Bite Me Baltimore: Ekiben

Hi there, Baltimore—and beyond! I’m Ivy Buchowski, and yes, I’ve officially taken over Minxeats for a little while. Kathy Patterson, aka Kat LaGue,, the brilliant mind behind the Good Scents cozy mysteries, was kind enough to let me hijack her blog so I can talk about one of my favorite things in the world: food. You might know me from the pages of her book Killer Sillage, poking around her fictional perfume shop, solving mysteries, and occasionally stirring up trouble. Here, though, it’s all about snacks, crumbs, and honest opinions (the sassier, the better). Whether it’s a pastry, a seafood delight, or a fried chicken that makes you weep with joy, I’ll be tasting, testing, and sometimes trash-talking with full disclosure. Welcome to my takeover. Grab a fork, sit tight, and let’s see what Baltimore has to offer.

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Hand me my megaphone, because I have something to say. One word: Ekiben. If you’ve been sleeping on this little slice of Fells Point/Hampden/South Baltimore foodie heaven, consider this your official wake-up call.

First off, the buns. Steamed to perfection, soft but not floppy, holding all the flavor without collapsing into a sad, soggy mess. And the fillings? Don’t even get me started. Spicy ancho chile pork that melts against your taste buds, fried chicken that’s crisped to golden glory, tofu for the herbivores among us…basically, they make everyone happy. Don't want a bun? Get it in a bowl with rice, instead. Less messy, just as delicious.

What I love most? The balance. Crunch, tenderness, spice, tang. Every bite has a story, and my mouth is the eager audience. Pro tip: get the tempura broccoli, with Chinese sausage. You won't regret it.

Pro tip: come hungry, bring a friend (or don’t, more for you), and pace yourself. One bun is good. Two? Ambitious. Three? Call me, and I'll help you eat.

So yeah. Ekiben. Go. Now. And don’t blame me when you can’t stop thinking about that tofu brah bun three hours later.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Something Brewing at Minxeats

Hey friends,

I’ve got a little secret to share. Starting soon, my very own food blog, Minxeats, is going to get a tiny bit… possessed. By a fictional character. Yes, you read that right.

Meet Ivy Buchowski, my sharp-tongued, pastry-obsessed cousin from my Good Scents cozy mystery series. Ivy’s about to take over Minxeats for a while, sharing her culinary adventures, Baltimore-style eats, and maybe a few scandalous opinions on the best sticky buns in town. Think of it as a blog takeover. She’ll be writing, I’ll be watching (mostly), and you’ll get to peek behind the scenes of my cozy mystery world… one delicious bite at a time.

Why am I doing this? Well, Ivy’s voice is too much fun to keep locked in the pages of my books, and what better way to celebrate her than with her own corner of the internet? Plus, it’ll give fans of Killer Sillage a taste of her quirky perspective before the next book drops.

So buckle up, folks. Minxeats is about to get a little sassier, a lot more foodie, and totally Ivy-approved. Watch this space. You’ll want to be here when the first post goes live.

—Kathy

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Celebrating 20 Years of Minxeats

Celebrate!

It’s hard to believe we’ve kept this blog afloat for twenty years! That’s a whole lot of recipes, restaurant reviews, reality TV musings, and general restaurant chatter along the way.

the original banner for Minxeats. Yes, it was this tiny.
Screen resolutions and monitor sizes weren't as monstrously large back then.

A lot has happened in those two decades, but I'm going to mention just a few things.

We wrote three books: Food Lovers' Guide to Baltimore; Baltimore Chef's Table; and Maryland's Chesapeake. We would’ve loved to write more, but after a less-than-ideal experience with our publisher, we’re definitely leaning toward self-publishing in the future.

We’ve recapped plenty of food-related reality shows over the years, including Next Food Network Star and several seasons of Bravo’s Top Chef. In fact, we were even invited to appear on an episode of Top Chef. Unfortunately, with only 24 hours’ notice, work commitments kept us from making it happen. Definitely a missed opportunity!

Then came COVID-19, which ravaged the restaurant industry. While some feared permanent damage—and indeed, some restaurants never reopened—I’m grateful that personal favorites like True Chesapeake and La Cuchara have hung in there and are still thriving. I personally avoided the virus until late 2023, but it left me with tinnitus and a subtle but persistent brain fog that I’ve only just begun to shake.

I tried to redesign the banners frequently.

The food world lost many culinary legends over these years: chefs Anthony Bourdain, Anne Burrell, Floyd Cardoz, Kerry Simon, Homaru Cantu, Naomi Pomeroy, Gary Rhodes, James Kent, Gray Kunz, David Bouley, Paul Bocuse, Joel Robuchon, Michael Chiarello, Mark Peel, and writers Josh Ozersky and Jonathan Gold, among others. It’s been a tough stretch.

On a brighter note, the explosion of allergy-friendly commercial food products has been remarkable, especially for celiacs and those of us with lactose intolerance. Never before have grocery stores carried such an array of alternative dairy and gluten-free options, and artisan non-dairy cheeses from shops like Rebel Cheese are truly game-changers.

Sometimes they were changed monthly.

Most recently, I took a creative leap and wrote my first novel, Killer Sillage, a cozy mystery set in Baltimore’s Fells Point. While the protagonist owns a perfume shop, the story is packed with food shout-outs—from Barcocina and Ekiben to Pitango Bakery + Café, Sacré Sucré, Rec Pier Chop House, and The Point. Killer Sillage is available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle and will publish on September 13th.

How much longer will Minxeats keep going? Who knows! We might keep sharing for a few more years, or maybe this is the perfect moment to pause. Either way, we’ll always be proud to be one of Baltimore’s OG food blogs.

One of my favorites. Unfortunately, I didn't seem to keep my all-time favorite.

Thanks so much for sticking with us all these years. And if you’re new here, dive into the archives. There’s plenty to explore.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.