FOUR DUCKS HANG IN A ROW in the NiHao kitchen, ready to be sliced for the dinner rush. The birds are at the end of a final stage of a five-day preparation cycle during which they have been dried; marinated with star anise, orange juice, cinnamon, clove, and ginger (among other things); baked; and then roasted. Their next stop is the cutting station before they are plated and served piping hot to salivating guests in the bustling dining room.
At least that was the vision Lydia Chang and chef Pichet Ong had for their Chinese restaurant in Canton when they bought the building that formerly housed Fork and Wrench back in 2018. How long ago that seems now. On this Thursday evening in early September, like every night since the restaurant opened three weeks earlier, the order of Peking duck is plopped into a to-go container with brown rice buns before being placed in a paper bag.
After all, this is 2020, and boxes of supplies—not customers—occupy NiHao’s second-floor dining room. One of the city’s most eagerly anticipated restaurants in recent memory is, at least for now, a glorified takeout joint.
That COVID-19 has been devastating to restaurants is no secret. The Restaurant Association of Maryland projects that 40 percent of all of the state’s restaurants could close permanently unless restrictions are lifted and customers begin supporting them regularly again. But in the summer and early fall, another, far tastier trend began to emerge: restaurateurs rolling the dice and opening smack dab in the middle of the pandemic.
Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Baltimore magazine.
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Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Baltimore magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Man With a Plan
The eternal optimism of Thibault Manekin.
SHOWER POWER
Locals let rain gardens soak up the storm.
THE SOFA QUEEN
Stuffed & Tufted’s Samantha Kuczynski relishes being the new face of upholstery.
The Starting Gate
At long last, plans are underway for a new “Home of the Preakness.”
CLEANING UP CITY HALL
Baltimore is the second most corrupt federal jurisdiction in the country. Can a city with our history be reformed?
THE HOMECOMING
For one family, it was time to start living in their house, not just existing there.
SUGAR RUSH
Baltimore gets a fresh batch of home-grown bakeries——and the line forms here.
GAMECHANGER SANDRA GIBSON
Executive Director, SNF Parkway Theatre & Maryland Film Festival
FROM THE GROUND UP
A new build gives a couple a house that finally feels like them.
AFTER GLOW
KEY HIGHWAY