Anna Leventis: a Great Person You Should Know When Traveling to Baltimore

It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child.  We have found it also takes a neighborhood to host a traveler. If you are lucky, you might run into some of these great souls when you next come to stay with us and experience why neighborhoods are so very much better than hotels.

In the first of our continuing series on the best people you should know, we introduce you to Anna Leventis.  Anna is the owner and manager of the fantastic restaurant, Sobo Café.  After leaving her career in Health Care/IT a few years ago, she bought the restaurant from the former owner.  Sobo Café has always had a great local following, but its hand written menus had seen better days, as had the dark interior.  The place was in great need of an infusion of vibrant vitality.

In a very short time, Anna and her wonderful fellow Jim have reinvented the place into the perfect neighborhood hang out.  The introduction of live acoustic jazz on Tuesday nights is one great way they have enlivened the place. They have also given it an updated appearance with warm cozy colors and re-imagined the food via an ever changing menu that features nearly everything homemade right down to the stocks, mayonnaise and even the breads and buns that they also sell for locals to take home.  The  

dining is comfort food with a modern twist.

Some of our favorite items are the smoked chicken salad, the BLT on a fresh biscuit and any of their decadent desserts to name but a few.   Jim has followed Anna’s creative lead by concocting an extensive cocktail menu utilizing only beers and wines as the main alcohol ingredients.

Anna’s love of her restaurant is very apparent in everything she does.  Her hobby for years has been food.  Whether reading about it, experiencing it while on her travels or through cooking and entertaining at home, she adores food.  Now her love has subtly shifted from the food itself to her innate ability to make others happy with what is created in her kitchen.  Actually, making her customers and guests happy is her favorite part of the job. 

Her guests’ happiness is rather evident in the numerous awards Sobo Café and Anna have won.  Fifteen Favorite First-Date Restaurants in Baltimore - October 2013 - The Baltimore Sun, Top 10 Restaurant Week Menus - July 2013 - The Baltimore Sun, and the Best of Baltimore Award - August 2012 - Baltimore Magazine are but a few honorable distinctions.

 

Anna finds inspiration from several sources.  She eagerly tries her fellow restaurateurs’ latest offerings and is always reading up on new food trends and techniques and travels widely to try inspired international fare.  Her favorite items from her own menu change as readily as the seasons do since they cook according to what are locally the freshest ingredients.  Currently on her menu she is a little in love with the Korean Chicken Fried Steak with kimchi collard greens, soy-garlic mashed potatoes and ssamjang gravy.  She also is partial to the Mushroom Stroganoff of house made egg noodles, accompanied by Swiss chard and crème fraiche.  Another favorite is the Seared Salmon with white bean puree, mushroom ragout and spinach finished with a red wine-mushroom jus.

Anna is having yet another love affair with the city of Baltimore itself.  She has always loved the civic pride felt within the city and its' great neighborhoods. Perhaps this is why so many refer to Baltimore as Smaltimore since it feels like a collection of small towns rather than a city. She also loves that you can walk away from the harbor in any direction and are able to explore some beautiful

neighborhood filled with boutiques and shops, taverns and restaurants.  Her favorite time in the city is autumn, when the weather turns crisper after the long hot days of summer, ushering in the abundance of local fruits and vegetables. 

Anna’s most proud of taking the risk to leave her comfortable corporate career to work the many, many long hours in developing a very successful restaurant.  Many of us are also glad she took the chance to follow her childhood dream of being a chef/restaurant owner.  We are certain you will applaud her adventuresome spirit as well from the very first bite you take at Sobo Café.

You can try the food yourself by adding an amazing picnic to your stay with us at Scarborough Fair Bed & Breakfast, the smae picnics many of our guests have raved about, as created by Sobo Café or just walk the few minutes down the block from our front door to where it is located at 6 W Cross Street, Baltimore, MD,  (Phone: (410) 752-1518). 

Coming Soon: Some of the Best People We Think You Should Know

Owners & Hosts: Jeff and Barry

You may have noticed that here at Scarborough Fair Bed & Breakfast, our slogan is “Visit a Neighborhood, Not a Hotel.”  The reason for this slogan is that a big part of why we have the highly acclaimed bed and breakfast that we do is the great people we have come to know and appreciate in our neighborhood and the larger city of Baltimore beyond.  When you stay with us, you are not only welcomed by innkeepers, but you are welcomed just as much by everyone in our captivating neighborhood of Federal Hill.

Now that we are approaching our seventh year as innkeepers, we have gotten to know some great people due to what they create, what they do, or even what they stand up for.  We like these people so much that we want to share them with the world. 

The goods we procure to use in making your stay so very memorable are sourced from as many local businesses as possible.  Quality is always our number one priority, followed right behind with whether something is available from a local merchant.  We hope to share some of these merchants with you as well as some of our local artists and the folks that shape our day to day existence into a much happier life.

It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child.  We have found it also takes a neighborhood to host a traveler.  If you are lucky, you might run into some of these great souls when you next come to stay with us and experience why neighborhoods are so very much better than hotels.

The Best Hotels and Places to Stay Near the Baltimore Convention Center

When traveling for business it is always a great idea to try to soak up the local culture and feel of things that make where you are as important and interesting as what you are there for.  To have a truly authentic experience that offers you comfort and surprises we suggest you reserve your stay at some of the places listed below that offer uniqueness and quality.

Being a leader in the Hospitality Industry for over six years and having my expertise featured in TV, Magazines, The Wall Street Journal  and on podcasts, and running a B&B with over 400 perfect scores on TripAdvisor, I know more than a little bit about what make good accommodations great.

Naturally there are a large number of accommodations near the Baltimore Convention Center.  Most of these places to stay offer what you would normally expect.  These are most often the same offerings that you find in any of their other rooms around the world.  If you need parking, it costs you a bundle, usually starting around $35 per day or in some cases, for each time you move your car.  All sodas, waters, snacks are extra, as is wifi.  And your room looks exactly the same whether you are staying in Tokyo, Calgary or Baltimore.  Many traditional convention hotels are overly sterile where they shouldn’t be, (lack of genuine care for you as a person), and are not sterile enough where they should be, (cleanliness should be standard not an unexpected bonus.)   

Below are a number of fantastic places to stay that are within walking distance of the Convention Center that are not your cookie cutter experience and honesty care about you as a guest.  They can also make personal recommendations on what to see and do and where to eat and explore.

Here are a few hotels and bed & breakfasts to consider that are less than a mile from the Baltimore Convention Center and for when you want to shake off the mundane business trip and turn your work into a true traveling experience!

Wait!  I know what you are thinking.  Why on earth would I even consider a stay at B&B for business?  I am not having a romantic getaway or looking to stay in someone’s spare room.  Besides, bed and breakfasts are too expensive for my company to accept on my expense report.   And you are wrong on all fronts.  

B&Bs now offer you first class rooms with gourmet foods and most have parking, beverages, snacks, wifi and more included in the rate.  Many guests see a value of over $40 per stay in what is included in their bed & breakfast stay compared to a stay at a hotel.  Many Bed & Breakfasts also offer business rates and are ready to work out a special customized rate if your company has frequent guests staying in town.

We like to think that we here at Scarborough Fair B&B are the very best choice for your business stays with our homemade breakfasts, oodles of complimentary additions to stays and being only 9 minutes by foot from the Baltimore Convention Center.  We also know we might be more than a little biased.  So here are the choices for best authentic Baltimore accommodations which are filled with hospitality, great foods and comfort.

•  Rachael’s Dowry Bed & Breakfast, only 9 minutes (. 4 miles) from the Baltimore Convention Center, “offers 21st-century comfort in an 18th century home. Conveniently situated and beautifully appointed, this Baltimore Bed and Breakfast is the ideal "home away from home" for business travel.”  They are consistently ranked highly on TripAdvisor.com and offers freshly prepared breakfasts.

•  Then 1840’s Carrollton Inn is just .7 miles from the convention center and is long on style and short on…well not much that we know of.  As their website says, “The 1840s Carrollton Inn, a boutique bed and breakfast comprised of a series of interconnected rowhomes, some dating back to the early 19th century, surrounds a central courtyard adjacent to the 1840s Plaza. This luxurious inn boasts historic quality antiques and decorator furnishings.”  High class all the way!

• Blanc Noir is .8 miles from the convention center and is a thoroughly modern B&B.  Located in the heart of Little Italy, you are also steps from some amazing food.  The four guest rooms are each themed for a major bustling city in the world. 

•  The Hotel Monaco is a fairly new member of the Kimpton Hotel Brand.  It offers lovely staff, very nicely appointed rooms and is only 6 minutes from the convention center.  As their website says, “At Hotel Monaco Baltimore, we put you on the fast track to fun, comfort and urban adventure. It's no wonder: Our 202-room boutique hotel resides in the historic B&O Railroad Headquarters in downtown Baltimore near the beautiful Inner Harbor Waterfront. At one time, our 1906 Beaux Arts building buzzed with the comings and goings of the gilded age's power players”

No matter which choice you make from the above accommodations, when you choose a unique place to stay your business trip is sure to be more enjoyable and memorable than many others you have had.