Baltimoreans and visitors to the city’s Inner Harbor no longer have to venture to the counties for a taste of Pappas’ crab cakes.

Pappas Sports Bar opened at the Holiday Inn Inner Harbor at 301 W. Lombard St. as part of the hotel’s $4 million renovation.

Pappas has restaurants and a seafood market in Parkville, Cockeysville and Glen Burnie. The company’s crab cakes have been listed among Oprah Winfrey’s annual “Favorite Things” lists, and she’s a loyal customer. Last fall, Winfrey ordered 175 crab cakes for the cast and crew of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” when they were filming in Baltimore.

The new restaurant at the Holiday Inn serves dinner daily. The menu includes grilled sirloin salad, citrus grilled salmon, Monterey grilled chicken, imperial crab and its signature crab cakes multiple ways — on sliders, sandwiches, and single or double 8-ounce crab cakes.

Appetizers range from $7.50 to $15, salads are $10.50 to $17.50, burgers and sandwiches cost $14 to $20 and entrees run $11.75 to $30.

The restaurant also hosts a happy hour from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

In addition to the new restaurant, the Holiday Inn’s renovation included updates to all 365 guest rooms and an overhaul of its public spaces — the lobby, coffee and gift shops, business center, indoor pool and events spaces.

“For decades, this iconic hotel has graced the Baltimore skyline, and welcomed hundreds of thousands of guests,” general manager Adam Novotny said in a statement. “The renovations are extensive — it looks and feels like a brand new property and we couldn’t be happier.”

Pappas opens daily at 5 p.m. The restaurant closes at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

In brief

With a new executive chef in the kitchen and a fresh menu, Johnny’s in Roland Park has become a seafood restaurant.

In the past, Johnny’s menu has centered on American cuisine with more West Coast and Latin American influences. The restaurant, owned by Foreman Wolf Restaurant Group, still serves coffee, pastries and breakfast in the morning, but began focusing on local seafood and comfort food later in the day.

The dinner menu includes starters like Maryland crab soup, rockfish crudo and crab fluff; main dishes such as pan-fried crab cakes, buttermilk pan-fried skate wing, Maryland fried chicken and smoked baby back ribs; and sides like grilled asparagus, farro verde, and macaroni and cheese.

“There’s certain things that are just a lot more the way they should be,” Tony Foreman, a partner in the restaurant group, said.

The new menu coincided with the debut of Johnny’s new executive chef, Shane Freeland. Previously the executive sous chef at Cinghiale, Freeland joined Foreman Wolf in 2010.

Brian Lavin, the chef-owner of Gnocco, is the only Maryland chef named a semifinalist for Zagat’s first national “30 under 30” list.

Lavin, 27, opened Gnocco in Brewers Hill in June 2016, offering Mediterranean cuisine inspired by his travels to Spain and Italy. He previously served as executive chef at Fork & Wrench in Canton, and was executive chef at Salt Tavern in Butchers Hill before that.

Zagat rates restaurants based on diner reviews and creates dining guides to cities across the country. In the past, Zagat has released 30-under-30 lists concentrated within foodie cities like New Orleans, New York, San Francisco and Washington. This year marks the first time the organization is creating an all-encompassing national list.

The 60 semifinalists will be narrowed to 45 finalists in June, and the top 30 will be named in September.

Dining dates

Friday: CREAM (Crabs Rule Everything Around Me) volume 2, featuring ice cream from the Charmery and softshell crabs from Big Softy; 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Union Craft Brewing (1700 Union Ave.); a la carte.

Monday: Bottoms Up Bagels pop-up; 8:30 a.m. to noon at Rev Cycle Studio (3700 Toone St.); a la carte.

smeehan@baltsun.com

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