Power hungry: The restaurants that fuel Baltimore politics

On a recent Thursday night, the patrons at Verde spilled out the door of the popular Canton restaurant and onto the sidewalk. The neighborhood pizza joint was packed: families huddled around pizzas, friends and lovers dishing over wine, and … members of Councilman Zeke Cohen’s staff having a dinner meeting? Verde’s owners gave $1,000 this year to Cohen’s campaign for City Council president, one of many bars and eateries stitched into Baltimore’s political fabric.