Baltimore Magazine

1 week ago | baltimoremagazine.com | Jane Marion

There’s no one factor that tips the scales when choosing who should land on ourannual Best Restaurants list. From the taste and presentation of the food to the ambianceof the dining room, everything is weighed equally. This year, however, we wantedto highlight the establishments that embody one element we’ve come to especially appreciate—the art of hospitality. During the pandemic years, we let service slide.

1 week ago | baltimoremagazine.com | Sarah Kloepple

OPENLuna Oaxaca: The longtime home of Donna’s Cafe in the Village of Cross Keys—which has sat vacant since the neighborhood spot closed in 2018—finally has new life. Last weekend, the expanded space officially debuted as Luna Oaxaca, a Mexican spinoff from the owners of Sol Oaxaca Cocina Moderna in Bel Air.

2 weeks ago | baltimoremagazine.com | Megan DeMatteo

Ken Kolodner first picked up a fiddle in 1977 with a simple goal: to play well enough to join others. Then a newcomer to music, the Baltimore native learned by ear and from other musicians. He took a classical violin lesson once but—in what can only be viewed as a sign—it was disrupted by a home robbery. Nobody was hurt but, as Kolodner recalls, “That was the end of my violin lessons.”But it didn’t stop his interest in music. He went on to attend workshops and festivals across the Mid-Atlantic.

3 weeks ago | baltimoremagazine.com | Max Weiss

It’s a shame that the first great gag of The Friend has already been spoiled by the trailer. Iris (Naomi Watts), a novelist and creative writing teacher, has been asked to take in the dog owned by her best friend, Walter (Bill Murray), who died of suicide. “This is what Walter wanted,” insists Barbara (Noma Dumezweni), Walter’s third (and last) wife. There’s no proof of this and, to be honest, it’s slightly sus that Barbara doesn’t like dogs, but Iris reluctantly agrees.

3 weeks ago | baltimoremagazine.com | Kerry Folan

Need to shake up your TBR list? (“To be read,” for those detached from the bibliophile world.)The 22nd annual CityLit Festival will convene more than 60 writers at the Lord Baltimore Hotel on Saturday, April 5, for a full day of free readings, writing workshops, and panel discussions. Later this month, on Friday, April 21, a day of poetry-focused programs will culminate in a celebratory finale at Red Emma’s in Waverly. Both events are intended to send you home with a brand new book crush.