Aug 16, 2023

Bits & Bites: A case of the ‘cursed’ space, a new beer district in Baltimore and a vegan ‘nice’ cream trail Aug 16, 2023 at 5:00 am Thank you for supporting our journalism. This article is available exclusively for our subscribers, who help fund our work at The Baltimore Sun. Expand Dining room at Sol Oaxaca Cocina Mexicana, a restaurant and bar on Belair Road which opened last May. (Amy Davis / Baltimore Sun) Every day, restaurants deal with all kinds of real challenges, from staffing to menu pricing. Here’s another that’s less common but still very much a part of dining lore: The cursed restaurant building. Consider it the industry’s equivalent of a haunted house. Advertisement Some spots just seem to bring bad luck to their tenants. These are the buildings that constantly have new restaurants cycling through, with none lasting very long. Sol Oaxaca Cocina Mexicana’s dining room at 9629 Belair Road is one such (rumored) spot. And this week, I’m here to tell you that Sol Oaxaca will soon be moving out of the building, 15 months after moving in. But owner Tom Doxanas still doesn’t believe in any “curse.” I have more details about what’s next for his restaurant — and who’s taking Sol Oaxaca’s spot — in today’s column. Advertisement Read on, too, for the scoop on a new Maryland vegan ice cream trail and a South Baltimore Brewery District. Plus, a Mount Vernon staple known for being closed on Sundays is expanding its hours. Breaking the ‘curse’ Many restaurants have come and gone at 9629 Belair Road, but the next one plans to stay a while. The owners of Sol Oaxaca Cocina Mexicana recently took to social media to share that they will be moving out after 15 months in the Perry Hall restaurant space. Come September, the Mexican eatery plans to reopen 20 minutes away at 16 Bel Air South Parkway, where burger joint Humagalas is now. Back on Belair Road, there’s already a new tenant lined up to take over the Sol Oaxaca space, and they won’t have to travel far. Conrad’s Seafood, which has been serving crabs for nearly a decade at 9654 Belair Road, will move across the street and into the building early next year. If this game of musical chairs — restaurant edition is making your head spin, allow me to explain. Sol Oaxaca, which opened in May 2022, wasn’t necessarily looking to move. But the owners of Conrad’s were on the hunt for a new venue with more parking as the end of their lease neared. A real estate broker put them in touch with Sol Oaxaca co-owner Tom Doxanas, who agreed to sell the building. “It was just a smart business decision,” he said. Sol Oaxaca’s new space in Bel Air will be slightly smaller, but will offer ample outdoor seating. Doxanas said there will be some small changes to the menu, including a new build-your-own-taco option and the permanent addition of some popular specials, like a dish of fajitas piled atop french fries. Advertisement “It’s just going to be kind of the best of the best and some more stuff to appeal to the masses,” Doxanas said. Besides those minor tweaks, the restaurant’s core will remain the same. Sol Oaxaca’s team, including co-owner Reynaldo Villatoro and executive chef Jesus “Chucho” Velasquez, are staying on. The restaurant will recreate much of its décor inspired by Mexican streetscapes — Doxanas said touches like murals and an iron balcony will be reinstalled in Bel Air. “I think we’ve learned a lot in these 15 months, and we’re really fortunate to say let’s just wipe the slate clean and do it how we should have done it the first time,” he said. Humagalas, a popular spot for burgers, brick-oven pizzas and beers, will permanently close on Aug. 20, according to the restaurant’s social media. (If you’re curious about the origins of the restaurant’s name, the Humagalas website says it’s a nickname for co-owners Bob and Bill Frankis, whose father would call them “his little Humagalas.” The term can mean “either a good and well-behaved or sometimes a mischievous, occasionally feisty son that their Mom and Dad loved,” the website explains.) Humagalas will close Aug. 20, and Sol Oaxaca Cocina Mexicana will move into the restaurant space in early September. (Barbara Haddock Taylor / Baltimore Sun) In Perry Hall, Andrea Conrad was glad to find a new restaurant space for Conrad’s that’s so close to the current one. “The only thing we’re changing is the last two digits of our address,” she said. Advertisement Conrad’s, which will mark 10 years in Perry Hall in January, plans to move across the street by the time the restaurant’s lease is up in March. The months between will be used for renovations and outfitting a crab room with boilers and other equipment. Conrad’s got its start in 2007 as a carryout in Parkville and now has two restaurants and two markets, as well as a food truck. The move to the Sol Oaxaca space will accommodate customers with 80 parking spots, double the number the restaurant has now. Andrea Conrad, who owns the restaurant with her husband, waterman Tony Conrad, and business partner Joe Lancelotta, is wholly unfazed by whispers of a curse. “They said the same thing about our building that we’re in as well,” she said. “We’re not concerned with all that.” She said the restaurant plans to stick around for another 10 years — and beyond. Doxanas doesn’t buy into the curse, either. Though, he said, some staff claim to hear mysterious noises in the restaurant after hours. Advertisement “Some people say they hear things, ghosts at night,” he said. “I’ve been here plenty at night and I haven’t heard anything.” A new beer district The Suspended Brewing Company is part of the new South Baltimore Brewery District. (Karl Merton Ferron/The Baltimore Sun) Four South Baltimore breweries are banding together to catch the attention of craft beer fans. Checkerspot Brewing Co., Pickett Brewing Company, Suspended Brewing Company and Wico Street Beer Co. said this week that they plan to work together to promote the new South Baltimore Brewery District, “a walkable craft beer district near the stadiums in South Baltimore.” The group effort is intended to generate more business for all four businesses by highlighting their proximity. “People like walking between breweries and experiencing the different beer styles and vibes of each,” Kate Conway, the owner of Pickett Brewing Company, said in a statement accompanying the news. The four breweries will launch the new beer district with craft beer releases and live music on Oct. 28. Advertisement Coconut gingersnap dairy-free ice cream is sold at the Charmery. (Algerina Perna / Baltimore Sun) This summer is shaping up to be a great one for local vegans. Last week, I wrote about Maryland Vegan Restaurant Month, and this week, I have word of a brand-new “Nice Cream Trail” highlighting dairy-free ice cream options. The trail, promoted by PETA, offers a listing of Maryland ice cream shops that offer vegan scoops. Among them: Cajou Creamery, Baltimore’s fully vegan ice cream shop, and The Charmery, which has a rotating array of vegan options like pineapple orange sorbet and cookies & coconut cream. Dairy-free ice cream options are on the rise, according to PETA, which says the global vegan ice cream market is projected to grow by more than $1.5 billion by 2026. Dish Baltimore Weekly Get the scoop on that new restaurant, learn about chef changes and discover your favorite new recipe. All your Baltimore food news is here. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy . > Now on Sundays Never on Sunday? Not for long. The Mount Vernon staple known for late-night slices of pizza, subs and Greek specials, is expanding its hours. The restaurant, famous for closing on Sundays, will be open seven days a week starting this fall, according to an announcement on Facebook. Advertisement The new hours come with a rebrand of sorts: The restaurant is now calling itself “Nevers Pizza & Grill.” News of the change was met with mixed reactions on a neighborhood Facebook page. “This feels like [an] April Fools joke,” one person wrote. “This feels dirty.” “Fantastic news!” said another.