If you’ve been following this site or my various social media accounts over the past week or so. you’d recall that I went down to Baltimore to visit a family member for the first time in several years. While I was in town, I visited the Guinness Open Gate Brewery and happily had several pints of Guinness on a glorious Spring afternoon. (If you know me, that shouldn’t be a surprise at all. Or as a friend joked on Facebook: Guinness should be paying you at this point. I agree with her. So what’s up, Guinness?)
I checked two of Baltimore’s most Instagrammable sites — The Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower, a few blocks from Oriole Park at Camden Yards and Graffiti Alley in the Mount Vernon section. (More on Graffiti Alley in a later post.)
I covered a a show at Ottobar, one of Baltimore’s beloved indie venues. But more important for everyone is this: I had some great food. And I think I might return — just for the food.
Caption: Fried chicken, mac and cheese and mashed potatoes platter at Taste This. Everything about this platter was amazing. But by far, me and a friend raved endlessly about the sides. In fact, she wound up getting a second serving of sides, which we happily ate later.
Caption: The Neighborhood Bird at Ekiben, Fells Point, Baltimore. This features Taiwanese curry fried chicken thigh topped with spicy sambal mayo, pickles and fresh herbs. The bun was airy and sweet yet soaked up the sauces. More of this please!
Caption: Amy’s Bayou Cafe, Miss Shirley’s Cafe, Inner Harbor/Downtown Baltimore. This features eggs (of course), blackened shrimp, chorizo sausage, tomato,. white cheddar cheese, dusted with cajun spice. Add some hash browns, also dusted with cajun spice and a biscuit. It was worth waiting 45 minutes for — and it’s rare for me, as a New Yorker to say that.
Caption: Hot Honey Fried Chicken Deviled Eggs, Miss Shirley’s Cafe, Inner Harbor/Downtown Baltimore. Arguably one of the best things I’ve had in some time. It was a great mix of spicy, creamy, fried and mustard.
Caption: Fried Shrimp and Fries, Fried Calamari and Buffalo Wings, iBar, Baltimore. There’s also a National Bohemian for me in the corner. When in Rome, right?
Caption: Birria Tacos with Eloté at Taco Town, Baltimore. The tacos were great. The eloté was delicious but incredibly messy for someone with a long, thick beard. But the consomé was among the best I’ve had.
