CURRENT EDITION: baltimore (none)🔄 Loading BlueConic...EDITION HISTORY: No changes tracked
🔵 BlueConic: ___🍪 Cookie: ___ UNKNOWN🔗 Query: ___✏️ Composer: ___
You’re viewing the Baltimore Region experience. You can , or use the dropdown menu above to select another region.
Hey neighbor! We've set your experience to the Capital Region. If you'd prefer another region, use the dropdown menu above to select another region.

Christina Tkacik

Christina

Christina Tkacik is a food reporter for The Baltimore Banner. She joined the staff of The Banner in August of 2022 to cover all things food. Prior to that, she spent more than six years at The Baltimore Sun, including three years as the newspaper’s dining reporter and restaurant critic. After all this time in Charm City, she can pick a crab but still can’t shuck an oyster.

The latest from Christina Tkacik

The Wren, named a top restaurant by New York Times and Bon Appétit, is up for sale
The $1.25 million listing price for The Wren includes the liquor license, furniture and fixtures, and name of the Fells Point pub.
An antique clock from Liverpool is seen behind the bar at The Wren.
The Dish: Many restaurateurs love ChatGPT. Many diners don’t.
AI use has exploded across industries, but its adoption in the food world appears fraught with controversy as customers and others speak out against it.
PJ's Coffee owner Yagnesh Mehta used ChatGPT to design a Mother's Day promotion for his cafe, as well as a flyer advertising it.
Slutty Vegan is leaving Baltimore Peninsula
A press release by Pinky Cole called Slutty Vegan’s closure in Baltimore Peninsula as a “relocation,” with a new spot planned near the campus of Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Slutty Vegan, located at 2424 Distillery St., is leaving the Baltimore Peninsula.
Slutty Vegan’s next Baltimore home will be near, not at, Johns Hopkins’ campus
Pinky Cole Hayes announced Wednesday that Slutty Vegan was moving to a “new location at the campus of Johns Hopkins Hospital on Monument Street.”
Scenes around the Baltimore Peninsula on June 30, 2025. Slutty Vegan recently moved in and has been popular with patrons.
Banh mi and blackjack: Live! Casino wants to attract foodies, not just gamblers
Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland’s owners hope Truong Tien, a Vietnamese restaurant that opened there in late May, will appeal to their changing customer base.
At Truong Tien, diners can partake in dishes said to have been served to royalty. A double portion of the restaurant's banh mi, served on house baguette.
The Dish: After 17 years in prison, his next act is food influencer
Locked up at 15 and released in 2024, influencer Douglas White has turned his time in prison into a calling card.
Locked up at 15 and released in 2024, influencer Douglas White has turned his time in prison into a calling card.
Le Comptoir du Vin enters its ‘bistro, baby’ era
Le Comptoir du Vin, one of Baltimore’s favorite restaurants, embarks on a new chapter under co-owner Rosemary Liss.
Le Comptoir du Vin’s chefs discuss menu combinations and ingredients ahead of a dinner service last week.
This lava cheesecake is my newest food obsession
At Edo Cafe in Harbor East, customers can sample cheesecake that is inspired by Japan and Spain.
JANUARY 13, 2026 - Customers can sample Edo Cafe's Basque lava cheesecake at the former Chiu’s Sushi at 608 S. Exeter Street in Harbor East. Cakes can be purchased whole or by the slice, and come in different varieties like crème brûlée.
Harford County is getting 2 new places for steak
New steakhouse Butcher on the Bay is coming to Havre de Grace, while a branch of John Brown General & Butchery will open in downtown Bel Air.
Hands holding fork and knife and eating delicious juicy steak on a wooden plate.
The Dish: Boatyard’s sale to Atlas became the ‘drama du jour’ in Annapolis
The sale of Boatyard Bar & Grill in Annapolis inspired an existential crisis in Maryland's capital.
Dick Franyo announced in January that he was selling the Boatyard, his Annapolis-meets-Key-West watering hole, to the Atlas Restaurant Group, which has been fast expanding its presence in Maryland's capital. Regulars worry the sale will alter the quirky character of the longtime Eastport haunt. The restroom at Boatyard, like its dining room, is full of vintage photos and sailing memorabilia.
4 James Beard semifinalists are from Baltimore
Canton’s Café Dear Leon is a semifinalist in the category of outstanding bakery, Marta chef and owner Matthew Oetting was recognized in the category of best chef in the mid-Atlantic region, Doug Atwell of Southpaw is a semifinalist in the outstanding professional in cocktail service category, and Remington’s Pink Flamingo was named in the best new bar category.
Marta chef and owner Matthew Oetting, pictured in February 2023, is opening a new restaurant in Harbor Point.
The Dish: How Hampden’s ‘unusual’ Duchess came to be
After a career working for other big-name restaurateurs, chef Kiko Fejarang is cooking Chamorro food on her own terms.
Chef Kiko Fejarang at restaurant The Duchess on 36th Street in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood.
Atlas is rebranding Ouzo Bay, one of its oldest restaurants
Ouzo Bay will end operations next month after 14 years in business.
Ouzo Bay in Harbor East, which announced Tuesday it would be closing.
Marta is coming to Harbor Point ... with a caviar and martini cart
Matthew Oetting is bringing a seafood-focused branch of Marta Fine Food and Spirits to Harbor Point, complete with lots of caviar.
Building off the success of Marta Fine Food and Spirits in Butchers Hill, chef Matthew Oetting is opening Marta al Mare in Harbor Point.
Don’t Know Tavern to shut down; owner alleges dispute with landlord
The Don’t Know Tavern, which first opened on Light Street in 2007, is set to close next month.
Don't Know Tavern at 1453 Light Street in Baltimore.
A massive Inner Harbor hotel — and its restaurant — have closed
The Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel and its ground floor restaurant, Morton’s The Steakhouse, have both closed their doors in Baltimore.
The Sheraton Inner Harbor at 300 South Charles St. has closed, as has its ground floor restaurant, Morton’s The Steakhouse.
The Dish: Move over, Starbucks, Yemeni coffee is taking over Maryland
The Yemeni coffee trend has come to Perry Hall.
Haraz Coffee House’s new location in Perry Hall marks the Michigan-based chains first foray into Maryland. On the menu are a variety of coffee and espresso drinks as well as pastries like the Dubai chocolate-inspired mosaic cake.
Ledo Pizza cofounder Thelma Beall ate pizza once a week, even at 101
Thelma Beall, the matriarch of Ledo Pizza, died New Year’s Eve.
Ledo Pizza cofounder Thelma Beall sampled the fare at her nearby Ledo branch once a week.
The Dish: The ghost kitchen serving Indian food you won’t find in most restaurants
Unavu, a new ghost kitchen in Charles Village, aims to introduce its delicious, lesser-known Southern Indian cuisine to customers.
Chef Prakash Raj displays a prepared Dosa dish at Unavu, an authentic Indian homestyle cooking restaurant in Baltimore.
Restaurant La Cuchara closed for foreseeable future after fire
A fire in La Cuchara’s hood system Sunday night led to water damage at the Hampden-area restaurant.
Hampden-area restaurant La Cuchara is closed after a hood fire.
Load More Stories
Oh no!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes. If the problem persists, please contact customer service at 443-843-0043 or customercare@thebaltimorebanner.com.