Articles by Lisa Knoll

Article - The Dish; by Lisa Knoll - 6/13/13

Meaty Dishes for Dad’s Day

Father’s Day celebrations often revolve around cooking out. My father is neither a cook of any skill nor a deft grill master. Yet come Father’s Day dinner, he is put to work. If left to his own devices, peanut butter and jelly and Lean Cuisine with a side of Entenmann’s donuts would supply all the sustenance he requires. But Father’s Day is more than about the man. It’s about the role he plays in the family dynamic, and for that he’s got...

Article - The Dish; by Lisa Knoll - 6/6/13

Tastes of Early Summer

Camp Letts’ Wingstock Festival and Gordon Biersch’s Summerbrau

It’s not summer yet, but things are heating up. This Saturday, June 8, Camp Letts in Edgewater hosts the second annual Chesapeake Wingstock Festival. This tasty fundraiser supports Camp Letts’ Caring for Community Campaign, which provides kids in need with full and partial scholarships to attend camp. Seven local restaurants fire up their best wings for both judges’ and people’s choice awards. There are lots of activities for the youngsters (12 and under get free...

Article - The Dish; by Lisa Knoll - 5/16/13

Preakness Treats

Celebrate with a Maryland original, the Black Eyed Susan

The 138th Preakness race runs this Saturday, May 18, at Pimlico Racetrack in Baltimore. Maybe you have tickets and are watching the race from the infield where you can enjoy the party crowd and headliner Pitbull. The Kegasus is no longer invited to this party. Maybe you’ll be watching the race from the comfort of your living room or attending a party with friends. However and wherever you choose to celebrate, Finlandia Vodka, the official vodka of the Preakness,...

Article - The Dish; by Lisa Knoll - 5/2/13

Cueing Up for Food, Fun and Music

Follow the smoke to the Naptown barBAYq

This weekend brings the third annual Naptown barBAYq Contest and Music Festival to the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds. This two-day fundraising event is organized by the Parole Rotary Club and has expanded to include two days of music as well as a large field of barbeque competitors with names like Que and a Half Men and Aporkalypse Now. Last year’s event raised $30,000 for local charities. The grills start rolling into the Crownsville fairgrounds on Friday, nearly 60...

Article - The Dish; by Lisa Knoll - 4/25/13

Have a Little Cake with Your Asparagus

Asparagus specials are popping up, but to celebrate 20 years, Bay Weekly serves cake

May is National Asparagus Month. This perennial spring vegetable is one of the first harvests of the season and a favorite on menus. A distant cousin of the lily, asparagus takes some dedication to cultivate, about three years before your first crop. But once it takes, the stalks can grow up to four inches in one day. If your green thumb hasn’t stretched to asparagus, you’ll find the stalky green popping up all over — in farmers markets,...

Article - The Dish; by Lisa Knoll - 4/18/13

Tasting the Entrepreneurial Sprit

Distilling Sloop Betty, a 40-year first

As Bay Weekly’s 20th birthday approaches, we reflect on entrepreneurial courage. What crazy notion compelled three family members to start a community newspaper on a wing and a prayer? Innovative thinking drives small, independent businesses. Some like to follow, some to lead and others to create. Creating is risky, expensive and typically fueled by passion. That’s the American way. The same spirit motivated brothers Chris and Jon Cook to get...

Article - The Dish; by Lisa Knoll - 4/11/13

A Toast to a Small World with Greenville Pale Ale

New and seasonal favorites bring flavor to spring

I grew up in a bucolic part of northern Delaware near the Brandywine River Valley, dubbed Chateau Country for its lush countryside riddled with duPont estates, rolling hills and horse farms. Greenville is the town center, just down the road from Nemours and Hagley Museum, the estate and gunpowder mill that was the beginning of the duPont dynasty. My father’s family has been part of the community for many generations, though we plowed a different path than the duPonts. My great-grandfather...

Article - The Dish; by Lisa Knoll - 3/21/13

Spring Menu Novelties

Brussels sprouts on pizza … Soft-shell crab on an Old Bay waffle

I admit to food biases. Some foods I have no interest in wasting calories on: sweet potatoes (even the trendy fried version), liver and onions (I get nauseous thinking about it) and fois gras (there’s that liver again). So when I was invited to try two new dishes at California Pizza Kitchen at the Westfield Mall, you’ve gotta give me credit for venturing outside of my comfort zone for two of my least favorite foods: Brussels sprouts and beets. Seasonal and...

Article - The Dish; by Lisa Knoll - 3/7/13

Change Comes to South County

New owners for Happy Harbor in Deale; La Bella Italia spices up Friendship

Restaurants come and go, reinvent themselves and get make-overs. Change is ongoing, which keeps us on our toes and piques our foodie interest. The end of February saw the changing of the guard at the classic Deale roadhouse The Happy Harbor. Recent owner Shelley Daniels sold the business to Rochester, NY, native Tony Hite. Hite has a resume that includes owning bowling centers and operating several regional restaurants. More the behind-the-scenes owner,...

Article - The Dish; by Lisa Knoll - 2/21/13

Restaurant Week Returns to Annapolis

Taste your way around town Monday, February 25 through Sunday, March 3

It’s time to hit the gym and pull on the Spanx as Annapolis Restaurant Week begins Monday, February 25. Diners have a week to visit 39 restaurants, enjoy a variety of menus and taste a myriad of flavors. It’s an adventure in the local culinary arts. From the 25th through Sunday, March 3, participating restaurants offer special menus — some just one but most offer multiple options — for a set price. Lunch is $15.95, dinner $32.95. Miss Shirley’s...