Chef Cyrus Keefer's Pique Pop-Up

Chef Cyrus Keefer, formerly of Fork & Wrench and Birroteca, will be opening his own restaurant in Hampden later this year. Called Piqué, the 25-seat restaurant will feature Asian-inspired French cuisine made with seasonal ingredients.

The chef, who has cooked twice at the James Beard House in New York City and was featured by StarChefs.com for his culinary prowess, is raising funds for his endeavor via Kickstarter. There will also be a pop-up fundraising event on Thursday, January 22, hosted by Sotto Sopra, located at 405 N. Charles Street in Baltimore. The evening will start with a reception and fundraising silent auction at 6:30pm. accompanied by passed hors d’ouevres and adult libations. The five course tasting-style seated dinner will follow at 7pm, featuring a sample of what restaurant goers can expect at Pique. Guests will also receive information packets on the new restaurant and be asked to donate to the Kickstarter campaign.  

When: Thursday, January 22, 2015
6:30 p.m. Reception & Silent Auction
7:00 p.m. Seated Dinner

Where: Sotto Sopra Restaurant
405 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201 – valet parking available

Menu: Reception /Silent Auction
Passed hors d’ouevres and adult libations

Menu: Seated Dinner
pork belly dumplings+ whiskey vinegar/ dashi crema
insalada bianca + cippolini onion, pickled mushrooms, cauliflower, tart Apple
tender octopus+ tomatillos+ green curry+ coconut poached potato
egg custard+ marinated tomato & olives, smoked olive oil
duck pot au feu + roast turnips, black garlic, ginger, Thai basil

Cash bar

Tickets: $75 per person includes reception, seated dinner, tax and gratuity - does not include beverages during the dinner. Guests must be 21 or older to attend. Valet parking will be available. Purchase tickets: MissionTix http://www.missiontix.com/events/product/28970/pique-pop-up

Kickstarter: Readers can donate at Pique’s Kickstarter Page – Contact Chef Keefer for updated details on the launch date and link. pique.restaurant.ck@gmail.com 302-362-6738

Pique Social Media: Facebook Twitter @PIQUEBaltimore



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Bring Back the Woman's Industrial Exchange Lunchroom!

The Woman's Industrial Exchange, at 333 North Charles Street, was founded in 1880 with the mission to give women - Civil War widows in particular - the opportunity to earn income through selling handicrafts. While the gift shop is still in operation, the lunch room has fallen on hard times. It stopped serving Baltimore's Best chicken salad and tomato aspic in 2002; after a renovation, it reopened in 2003 under an outside operator. Since then, it has been re-opened and re-closed by a couple of other operators, none of whom were able to attract the diners who were looking for the genteel atmosphere of the past.

Now, Souper Freak food truck operator Irene Smith is planning to re-open the restaurant as the Woman's Industrial Kitchen, serving old favorites like that chicken salad and tomato aspic. But she can't do it without our help. If you can afford to make a donation toward the cause, please check out Irene's Kickstarter page: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1597828317/be-a-part-of-restoring-womens-history-in-maryland

I gotta say that this project is near and dear to me. In the early-to-mid-90s, I worked downstairs at 333 North Charles Street and would regularly sneak upstairs to buy a cupcake from the gift shop. And every once in a while, I'd have the pleasure of eating lunch with my friend Marshall's elegant mother Betty, a woman who was very dear to me. I was even on the Board at the Exchange for a while. I'd love to be able to relive a little bit of my past.

Can you help?

Posted by theminx on Minxeats.com.