Local Food Finds

Savory and Sweet Crepes, Forward Turns 4, Happy Hour Highlight, Halal at the Mall, 39 Cent Hot Dogs

Your weekly dose of some cool food and dining finds around town

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• Savory or sweet – the ultimate battle of flavors. Secretly, it tells a lot about a person…just kidding! For me, I’m a savory kind of gal – my spouse and toddler on the other hand, may just have a separate stomach for dessert. Thankfully, Sofi’s Crepes offer both savory and sweet crepes, to satisfy any craving, including breakfast crepes that are served all day long. Favorites include the Crepe Florentine (fresh spinach, mushrooms, gruyere cheese, and sunflower seeds, with a pepper parmesan sauce) – bonus tip is to add ham; The Moz (mozzarella, fresh basil, tomato with cracked pepper, and olive oil); Peanut Butter Cup (peanut butter and chocolate) – bonus tip is to add strawberries; and The Bananarama (banana, granola, honey, and peanut butter). You can even MYO (Make-Your-Own) crepe! Sofi’s Crepes has locations in Severna Park and downtown Annapolis.
  • Fun fact: The restaurant is named after the founder’s dog, Sofi.

• Local favorite, Forward Brewing, is turning four tomorrow (May 16, 2024)! They are throwing a huge birthday party for all to celebrate, with food and drink specials, including $4 beers from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., beer floats, Annapolis Ice Cream Co. ice cream, live oyster shucking from Annapolis Oyster Co., popular menu throwbacks (Buffalo cauli tacos, roasted shishito peppers, and Mexi street corn salad), Forward-themed trivia with Joshua at 7 p.m., anniversary stickers, and a fresh batch of flagship Annapolis Boat Beer and a special variant with dragon fruit. Yum!
  • Forward has several special events this month, so mark your calendars:
    • Tuesday, May 21: Art Farm Beer Release. Help kick off Annapolis Arts Week and raise funds for Art Farm by raising a glass of Forward’s Rose Italian Pilsner. Forward is donating $1 from every pint back to Art Farm between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Art Farm will also be selling t-shirts.
    • Thursday, May 23: Drink beer, save turtles. Forward is partnering with the Turtle Survival Alliance, donating $1 per pint sold between 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will be live turtles!
    • Tuesday, May 28: Annapolis Pride. Forward is hosting their annual PRIDE beer release party to kick off PRIDE month and raise funds for Annapolis Pride. This year’s beer is “It’s Giving Mango,” a mango sour IPA hopped with Riwaka. Over the first week of the beer’s release, 15% of all sales from It’s Giving Mago will be donated to Annapolis Pride.
• HHH (Happy Hour Highlight)! Tucked away, off the beaten path in Odenton is the Hideaway, serving up delicious southern food and BBQ. The “must order” on their menu is their award-winning wings, dry-rubbed with a concoction of seasonings, smoked over pecan wood for three hours, then flash fried (you can even get them dry-hot rubbed, made with seven peppers and served with blackberry chipotle sauce on the side). Great news – the wings are on their happy hour menu, in addition to drink specials and other menu favorites, like their crusty Georgia cornbread, glazed with honey butter. Happy hour is in their bar area, Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Fun fact: Julep Southern Kitchen & Bar in Annapolis is Hideaway’s sister restaurant.
• If you’re looking for fast casual, mouthwatering halal food, look no further than the Annapolis Mall. Baba’s Halal offers food that’s grass-fed and has no antibiotics or preservatives. They serve platters, wraps, salad, sandwiches, and baklava (yes, it deserves its own category). Favorites are the mixed platter (chicken and lamb) over rice and falafel wrap. The cherry on top is their sauces to eat with your food – the white sauce is a creamy mayo-based sauce that tastes like crack and the red sauce is super, super spicy. 

• Geresbeck’s is celebrating their 39^th anniversary! Head to the neighborhood grocery store this week, as it’s their third and final week of their anniversary sale. Highlights include 39 cent hot dogs on a roll and a cold soda (limit 2, Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.); free slices of birthday cake and a cup of coffee (Friday through Sunday); and free balloons for the kiddos. Gereskeck’s is located in Glen Burnie’s Sun Valley Shopping Center, Pasadena’s Riviera Plaza, and Baltimore’s Hawthorne Shopping Center. Check out more specials in their weekly circular.