A First Look At Some Of The Fun From "A Night Out At Silo Point"

What an enormous success! 

Many thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday to "A Night Out At Silo Point" benefiting Moveable Feast.

I can't wait to see the official party images which will be on the way soon, courtesy of Anne Sachs, one of our favorite photographers (Artful Weddings).

Anne was on hand to capture the fabulous crowd and the fabulous views throughout one of downtown Baltimore's most exclusive addresses. Make sure to sign our mailing list to get a first look of the official party pics.

I was able to take a few personal pics in between mingling, dancing in the penthouse and dining on goodies from Chef's Expressions, Blue Hill Tavern and the Wine Market.

One of my favorite memories of the evening came when Chase Hostler, our celeb go-go dancer from Manhattan, drew the raffle winner for our midnight Grand Prize.

Congratulations to Trevor Villet who won a very sexy stay-cation, Baltimore-style. Sky Blue Events will meet with Trevor to custom-design a weekend itinerary for him plus a guest. We'll keep you posted on all the little luxuries we pick out to personalize Trevor's weekend (including a stay at the Hotel Monaco) and help him celebrate and take in the city in style.

Oh...the possibilities! We can't wait to design something fun and fabulous for Trevor. Stay tuned!

From top left:

Whitney Sale (Silo Point & Luxury Attache) & Jennifer Grove (Sky Blue Events)

Erich Stumpe (Hotel Monaco) & Vivian Lacroix (Sky Blue Events)

Trevor Villet & Chase Hostler

Rita Blackwell (Wine Express) & Jennifer Grove (Sky Blue Events)

About Town

There are certain tell-tale signs that a new restaurant is going to be a one time visit for me or a contender for my "highly recommended" list. I'm on the fence with Blue Hill Tavern, the city's most recent contemporary dining spot located in the Brewers Hill neighborhood.

It failed all of the easy first-impression tests. The valet left us hanging curbside for several minutes without opening my door or taking M's keys. The hostess couldn't be bothered to crack a smile or show any sign she was pleased we chose Blue Hill over the city's other, more conveniently located establishments. Our waiter informed us that he couldn't wait to finish his graduate degree and get a real job. And, well...the list goes on. While none of this made for a grand first impression, I know that these staff issues can quickly be remedied with proper training and motivation if the managers and owner are aware that the quality of the staff needs to measure up to the fanciness of the robin's egg blue and gun-metal gray decor. It's the only way I'd consider a return visit.

The good news: the food was good with the potential to be great. The sweet chile bbq quail was tasty and popped with crunchy pomegranate seeds. The pork belly appetizer was served on a bed of luscious red cabbage. The sous vide short rib fell off the bone into a pile of savory collard greens. Pumpkin fritters capped off the meal on a delightful, sweet and spicy note that had me happy it was finally fall.

As for drinks, M and I enjoyed a bottle of Ridge Lytton Springs which never, ever fails to please. We had started off the evening with cocktails: a Belvedere gimlet for me and a Stoli & tonic for M. Both were so poorly mixed that they remained on the table after only a few sips.

Should we have sent them back? Yes, but we didn't want to start off our meal complaining to the waiter. After all, Baltimore doesn't churn out new restaurants every week or offer the array of fine dining options the way New York does. It was nice to go somewhere new for a change. I'd really like to see more talented chefs come to Baltimore in the future and employ a staff that cared about attention to detail and took pride in quality service. In the meantime, I'd be happy with a properly mixed gimlet and a smile from the front of the house.

Blue Hill Tavern

938 South Conking Street

Baltimore, MD