A new concept is opening in Baltimore's Federal Hill neighborhood that plans to center its world around the beloved starch, the potato. My favorite food group! The Local Fry plans to open beginning of December, if not sooner, at 21 E. Cross Street, just in time to fill your table with the side that complements all feasts. CITYPEEK's Patti Neumann sought out to interview the owners, Elizabeth and Kevin Irish of The Local Fry.
CITYPEEK: Who are the mastermind chefs behind the concept of The Local Fry?
Married couple, Elizabeth and Kevin Irish are the team behind The Local Fry. Elizabeth grew up in Howard County, Maryland and Kevin is from Ireland. They met while Elizabeth was living in Europe in 2009, got married, moved to Baltimore. After being given an opportunity to own and run a wing and sub shop, in West Baltimore, their entrepreneurial love and education of the food business began. "After 4 successful years, we decided to sell and try a new restaurant concept that we could build from the ground up," Elizabeth tells us. The Local Fry was born. Not sure the marriage of a the Irish's can call it a French fry so, let's simply call it a 'Fries Bar'! (The Irish do like good bars, by the way!)
CITYPEEK: Why the potato as the star ingredient?
Fries are oftentimes overlooked as just a side dish and our goal is to make it the star, a meal in itself. Think poutine times 10! Our menu will showcase specialty fries using fresh ingredients, all prepared in house rom a scratch kitchen. We will offer other menu items: buffalo-style wings, salads, maybe sliders...but our main focus is on our gourmet specialty fries menu. Without giving too much away, our specialty fries menu will feature fries loaded with unique toppings, sauces and seasonings.
The concept was born on our first visit back to Ireland after moving stateside. There were dishes we craved from Europe that we couldn’t find in the states. Our menu will have many dishes inspired by our different cultures and our travels around the world. It is a reflection of us as a team/couple – Irish chip meets American fry! The Local fry has been a project that we’ve been working on for some time and we are extremely excited to see it finally come to life. (Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Irish)
CITYPEEK: Why did you choose Federal Hill?
Living and working so close to the city, we often found ourselves exploring and spending time in the different neighborhoods of Baltimore. We were witnessing the ever-growing Baltimore food scene and we wanted to be a part of it. After searching for over a year both in and around the city, we found the perfect spot in Federal Hill. Our location was previously the M&T Bank and is just over 2000 square ft.
We want to actively be a part of the Federal Hill community...We'd love to hear from residents what kind of things they'd like to see and have in the neighborhood.
The new spot will be BYOB/W. Cheers and special request, truffle oil and goat cheese please!
Patti Neumann is Publisher/Founder of CITYPEEK.com & an award-winning 21 C Social Media Publicist/Influencer
on food, sips, hospitality & the good life. CITYPEEK.com has its finger on the pulse of what's hot.
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