month, and will be closed forever at the end of the day. They don't have much left - I bought $80 worth of clothing and such for $33. Most of it was pants and a pair of shorts. See if you can find anything, cuz y'all will be outta luck by this time tomorrow.