If you've decided against the traditional 4th of July backyard cookout, the Wine Market (921 E. Fort Ave., [410] 244-6166) is offering a $30 three-course prix fixe menu and a prime spot to watch fireworks on Saturday. Menu choices include chilled watermelon gazpacho with sherry crab salad, cumin-dusted barbecue chicken with braised mustard greens and sweet corn spoon bread, and the oddly intriguing malted chocolate pretzel pave with Dijon and oatmeal stout ice cream. The restaurant also promises ... [MORE]

Driving up to Reservoir Hill last Thursday night, I realized that I'd been to my destination before; the John Eager Howard Recreation Center is the practice space for the Dream Nation Marching Band, who I wrote about for a City Paper story last year. Now, however, the occasion was a stop on the Go Green Hip-Hop Tour, an environmentally conscious concert event presented by something called G.A.M.E. (which, in a fundamental misunderstanding of the whole idea of acronyms, apparently stands for Gras ... [MORE]

Today we were delivered a copy of an unfair labor practice complaint, filed by the Baltimore Municipal Employees Union, Local 44, against the Baltimore Convention Center, Mayor and City Council of Baltimore. The complaint, filed June 11, charges Baltimore Convention Center management with failing to recognize the union as an "exclusive representative under the Municipal Employees Relations Ordinance," threatening and coercing union-represented employees, denying union agents access to bargaining ... [MORE]

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The local entertainment web site Metromix Baltimore, which is aimed at twenty- and thirtysomethings with plenty of disposable income, will be "integrated" into the entertainment coverage of baltimoresun.com over the next few months, according to Baltimore Sun Media Group spokeswoman Renee Mutchnick. The Metromix concept, rolled out of Chicago after Tribune Co.'s merger with Times Mirror in 2000, was a linchpin of the company's "synergy" strategy-its plan to cross-promote and cross-sell advertise ... [MORE]

For years, Monday nights at the 5 Seasons were a crucial showcase for Baltimore hip-hop, thanks to Mr. Wilson and Sonny Brown's Hip Hop 101. But since Mr. Wilson's death last year and Sonny's health problems took the weekly institution out of rotation, many people have tried to fill the void in the venue's schedule. Last summer, rapper Vision picked up the torch for a new Hip Hop 101, but it was ultimately short-lived. Earlier this month, Charm City Records took the revolving door slot with Mixt ... [MORE]

Wham City's annual celebration of the underground takes place July 10-12 at the Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland Institute College of Art Studio Center Parking Lot, and Load of Fun. The lineup is less focused on bigger name, out-of-town acts—such as last year's Black Dice, Mae Shi, and Parts and Labor—than quality local and Wham City family and friends. Among the Baltimore bands performing, there seems to be a more inclusive vibe this year with non-Wham -City-affiliated, relatively ... [MORE]

If it's been a while since you visited Harbor East's Cinghiale (822 Lancaster St., [410] 547-8282), it's time to revisit. The revamped menu now includes some early summer favorites such as crispy soft-shell crab with local lettuce sauce and fried capers and grilled black sea bass with local pea and prosciutto ragu and tarragon cream. Other preparations include seasonal ingredients such as ramps, fava beans, and morels. The best deal, however, is the $25 three-course classic Italian supper featur ... [MORE]

I didn't know much about local DJ and rapper King Illah before attending his "Illahpalooza" event on Saturday-at most, I'd seen his album Pimpin' On My Grind in the racks at Sound Garden, and caught a less than impressive DJ set at the Black Hole Rock Club. Nonetheless, he was able to pull off an all-day event at the Fish Head Cantina in Arbutus with more than a dozen artists. And, beyond that, he was undoubtedly the star of the show. Highlights during the evening included the group Planet SB, w ... [MORE]

A fleet of electric cars buzzed their way to the Maryland Science Center this week. Lime green, with zero-emission motors, the cars will be offered for rental and ride share in the coming months. For now, visitors can test them out at the Science Center. "It's what science centers do best," MSC President Van Reiner says. "Bringing emerging technology to the public and to demonstrate it in a way that is practical. We hear so much about electric vehicles and what might be possible, but today we ar ... [MORE]

This year's Virgin Mobile Festival takes place Aug. 30 at Merriweather Post Pavilion—moved from its previous home at Pimlico race track—and will cost attendees a whopping $0. Fest headliners are a reunited Blink-182 and whatever sort of bummer Weezer has become now. A not-too-shabby support crew includes the National, Girl Talk, the Hold Steady, Taking Back Sunday, and Public Enemy. Tickets will be made available June 27 at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster, which is waiving its usual fees un ... [MORE]

"I AM...YOURS": these were the last words to leave the mouth of Beyoncé Knowles Tuesday night at the 1st Mariner Arena, and the final message projected onto the gigantic video screen behind the band. It was both a gracious thank you to her fans, whom she left screaming as if they wanted more following a two-hour-and-change concert spectacle, as it was the young woman's operating mantra for the set. From the moment she appeared center stage in stark silhouette, Knowles spent the evening movi ... [MORE]