New Concept Coming to Crazy Lil’s
Photo from Crazy Lil’s Facebook Page
Crazy Lil’s at 27 E. Cross St. has been a staple in Federal Hill since 2003 but, like many properties on the northern side of the Cross Street Market on the unit block of E. Cross St., it will be undergoing a renovation and its concept will be redefined. Crazy Lil’s owner Tim Buscher will be partnering with Ryan Perlberg and the team at Bookmakers to rebrand the space as a casual Mediterranean restaurant. More details will be available about the new restaurant at the beginning of 2015. The South Baltimore Neighborhood Association (SBNA) voted unanimously to approve the changes needed on the ownership of the liquor license.
Recent changes to the northern side of the unit block of E. Cross St. include the opening of Unleashed by Petco and Bookmakers and the approaching opening of The Local Fry. Planet Beach Tan recently closed at 37 E. Cross St., and Charm City Yoga and The Healing Path relocated from the property to newer spaces in Federal Hill.
Delia Foley’s Under New Ownership
Delia Foley’s recently swapped liquor licenses with Banditos and it is now under the new ownership of Andrew Carter and Jesse Selke, who have a combined 20 years of bar and restaurant experience. Carter and Selke previously worked for many years at former owner Marc McFaul’s restaurants, including Ropewalk in Federal Hill and Bel Air.
Carter gave SouthBMore.com the following update about the direction of Foley’s:
We plan on keeping the same Irish pub and local SoBo bar theme. Our plan is to focus on local Maryland brews, craft beers in general, Irish whiskey, bourbon, wings, and upscale pub food, with some old school Irish recipes. We aren’t making any significant changes initially, but our first project is to repaint the outside of the building with a ‘Kelly Green.’ We are also focusing on a bourbon and whiskey club where you can pair one of our house beers with a snifter of Irish whiskey or bourbon at a discounted price.
Carter also informed SouthBMore.com that they would be adding a grilled cheese section to the menu and Foley’s famous wings would stay the same. They are also looking to add a garage door to the Fort Ave. side of the property and will be applying for outdoor seating.
Carter and Selke have applied for a liquor license transfer that was unanimously approved by SBNA.
Garden Restaurant Listed for Sale
Garden Restaurant, a longtime South Baltimore establishment, has been listed for sale on Craigslist for $50,000. From the listing:
7 day beer,wine, liquor license on and off premise in FEDERAL HILL!
Must stay with building at 1503-1505 Light St .
Building has been running a bar and restaurant (The Garden Restaurant & Lounge) for many years, Good foot traffic!
The former Langermann’s on Light has also been on the market, as well as Riverside’s Southside Saloon.
South Baltimore Advisor Added to Governor’s Team
Anirban Basu, a highly-respected economist who is the CEO of Sage Policy Group, has been selected as a member of Governor-Elect Larry Hogan’s transition team to advise the governor on economic policy. Basu is also a contractor who has been hired by the Baltimore City Department of Planning to work closely with them and the Baltimore Casino Local Development Council (BLDC) to develop the Casino Master Plan’s long, medium and short term plans for the casino impact funds.
The areas included in the plan are Port Covington, South Baltimore, Riverside, Sharp-Leadenhall, Federal Hill, Otterbein, Stadium Area, Ridgely’s Delight, Barre Circle, Pigtown, Camden-Carroll, Saint Paul, Westport, Mt. Winans, Lakeland, and Cherry Hill.
Plastic Bag Ban Approved by City Council
New legislation that could potentially affect many South Baltimore small businesses was passed on Monday night as the City Council voted 11-1 to ban plastic grocery bags, however Mayor Rawlings-Blake said she will veto the bill. Rawlings-Blake told the Baltimore Sun in recent articles:
“The broader concern I’m hearing from business owners is that it’s going to be difficult to attract businesses in communities that really need them,” Rawlings-Blake said. “This could be something that inadvertently makes us uncompetitive with surrounding jurisdictions.”
Rawlings-Blake said she is a proponent of pro-environment initiatives, but can’t get past what she sees as a flawed process.
“It’s hard for me to get to the underlying issue of whether it should be a ban or a fee because of how poorly it was handled,” she said. “We can’t do business like that and think that we’re going to be a place where people want to invest. With a snap of a finger, the way you do business has changed [and] you weren’t even given an opportunity to speak on it.”
Cardinal Gibbons Graduate Joins the Ravens
Kiero Small, a graduate of the now closed Cardinal Gibbons High School in Southwest Baltimore, has joined the Baltimore Ravens practice squad. Small was drafted as the 227th overall pick by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft, but was later released, picked up by the Cleveland Browns, started, and then released again last week.
It was a long road to the NFL for the Baltimore native. His journey included a stint at Valley Forge Military Academy, a hiatus to work for his family’s t-shirt shop, a two-year stop at Hartnell Junior College in California, and then two years at the University of Arkansas.