Forgive the gap in my blog entrys, but the time this spring has zipped by. The restaurant and our catering division have been extremely busy, as this time of year is always full of celebrations… everything from graduations to weddings. Linwood and I have enjoyed listening to the reactions of our customers to our recent renovations, and those reactions have been very positive! The new decor has brought new energy to our almost twenty year old “baby”, and it feels great. Another favorable response came from The City Paper this week. Check out this upbeat review entitled “Redesign of the Times” by Richard Gorelick.

“Linwoods was remodeled back in mid-April–and it needed it. It’s funny how awkwardly a classic modern interior can age, and Linwoods, after 20 years, was dated. According to a blog on the restaurant’s web site, the spring overhaul–a collaboration of Jay Jenkins and Alex Baer, who originally designed the restaurant–was nothing major: “a new color palette, new window treatments, new wall-covering, new furnishings, and an overall more contemporary, updated vibe.” There’s new carpeting, too, which looks like wood flooring.

The changes may be subtle in the particulars but they aggregate into something big. Linwoods looks awesome–and Linwoods should look good. It’s expensive. Most of the meat and seafood entrées are priced in the $30s, with a few in the $40s and a few in the $20s. There are some other options: pizzas priced in the teens, a $13 hamburger, and a $21 tenderloin sandwich. A Stoli Orange is $9.50.

In 20 years, I’d only been to Linwoods once, maybe twice, and that was years ago. My memory is of a joyless, somewhat self-important place. But it didn’t feel that way at all on a recent Saturday night; Linwoods felt lighthearted and fun. At least it felt that way seated at the restaurant’s “grill line”– a curving granite counter that places diners within inches of Linwoods’ open kitchen, as an alternative to both the dining room and the bar proper. Chef/owner Linwood Dame is still behind the line on a Saturday night, with a crew of various demeanors; some are cheerful, a few are dour. You’ll get a greeting from them when you sit down, but otherwise diners and crew tend to leave each other in peace. But if asked, for instance, which red-meat entrée is the one to get, they’ll give a real answer, none of that feeble “everything here is good” stuff. And because the kitchen runs so efficiently, it gradually recedes into the background.

The service on this night was a major asset, quick-witted, ready with opinions and advice when needed, thoughtful throughout. It set the stage for a pair of perfect appetizers: a gorgeous brown-crusted tomato tart ($10) with Gruyère and champagne mustard–a whole tart, too, not a slice cut from the whole–and a seafood taster ($15), a trio of eye-pleasing, mouth-watering treats, the star of which is a lump of tuna tartare on a cylinder of fat avocado slices, topped with a dollop of cool cucumber sorbet. Damn good, and so was the tempura shrimp stacked with mango and the pristine pile of crabmeat.

A salad ($12) of crispy fried oysters, beefsteak tomatoes, butter lettuce, and chipotle remoulade will only be as good as its simple ingredients, and all four were sterling, especially the tomatoes. A Caesar salad ($8) was merely fine, with a pleasant anchovy flavor to the dressing and a coolness to the chopped lettuce.

The Delmonico steak ($31) is simply amazing. The name “Delmonico” means different things from region to region, place to place. At Linwoods, it means a big piece of beautifully marbled meat that’s been marinated with succulent spices and pounded flat so that it cooks evenly and yields tremendous flavor. It comes with portobello frites. Two meals, easy, and it tasted better the next day. Next to this behemoth, the portion size of the grilled salmon ($31) looked meager, but it’s just an illusion. The salmon was delicious, served with a pesto sauce so brilliantly green and fresh it makes you want to fill a swimming pool with it.

Our server’s recommendation for dessert was a napoleon of chocolate brownie and vanilla bean cheesecake ($9). Good call, because it was both beautiful and somehow delicate.

I liked Linwoods at the grill line, and that’s where I’d sit if I went back. It feels like it could contend for the ultimate martini/hamburger dinner. And it has such a nice cocktail menu: “The Martini: Holland’s Ketel One Vodka with a Wisp of Noilly Prat Vermouth, Chilled to Perfection and Anointed with House-made Blue Cheese Olives. ($14).” Someone must owe me dinner.”

During our almost twenty years at Linwoods, we’ve made a special effort to keep the restaurant looking its best. We’ve replaced the carpeting several times, touched-up the faux- finished walls, recovered chairs and replaced them, and done a million and one things to nurture our business. Yet there comes a time when nipping and tucking just aren’t enough. We’re excited to announce that Linwoods is undergoing a full facelift this weekend. Workers have been on the scene since close of service Saturday night, and we hope everything will be in place for service on Tuesday. Linwood and I are anticipating this new and updated look, which is a collaboration of interior designers Alex Baer and Jay Jenkins. Alex did the design work at the restaurant twenty years ago, and it was wonderful to work with him. Jay and their great staff again. Although architecturally Linwoods will remain basically the same, there is a new color palate, new window treatments, new wallcovering, new furnishings, and an overall more contemporary, updated vibe. Tonight the carpeting is to be installed. Below are some photos of the work that took place today.

Above: Working on New Wallcovering

Above: Priming the Walls in the Front Hallway

Above: A comparison of the new and old, with the new column in our front hallway at left, and the old column at right.

Linwood dragged his tired body home a few minutes after midnight this morning with the great news that The Family Tree had raised more than half a million dollars last night at the Great Chefs Dinner and Auction. The evening went smoothly for the kitchen, which managed to orchestrate the five course dinner for more than four hundred people smoothly! Linwood’s favorite course was the Diver Sea Scallop on a Savory Sweet Potatoe Pie. He said the unusual combination of flavors worked very well together. It’s not easy to get out of bed the morning after a big event like this, and I’m sure alll the chefs, catering staff, and volunteers are feeling it. The success of the event makes it worth it…

The Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley was a flurry of activity this afternoon, as the minutes ticked away before the kick- off of the Family Tree’s Great Chef’s dinner. The elaborate table settings and decorations have been donated by area florists and event planners, and creativity and color have turned an ordinary ballroom into a fun and dramatic space, as you can see in the photo above. 

The Grand Lodge’s kitchen was also bustling with Linwoods’ chefs, who together with Chef Jim Gerhardt,  prepared his special menu from his Limestone Restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky. They will feed more than four hundred people at tonight’s event, to raise money for this child abuse prevention organization. This evening’s menu has an original, southern twist, and includes a first course of Lump Crab and Courtry Ham Crabcakes on a Fried Green Tomato with Bearnaise, a salad course, a seafood course  of Seared Diver Scallops with Kentucky Paddlefish Caviar on a bed of Sweet Potato Pie,  a main course of Bourbon Barrel Smoked Black Angus Rib Steak with Bourbon Truffle Sauce, and a dessert of Vanilla Sorghum Custard & Chocolate Chess Pie with Sassafras Anglaise, Sweet Cream & Chocolate Shavings.  Coordinating these events can be trying, but Linwood truly enjoyed meeting and working with Chef Gerhardt.                                                                                                                                                                 

Linwoods is proud to be participating in one of Baltimore’s most special culinary events. On Monday, April 14th, The Family Tree is presenting the Great Chefs Dinner. This event raises funds to support this superlative child abuse prevention organization.

For more than ten years, Linwoods’ team has joined with a celebrity chef to prepare a multi-course dinner for more than four hundred generous supporters of Family Tree. During past dinners, Linwood, Chefs Tom Devine and Bryan Davis, and our catering team have worked with Larry Forgione, Alessandro Stratta, Georges Perrier, Lydia Shire and others, to put on a fabulous evening for a great cause.

This year we will work with Chef Jim Gerhardt from the Limestone Restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky. He will create a Southern style menu for next week’s dinner, to be held at the Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley.

With the March mail came Baltimore Magazine’s annual issue of best restaurants, and we are pleased that we have been included once again on this list. I believe this is the twentieth time we’ve been in Baltimore’s Best, and we’re proud of this accomplishment. As anyone who is familiar with the restaurant business knows, maintaining consistent quality over the years isn’t easy, and it’s nice to be recognized for the continuing hard work and dedication of our entire crew! Here is our review from the March issue:

“When Linwood Dame opened his namesake restaurant more than a decade ago, it was praised for its innovative open kitchen, creative fare and sleek New York-style design. It’s nice to know that Linwoods keeps standing up to the test of time. The chic look is the same, and the kitchen turns out inspired dishes for diners who travel to the suburban outpost. A wild mushroom tart and pan-seared diver scallops will get you off to a happy start. The restaurant claims its crab cakes are the “best in Maryland,” and while we’re not decreeing a winner, the two fist-size balls are all lump crab and will appease even the most finicky local. The beef tenderloin is a carnivore’s delight with sliced, rare beef in a black-pepper sauce. It’s the perfect partner for a cone of heavenly truffle-infused pomme frites. The kitchen also turns out glorious desserts, like custard-filled beignets—three miniature pastries filled with custard and served with a warm chocolate sauce—and pumpkin bread pudding in a properly decadent caramel sauce and lush pillow of fresh whipped cream.”

 Our new cheesecake….

We’ve added a few new items to our menu to brighten up these drab days of early March. Two new appetizers include a crab and mango stack topped with a tempura shrimp. The second is a leek salad with Danish blue cheese and candied pecans in an aged sherry vinaigrette. A new entrée is a marinated 16 ounce Delmonico steak served with portabello mushroom fries. For dessert, try a new twist on cheese cake with our pastry that alternates layers of hazelnut tuile, vanilla bean cheese cake and warm brownie, served with a cherry compote. Linwood and I hope you’ll pop in and try some of our new preparations!

Snow and ice are not welcome words in our house. As every restaurateur in Baltimore knows, winter weather wreaks havoc on business. Of course, it’s not only us, but all small businesses that pay the price when the histrionic weather forecasters begin ranting and raving about approaching storms. When one owns a business, the prospect of having a snow day brings not joy, but dread. Our teenager knows he has to hide his glee about an unexpected day off from school!            

For us, winter weather makes a difficult business even more difficult. First, we must try to determine if the meteorologists are on the right track. Is there a possibility the storm might miss us? Are they exaggerating? Will they be right this time? Needless to say, the weather is far from our expertise. Then we have to wait it out. This week’s storm really turned out to be nothing, but the forecasters’ warnings were so severe, that people mobbed the grocery stores in panic mode. Meanwhile, we struggle with whether or not to stay open, getting employees to and from work, what to do about catered events, last minute cancellations, and preserving our inventories. In Baltimore, we just can’t adjust towintry precipitation!            

Every year, we deal with the aggravating weather, and it never will change. Why can’t we accept it? Frankly, I have to admit, I still feel a little bit of that “snow day” excitement at the prospect of Linwood having a night off, and bringing home veal chops and a bottle of red wine to enjoy in front a roaring fire, with the snow swirling outside. Don’t tell him I admitted that.

By Ellen Dame

Linwood and I toasted the New Year with a glass of lovely champagne, and a moment to catch our breath after a frenetic holiday season. The year 2008 ushers in a special anniversary for us. Our restaurant will have been in business for twenty years as of this September.

Twenty years ago, as newlyweds, we sat at our Scan dining room table dreaming of opening a restaurant, and began our research for our business plan, typing away on my trusty Olympia. I’m sure that neither one of us had any idea of what challenges lay ahead, and to be sure, the path has had its bumps. That said, the ride has been wonderful, and certainly never boring. Along the way in 1991, we managed to have a son, John, who was considerate enough to be born on a Sunday, Father’s Day, when Linwoods was closed! We also have managed to maintain a family life, despite the grueling requirements of the restaurant business.

It seems fitting to begin 2008 by adding a blog to our website. This will allow us to inform our customers about what’s happening at Linwoods— everything from menu changes to special events. From time to time, we’ll also report on restaurant visits during our travels, as well as some of the crazy things that happen daily within the walls of a busy restaurant establishment.

Linwood and I have been so fortunate to have watched our business grow and flourish over the years, and we want to thank everyone who has worked so hard, as well as our customers, many of whom have become our friends. Here’s to a fantastic new year, and many more to come!