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Mr. Rain's Fun House at the American Visionary Arts Museum Talk about shared visions. Mr. Rains Fun House is the new restaurant at the American Visionary Art Museum and never has there been a more natural meeting of minds between restaurant and venue.
When owners Bill and Maria Buszinski closed the artsy Sputnik Café in Crownsville, many of us mourned. Fortunately, you can’t keep a cosmonaut down. The opportunity arose at the Visionary Art Museum after Bill and Maria had entered in the Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race. And the relationship began.
The restaurant opened in November of 2009 perfectly matched to the museum. The art
is eclectic, and so is the food. The art comes from people who can’t help but express their personality, the food does
as well. The art is from all corners of everywhere. And well, you get the parallel.
The recipes at Mr. Rain’s Fun House feature dishes from Philippine lumpia to a twist on borscht with golden beets. At Sunday afternoon brunch, we had purple yam soup. Edamame ube crepes. Hawaiian blue shrimp. Chicken with Moroccan spices. Crab and mango tartare. Locally made pheasant sausage with grits.
Bill says it’s the kind of food that people make in their homes. Hmm. Guess that depends on which
people and whose homes. But the idea is that American cuisine is really what’s happening in the kitchens of everyone
who lives here, new arrivals and old. Hence the adobo ribs, the black-eyed pea cakes, the Mexican Turkey sandwich as well
as the hamburger. (Seems that home kitchen cuisine is on the cutting edge; visit this site for a lumpia recipe to try yourself.)
The drinks are retro with a modern twist. We had a Pimm’s Cocktail and a Ludlow (gin, Lillet Blanc, apple cider and bar-made cinnamon-infused simple syrup). We loved talking to Perez Klebhan about his ingredients; they’re inspired. And check out the amazing bar. The glass “mobile” style sculpture above it is magnificent. The Fun House is an artistic experience in itself, from the décor to the cowboy shirts. Hipness abounds. But it’s a delicious hipness. There’s just something so enjoyable about spending the afternoon delving deep into the psyche for inspiration and having the experience continue into the tastebuds.
It’s a fresh and exciting time, with or without the museum. It’ll shake up your head about flavors. And
there’s simply no cooler place to party. Of course, you don’t have to work a museum trip into the visit, but what
the heck. When was the last time you had a visit to a restaurant that was so artfully crafted?
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