Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 6:35 am Post subject: FOOD & DINING IN BALTIMORE / BALTIMORE DINING GUIDE
FOOD & DINING IN BALTIMORE
The Chesapeake Bay takes its name from a Native American phrase for "Great Shellfish Bay." So it's no wonder that Baltimore, nestled along the bay's north shore, developed a hometown cuisine dominated by crustaceans. The blue crab, in particular, has become a city staple. In Baltimore, you’ll find moist crabmeat stuffed inside Chinese dumplings, sprinkled over linguine and wrapped in fajitas.
Crab Cakes: Perhaps the ultimate crabmeat dish, and certainly the one Baltimore is most famous for, is the crab cake. You'll find these delightful crabmeat patties served in scores of bars and restaurants all over the city.
Some local favourites include those served at Phillips and Obrycki's, both of which are classic Baltimore crab-houses with convenient Inner Harbor locations. Other favourites include the South Harbor Tavern, just across from the Inner Harbor in Federal Hill, and Mamie's Café, in Hampden.
Wherever you decide to go for crab cakes, there are a few terms you should be familiar with. The first is Market Price. Crabs are both seasonal and in short supply, and thus the price varies even during the prime crabbing months of June through September. You should also know the terms Special, Backfin, and Jumbo Lump. These are the three grades of crabmeat, and rank the size of the pieces from smallest to largest. All three grades have the same flavour, and crab cakes made with Special or Backfin are usually much less expensive than those made with Jumbo Lump.
Inner Harbor
Once you've sampled the local delicacy, you'll want to take on the rest of the city's culinary treats. A great place to start is the Inner Harbor, which is in many ways Baltimore's showpiece. This dockside expanse is home to numerous educational and tourist attractions, hotels, stores, and enough restaurants to allow you to dine-out happily for weeks. Beside the aforementioned crab houses, highlights include Victor's Café, serving Italian-styled fare, and the bustling, seafood-oriented City Lights Restaurant. Then there's Hampton's, one of the finest restaurants in the city, and, according to Conde Naste, in the country.
Heading uptown from the Inner Harbor on North Charles Street, you'll soon come to the lovely neighbourhood of Mount Vernon. Here, in the shadow of a 178-foot monument to George Washington, you'll find a number of great places to dine. Two more of the city's absolute best, The Brass Elephant and Tio Pepe are located here. Relative newcomers like The Purple Orchid, which serves a blend of French and Vietnamese cuisine, and Brewer's Art, which serves creative German-styled fare, also thrive here. Finally, it's also home to an array of fine ethnic restaurants such as The Silk Road, which serves Afghani dishes, and Akbar, which serves Indian dishes.
Federal Hill
Just south of the Inner Harbor is Federal Hill. A touch funkier than Mount Vernon, it's also host to a wide range of places to eat and drink. Foremost among them is Ten Oh Six, a tiny restaurant that blends Thai and Continental cuisine. There's also Matsuri, one of the city's many fine Japanese restaurants and the One World Café, a bohemian-flavoured coffeehouse that serves great food and offers lots of vegetarian and vegan choices. Finally, over on the bay side of the neighbourhood, you'll find Joy America Café, a four-star restaurant atop the American Visionary Art Museum.
Little Italy
Just to the east of the Inner Harbor lies Little Italy, one of Baltimore's culinary treasures. At last count, this 12-block expanse was home to over 20 fine Italian restaurants. It's really not fair to name just a few, but Sabatino's, Aldo's and Della Notte provide fine examples of what the area offers.
Fells Point
On weekends, this maritime district is swarmed with college students and young professionals looking for fun in the area's many nightclubs. Bohager's, with its large outdoor dance floor, is a prime example of these. But the neighbourhood is also a favourite haunt of Baltimore's bohemian folk, who frequent coffeehouses like Funk's Democratic Coffee Spot. Then there are those places like Bertha's, an illustrious seafood restaurant, and The Horse You Came In On, an old fashioned bar, that epitomize the off-beat, blue-collar chic unique to Baltimore. There are also plenty of places to hear live music, including The Full Moon Saloon, which features blues music, and The Cat's Eye Pub, which features Irish music. And finally, it's also home to two of the towns best new four-star restaurants, The Black Olive and Kali's Court.
Canton
To the northeast of Fells Point is Canton, one of Baltimore's recently refurbished neighbourhoods. Formerly an industrial area, it's now home to Atlantic, one of the city's most exciting new restaurants, and a number of upscale cocktail bars, such as The Gin Mill and The Cosmopolitan Bar & Grill. There are also several cozy, friendly neighbourhood eateries, like Nacho Mama's and the Cosmopolitan Bar & Grill.
Many other great restaurants are scattered throughout the rest of Baltimore's many neighbourhoods. The East Baltimore neighbourhood of Greek Town is—as its name implies—host to many excellent Greek restaurants, Ikaros foremost among them. In the midtown neighborhood of Charles Village you'll find Niwana, a great Korean and Chinese eatery. Just to the north, in the Govans neighbourhood, lies the marvelous Café Zen. To the west, Hampden is home to both the aforementioned Mamie's Café and the Café Hon. Up in the quiet neighbourhood of Mount Washington, located in northwest Baltimore, you'll find several charming eateries including Ethel and Ramone's and The Desert Café. And a few minutes further west, in busy Pikesville, is the popular Olive and Sesame.
Indeed, you can count on always being able to find something good to eat, no matter where you go in Baltimore. And remember, when in doubt: order the crab cakes.
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