Restaurant Association of Maryland Blog

Restaurant Association of Maryland Members Participate in Dining Out for Life

Today only, Baltimore area restaurants are participating in Moveable Feast's Dining Out for Life event!

Moveable Feast raises money to help feed hundreds of men, women, and children right here in our community living with HIV/AIDS, and other life-challenging conditions such as breast cancer. By simply eating out for lunch or dinner today at any of the participating restaurants, at least 20% of proceeds from lunch or dinner (or both) will go towards Moveable Feast. View the complete list of participating Baltimore restaurants for full information.

Thank you to our members who have opted to participate in this event! Find the complete list of the Association's participating members below.

Breakfast:

• Bonjour French Bakery Cafe
• Marie Louise Bistro
• Miss Shirley's Cafe - Inner Harbor
• Miss Shirley's Cafe- Roland Park

Lunch:

• Bonjour French Bakery Cafe
• Clementine
• Joe Squared
• Marie Louise Bistro
• Minato Sushi Bar
• Miss Shirley's Cafe - Inner Harbor
• Miss Shirley's Cafe- Roland Park
• Mount Vernon Stable & Saloon
• The Rumor Mill Fusion Bar & Restaurant

Dinner:

• Alonso's
• The Brewer's Art
• Blue Agave
• Clementine
• Gertrude's Restaurant at the BMA
• Loco Hombre
• Cafe Gia
• Chameleon Cafe
• Giovanni's
• Joe Squared
• La Palapa Grill & Cantina
• Linwoods
• Marie Louise Bistro
• Meet 27
• Mia Carolina
• Minato Sushi Bar
• Mount Vernon Stable & Saloon
• The Rumor Mill Fusion Bar & Restaurant
• Saute Restaurant & Bar
• Sotto Sopra
• Todd Conner's

 

Barbeque Tips: Labor Day Edition

The unofficial end of summer is upon us as our days of hanging by the pool, beach vacations, and barbeques come to a close. While one third of consumers are expected to be restaurant patrons this Labor Day weekend, plenty others are preparing for barbeques and parties, it is important to keep food safety tips in mind. Below are some grilling tips so that everyone has a safe and pleasant holiday weekend.

• Wash your hands! Before you begin preparing hamburger patties and chicken, make sure that you wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before touching any meat. Your hands are the number one culprit for spreading dirt and bacteria when working with food.
• Avoid cross contamination! Make sure that you don't use the same plate to prepare hamburger patties and then cut up fruit without washing the plate in hot soapy water first. Bacteria can easily spread from raw meat or poultry to your cooked or ready-to-eat food. Make sure to use separate utensils when preparing and eating your food. Knives should also be cleaned and sanitized between uses. 
• Cook food thoroughly! When it's time to grill, be sure to have your food thermometer ready! Always use it to check that your food is cooked all the way through. Ground meats must be cooked to an internal temperature of 155 degrees Fahrenheit. Poultry must be cooked to 165 degrees F; steaks, fish and chops must be cooked to 145 degrees F.
• Don't leave food outside too long! It may be tempting to set up for your barbeque early, but would you really want to eat something that's been sitting outside for 3 or 4 hours? Hot food should be kept at a temperature of 135 degrees F or above; use an insulated container to keep food hot before serving. Cold food should be kept in the refrigerator or cooler at a temperature of 41 degrees F or below. If food has been sitting out for 4 hours or longer, it's time to discard that dish. Bacteria on food can multiply rapidly often leading to foodborne illness. Better to be safe than sorry!

The information above is taken from the ServSafe® 5th edition course book, created by the National Restaurant Association. The Restaurant Association of Maryland partners with the National Restaurant Association to teach the ServSafe food safety certification program to restaurants and other foodservice operations in Maryland. Since 1994, the Restaurant Association of Maryland has trained over 50,000 foodservice employees through its Education Foundation.