Press & Events

Baltimore-based Atlas Restaurant Group opened Monarque in the city’s Harbor East neighborhood Oct. 26. The latest addition to the Atlas portfolio (which includes Best of Award of Excellence winners Tagliata and Bygone) combines a nightlife venue with a French steak house, featuring whimsical acts alongside a serious wine list.

Monarque features a design by Baltimore-based Patrick Sutton Patrons are temporarily transported to France at Monarque, a steakhouse and dinner theater that debuted last month in Baltimore’s Harbor East area. Locally based Patrick Sutton oversaw the interior design of the 135-seat venue, which includes a main dining room, bar, and 20-seat private dining space. The new F&B concept marks Atlas Restaurant Group’s 14th property in the Maryland city, and it occupies the former site of an office space within a warehouse building. Acknowledging the renovation and re-emergence of the 19th-century structure, Monarque takes its name from the monarch butterfly, a symbol of transformation and new opportunity.

Hip Houstonians packed the popular River Oaks District to scare up a good time and show off their best Halloween costumes.

The Atlas Restaurant Group expanded its portfolio again this week, buying the beloved Admiral's Cup in Fells Point on the waterfront. The move is the latest chapter in the life of the 230-year-old corner bar that features live music each night. Its last redo in 2013 brought with it a focus on craft beers and local cuisine.

Inside Monarque, a stage lined with red velvet curtains is the focal point. All 200-plus seats in the house have a view of the performance area, which will host acts ranging from burlesque shows and cabaret concerts to Django Reinhardt-style jazz and sideshow spectacles featuring sword-swallowers and contortionists.

Atlas Restaurant Group will add a little sizzle to the dining experience at Azumi beginning next week.

Four Seasons Baltimore isn’t surrendering to the calendar—the property takes advantage of warm fall days with summer fun alongside the Inner Harbor. For reasons that have always confounded me, Labor Day typically delivers an abrupt end to most of the delights of summer. Which makes absolutely no sense. After all, the calendar—at least in these parts—doesn’t dictate those humidity-free, 75-degree evenings. Gorgeous weather, including some of the best of the year, lingers until Halloween. The Four Season Baltimore figured out this equation and delivers unmatched ways to enjoy the next 45 days. Here are four ways to begin:

As bars and restaurants continue to navigate the coronavirus pandemic and reopening phases, VinePair asked the bartenders below to provide a virtual tip jar or fund of their choice. More resources for helping hospitality professionals are available here. In late summer and early fall, distilleries often release limited-edition bourbons. Some are designed to accompany the upcoming onslaught of spiced holiday specialties, while others are unique blends of whiskies from different years. Bourbon lovers look forward to these releases every year as the days grow shorter and temperatures start to drop. To help celebrate National Bourbon Heritage Month, VinePair reached out to bartenders around the country to get their takes on which seasonal bourbon releases should make every bourbon aficionado’s wishlist. Keep reading to find out which bottles experts are currently pining for.

Like the simple joy of meeting a friend in a crowded coffee shop or the comforting feeling of huddling with family over heaping plates at a bustling restaurant, gathering with a group, shoulder to shoulder, for a festive day of live music can offer a thrill unlike any other. While the “new normal” can, at times, feel anything but — after all, shoulder to shoulder is limited to six feet apart these days — Houston is cautiously pivoting to allow visitors access to live entertainment in a safe and appropriate way. Over the past six months, many establishments have made the necessary adjustments in the way of sanitizing surfaces and reconfiguring furniture to offer clean, well-spaced out dining rooms and patios for social distancing. Pair that with limiting capacity and adhering to the proper CDC guidelines, the journey back into Houston’s dining and entertainment scene has been a gradual one. And for those who prefer to play it safe, many restaurants and live-performance venues offer virtual experiences as an option to bring the fun into the home.

Right now, there’s no such thing as a normal schedule. With many folks working from home and trying to stay indoors as much as possible, sometimes a random food craving that must be satisfied strikes at 11 p.m. Fortunately, Houston has plenty of killer restaurants that keep the lights on late. From late night spanakopita to breakfast for a midnight snack, check out our list of the best hideouts and diners serving well into the wee hours of the morning and offering take-out, curbside pick-up and delivery.

Rigatoni with Lobster, Eggplant, Burrata, and Pistachios JULIAN MARUCCI, TAGLIATA

Houston continues to dip its toes into the reopening phase, but it still feels kind of hard to explore all the cool things Houston has to offer. Hard, but not impossible. So we’re bringing you a fresh take on our usual “Actually Cool” lineup, zipping through virtual and at-home experiences, offering more seasonal activities and al fresco opportunities you can partake in from a safe social distance, and covering all the really, really incredible food and drink you can still procure (because at its core, Houston is still a really, really incredible place to eat and drink).

After months of strictly sheltering in place, I was craving a change of pace and scenery, and naturally, a little engagement with the outside world. But since flying is out of the question (for me, at least) until there’s a COVID-19 vaccine, I started exploring hotels for a staycation. It didn’t take long for me to decide on Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore. On top of being drivable from major cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., it had been years since my last visit. But above all else, I knew my safety would be prioritized and uncompromised.

Courtesy Julian Marucci, chef, Tagliata, Baltimore Using red wine in place of water adds flavor, body and color to this pasta dough. It works well in heartier meat-sauced dishes like Marucci’s braised beef ragù. Imported 00 flour, also called doppio zero, is made with fine-ground durum wheat that lends a nice al dente bite to pasta. If you can’t find it, you can substitute high-quality, all-purpose flour.

What will restaurants look like? With Alex Smith, Founder & President of Atlas Restaurant Group, and CBRE SVP, Restaurant Practice Leader - Emerging Concepts Jessica Curtis

Before restaurants consider reopening their dining rooms, experts say operators should review payroll practices, rehire based on seniority and develop ways to monitor employee health.

Baltimore’s vibrant dining scene often plays second fiddle to Washington, DC, Philadelphia and New York. But this harborside city boasts its share of cutting-edge eateries just waiting to be discovered. Atlas Restaurant Group continues to make a big splash with a portfolio of dining rooms in Baltimore, Houston and Florida. The group’s partners have an unstoppable vision for how to tempt our palates; their latest local spots include The Choptank, a fish and crab house, and the Mexican-inspired Maximón.

The CEO of Baltimore-based Atlas Restaurant Group on operating his 15-restaurant group in a new reality

CNBC: Marcus Lemonis offers advice to three small business owners (Video)

Atlas Restaurant Group is doubling down on the farm-to-table experience. The Baltimore-based company announced on Monday the creation of Atlas Farms in Carroll County, with the goal of supplying 100% of the produce at its restaurants and becoming a certified organic farm within three years. In addition to supplying the restaurants, the farm's fruit, vegetables and herbs will also be sold at local farmers markets and donated to area food banks, according to a release from Atlas.

In the world of dining, there are few dishes that signal “I’m splurging” more clearly than a gorgeously arranged seafood tower. Loaded down with ice and piled high with oysters, lobster, crab, shrimp, and more fruits of the sea, these towers are often as aesthetically pleasing as they are delicious. Looking to ball out on a seriously great seafood tower? Look no further than these 8 Houston restaurants, all boasting seafood towers that range from simple and affordable appetizer options to seriously massive, shareable works of art.

Federal Hill could have a new rooftop dining spot by this fall. Watershed, the Atlas Restaurant Group crab house coming to Cross Street Market, will feature a rooftop deck with seating for nearly 170 people, according to new renderings unveiled Thursday.

On Tuesday, January 14th, 2020, Houston magazine hosted an extravagant party at Loch Bar in River Oaks District to celebrate the 2020 "It List" and its 15th anniversary year. Over 300 guests walked a red carpet to the entrance of the new restaurant, where they were welcomed with whiskey tastings by Glenfiddich Gran Cru. Todd Events, Revelry Goods and LG Entertainment helped transform the venue into a '70s disco party, complete with mirrored balls and gold fringe. Loch Bar provided a delicious selection of passed hors d'oeuvres, while specialty wines and cocktails were provided by Vintage Wine Estates, Hendricks Gin, Milagro Tequila, Flor De Cana 8YR Rum, Monkey Shoulder Whiskey and Reyka Vodka. Among the evening's entertainment was a Lipstick Physic Reader, who used a lipstick print to tell guests their fortune. It was a groovy night to say the least.

The Choptank makes us proud to be from Baltimore.

The dining scene continues to soar, and, oh, what a year it was to eat—and drink—in Baltimore. What didn’t I eat this year? From foie gras and snails to matcha ice cream and crab cakes with succotash, I enjoyed it all. But a few things stand out, and there’s a theme to my picks here. Life is complicated enough—when it comes to dining out, this was the year I craved simple sandwiches, comfort food, and mezcal-based cocktails to wash it all down. In looking back, who knew that celery—a vegetable of last resort—would play a starring role on my best bites list?

To name the best Baltimore restaurants is sort of a complicated ask. We’re used to being told we’re a stopover city, a place to pass through on the way from DC to New York. And, sometimes, we relish that. We have so many well-kept secrets here that, often, it’s nice to enjoy them for ourselves. But, like a good pot of steamed crabs, we can no longer keep a lid on the great restaurants and bars Baltimore has to offer. We have James Beard-nominated chefs and cocktail programs, tons of innovative restaurants, and, yes, bushels of local seafood to sample -- but crabs are far from the only Chesapeake Bay creature worth consuming.

THREE VENUES • ONE BIG PARTY

Ring in the New Year at Loch Bar with an open bar, live music, raw bar, passed appetizers and buffet!

Baltimore's Atlas Restaurant Group will ring in the new year by opening its newest eatery in Harbor East. Maximón, a restaurant serving food inspired by South American and Mexican cuisine, is slated to make its debut inside of the Four Seasons Baltimore as part of a ticketed New Year' s Eve celebration co-hosted by the Bygone, another Atlas concept on the hotel's top floor.

Meet the Baltimore Business Journal's 40 Under 40 class of 2019

On Veterans Day, Atlas Restaurant Group is offering all veterans a special discount for their service. Joining us Sunday morning is Atlas Restaurant Group General Manager Matt Troisi.

Atlas Restaurant Group will bring some French flair to the Bagby Furniture building in Harbor East next year. The restaurant group unveiled its latest concept, a French brasserie and dinner theater called Monarque, on Friday. The 135-seat restaurant will hearken back to a bygone Paris with tin ceilings, leather banquettes and a stage hung with burgundy curtains.

Ballin’ on a Budget with Bart Scott Ep1: Alex Smith, Founder of Atlas Restaurant Group

While many people default to red wine with Italian tomato-based sauces, that's not always the best call. Wine Spectator's Hilary Sims and Julie Harans share tips for making Tagliata chef Julian Marucci's spaghetti—which also contains Marcona almonds, anchovies and chile paste—and for pairing a white wine with it.

Here's a look at new Houston eateries, nightclubs, outdoor venues, conference areas, private rooms, and other spaces for all types of fall meetings and events. The new and renovated Houston venues are available for corporate parties, fund-raisers, business dinners, teambuilding activities, client entertaining, meetings, weddings, and more.