There are some places that are destinations and some that are just neighborhoods where people live, work, and enjoy life. One such neighborhood is in Baltimore County on Liberty Road. As a person who frequents the area, I  was excited to see Salvadorian eating establishment Pupuseria Y Panaderia Vanessa  pop up. It's not fancy, but it's a family-run operation that has a laidback neighborhood feel.

Going to tearooms is hard work, but somebody's has to do it, and by George I take my job seriously. So, when I looked online and found a little tea spot located in a historic property called Stone Mansion, I was very intrigued. There happened to be a Christmas tea coming up—all the more intriguing. So I come upon the property of this quaint little spot and I'm greeted by Julia Faye Briggs, owner of the Tea by Julia Faye. She is friendly like your Auntie Julia who's always trying to make sure your comfortable at her home. As she bustles around getting things ready for the Christmas tea,  I'm making myself comfortable amongst the various Victorian pieces, checking out the beautiful tea pots and other paraphenalia. Yes, this is going to be a good visit.

So if you've seen the movie "A Bronx Tale" you are probably familiar with actor Chazz Palminteri, and if you live in Baltimore you are probably now familiar with the buzz behind the actor's new restaurant, Chazz: A Bronx Original.  As the story goes, Palminteri was in town doing a show and dined at Aldo's Restaurant in Baltimore's Little Italy. He loved the Italian cuisine so much that he came back ten days in a row. It was then and there that he formed a bond with brothers, Alessandro and Sergio Vitale,  the owners of Aldo's. Having a desire to open up his own restaurant, it's no wonder he went back to the creators of his unforgettable culinary experience to form a partnership for Chazz: A Bronx Original.

The experience of Chazz is meant to transport you to an apparently sentimental era for the actor—a time where he used to frequent Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, the main culinary thoroughfare of the New York City borough. It's a warm and cozy spot to invite a few friends to eat and talk and eat some more, like you did when you were a kid eating pizza at your favorite pizza shop. Arthur Avenue isn't the only thing that's emulated, the way of making Bronx-style pizza is replicated by using a real coal-fired oven. Now we're in business!

George Martin's Grillfire, a modern American grill with a steakhouse element, is open for business at the new luxury boutique hotel, The Hotel at Arundel Preserve. It's a beautiful area, fresh and just primed for all kinds of new business. There's more than enough reasons to be optimistic that the business will come because it's already there, and so much more is on the way. The area is in expansion mode with The Hotel at Arundel Preserve, several new housing communities, Fort Meade's expansion and the new casino coming to Arundel Mills. 

When you walk in the door at Grillfire you have a really comfortable feeling, yet there's an upscale feel to the place. Rustic, yet modern—is that possible? Oh yes...and it's all by design. Although, the George Martin Group has a total of five restaurants in Long Island (three are Grillfires), General Manager, Matthew Santeramo says of the Hanover, Maryland location: "We look at this as our next level up with Grillfire. This is like our flagship restaurant. It's what we want this concept to be."

The Hamilton area of Harford Road in Baltimore has its own charms, but it's hardly the place you would think to go for upscale cuisine; yet, at Clementine that's exactly what you find. Clementine owners, Chef Winston Blick (who many Baltimoreans know from his Executive Chef Days at Sobo's Cafe in Federal Hill) and his wife Cristan Dadant provide menu items from all over the world, presenting them in a comfortable charming environment which is "quintesentially Baltimore" at its best.