The market/restaurant trend continues as Spike and Amy Gjerde, the husband-and-wife team behind Woodberry Kitchen/Artifact Coffee/Shoo-Fly, prepare to open their butchery/restaurant in Baltimore. If the name Parts & Labor sounds familiar in DC, it is: the Neighborhood Restaurant Group coincidentally picked the same moniker for its eatery attached to Red Apron Butchery Penn Quarter, before switching to Partisan (opening soon). The general concepts are similar—lots of meat!—but there are plenty of unique elements to look for at the Gjerdes’ new spot, set to gradually debut in Charm City’s Remington neighborhood by March.
The market, helmed by butcher George Marsh, will open first in the former car and tire repair shop (hence the “parts and labor” name). As with other Gjerde spots, the commitment to local farms and producers remains strong. Fresh cuts range from traditional (Liberty Delight Farms beef) to more exotic (goat from Many Rocks Farm), plus you’ll find a a lineup of pickled, cured, and smoked meats that capitalize on a nose-to-tail approach.
An adjoining 84-seat restaurant will debut in April with, yes, more meat. Diners can assemble meals from a variety of steaks and chops, 20 sorts of sausages, and roasted vegetables, or opt for “one-pot” dishes such as chili and stew. “Rustic cooking style” takes on a new meaning here; all the items will be prepared in a hearth built from reclaimed Baltimore cobblestones as a nod to traditional Mid-Atlantic cooking methods. To pair with all that food: beer from 24 taps, with a focus on Maryland brews. If you discover a new favorite, a growler-fill station will allow guests to take suds on the road.
Stay tuned for more details closer to the opening.
Parts & Labor. 2600 N. Howard St., Baltimore.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
