Food Trek: Baltimore, MD

This particular trip has been on the back burner a long time. I don't mean for a few months or years, I'm talking about the more-than-a-decade-ago kind of long time. I've been to this city before, but this time marks the fulfillment of an offer made during my freshman year of college. That's when my wonderful roommate, AJ from North Baltimore (pronounced "Balmer") County, offered to take me to eat Maryland Blue Crabs someday. It seemed innocent at the time I'll admit, and truthfully I forgot about it for a while, but you better believe that when she mentioned it again this past year, I wasn't going to delay my introduction to these crabs any further. That someday is now, but let's check out a few of the notable bites before the main course.

First stop: Woodberry Kitchen, an all-star dinner with tasty fresh food, spectacular ambiance, and great company. Of particular note was their devotion to hyper-local Chesapeake ingredients, like seafood, and summer fruits and veggies. Plus their inspired teetotalers menu was one of the best I've seen anywhere.

Strawberry buttermilk and 

brown butter ice cream

Cloud 9 - Rosehips, chamomile, peppermint
ice tea, steamed milk, and honey

I love backyard fire pits!
Especially with a tasty reminder that no S'more themed 
cupcake/brownie/cookie/candy will ever top the unadulterated original.

Oregon Ridge Park just north of Baltimore:
A welcome opportunity to get outside and burn some calories 

Meet Rae.
She is the one who convinced me a few years ago 
that owning a dog could be a good thing.

Rita's Water Ice is definitely a Philly thing, but with a strong franchise system on the East Coast I had little doubt that it would taste good in Maryland. Of course, we did eat it twice in one day just to make sure.

Iconic sign in the Baltimore Harbor:
I bought over 100 pounds (!) of this stuff during my time on the East Coast.

The Inner Harbor Marina

Ok, bring on the crabs! 

Well, hello there.

First our host called ahead to prospective eateries to determine the supply and size of the crabs, and whether they were light or heavy. The larger the crab, the fewer you have to pick through to fulfill your appetite. Light or heavy refers to the fact that crabs outgrow their shell, and once they have formed a new one, they may not actually fill it completely up with muscle (and the unfilled space is just water weight). So two crabs can look the same size, feel the same weight alive, but once steamed, the heavy crab will clearly weigh more and contain more meat, and the light crab will now weigh less due to the water loss during the cooking process.

Large-sized heavy crabs. More meat, less work.

Opening a crab to eat is fairly straightforward at the start. You flip it over, there's a little tab or key-like structure (see white underbelly in bottom left of the photo above), and once you pry that up, it's pretty easy to expose the inside of the crab for picking and eating. The second part, dealing with the legs and claws, takes some real finesse that clearly I did not master during this meal. To cleanly expose the delicious meat in each leg, there's an ideal angle and specific tension required, that only repeat visits can calibrate. Alternatively, you can resort to the inelegant crab mallet (below) typically used just for the claws, to essentially brute force chisel your way in.

With great power comes great responsibility.

When it comes to taste, the crab meat is a sweat and tender reward, and it's refreshing to encounter it outside the usual crab preparations, like crab cakes and dip. It doesn't require much accompaniment, though the crabs are traditionally served with Old Bay seasoning, a local Baltimore spice blend created over 70 years ago. The spice mix contains celery salt, paprika, mustard, bay leaf, plus quite a few other ingredients, and it's pretty tasty. In fact, I think I might use it as a new popcorn topping.

Textbook technique demonstrated by our instructors.

Clearly it takes some effort, but as a person who makes a lot of food from scratch, I whole-heartedly embrace this sort of situation. However, even if you are the impatient type, or you don't like to get your hands dirty, the communal nature of this special occasion-type meal and the good eats will definitely make for a great time.

The aftermath.

I equate this meal with the following metaphor: You are a little kid standing at the edge of a giant ball pit thinking, "So, I'm supposed to just jump in and have fun?" You don't know exactly what to do, or how to do it. You aren't really sure what's in there, but it sure looks like a good time. With some encouragement, you take the plunge. Before you know it, you are having such a great time that you can't wipe the smile off your face (or all the Old Bay seasoning), and you are going at it like a veteran. Then all of a sudden, it's over, and you think "I was really hoping that would never end".

*Thanks to AJ, her husband Mark, and her wonderful family Bubbe, Zayde, Rhonda, Matt, Jason, and Rae for our wonderful weekend (we missed you Courtney)!

Check out my other recent food treks:

New York, NY

Cambridge, MA

Food Trek: Cambridge, MA

I'll be taking a short break from Philly, but before I leave, I have some serious East Coast eating to do.  First up is Cambridge, Massachusetts.

I never thought a garage-like place in the middle of a residential area would
serve as a destination lunch, but if you like lobster rolls, this place is a must.

Those who know me well, know that it takes a lot of convincing for me to get a sandwich.  What can I say?  I am a historically picky eater and you can never tell what's hiding beneath the bread! However, if there is a type of sandwich I gravitate towards, it's one that has a deliciously moist and tasty filling with no veggies (e.g., pulled pork).  So how was Alive & Kicking's version?  I generally hesitate to use terms like mind-blowing because it's so difficult to live up to, but any place that makes me feel good about paying $16 for lunch is worth mentioning.  Is it a "one and done" kind of place?  Maybe.  Do I want to research this immediately? Yes.

Not a lobster roll, but a lobster sandwich.
Better bread and more lobster.

These beautiful Dogwood blooms decorated so many streets (Thanks Susan!)

Near Harvard Square lies one of the few locations of L.A. Burdick Chocolate, and after learning about their extensive hot chocolate selection, we had no excuse but to try it out.  They had two single-source hot chocolates available, and the tasting notes for the Grenada read like a food-themed Mad lib: "A complex flavor with hints of coffee, banana, and nutmeg, earthy with a fruity cocoa flavor, high cocoa acidity, and a masculine character."  If you are a dark chocolate lover, go for a large cup on a cool night.  Just watch out for the gauntlet of truffles and chocolate bars right at the entrance.  Head to the back for the good stuff and the nicer employees.

It's a good night when your palate cleanser
 is a piece of refreshing chocolate lemon cake.

Flour Bakery is a great local Boston chain of bakeries started by Joanne Chang, who happened to work for the same consulting firm I did before venturing on a decorated pastry career.  Every time we are in town we stop for a variety of treats at this favorite place, and this time I decided I finally needed to try Boston Cream Pie.  I like the taste and the construction, but the whole time I wanted something crunchy to cut through all the fluffiness.  Chef Chang is known for her sticky buns, and the cookies and pastries are always a hit.  I have received her cookbook as a gift and I highly recommend it! (Thanks Meghan!)

RendezVous was a hidden gem in Central Square.  It was one of those dinners with good mojo:  Good service, varied and creative menu, and delicious food.  Not to forget that Sean's mom made my day (week?) by fulfilling the dream I always have at the end of a meal a good restaurant: ordering all the desserts.

Scrumptious Bluefish

Cherry crostata with caramel ice cream.

View from Cambridge to Boston's Back Bay.

At this point, I don't think I need to explain why I felt the need to run around the Charles River after the last few days.  While on my run, I passed by Craigie on Main which was the site of one of the most memorable brunches I've ever been to.  This restaurant, like the magnificent contemporary middle eastern Oleana (also in Cambridge), provided such extraordinary food in dimly lit dining areas (hence no mouthwatering pictures).  So if you are ever in the area, please find reasons to go.

Formaggio Kitchen is so much more than cheese.

Last, but definitely not least, Formaggio Kitchen is my heaven.  Don't get me wrong, I love sitting back in a restaurant and eating great food, but actively exploring this store is like a book worm discovering an old library.  Every nook is filled with carefully selected flours, fresh produce, candies, honeys, jam, and the list goes on.  I think I could spend hours here, and it's really not very large in area.  The original location is slightly off the beaten path in near Harvard Square.  Don't miss the cheese counter and the chocolate selection.

With the summer exodus of students, I truly enjoyed the slower pace and quieter summer atmosphere of this Boston neighbor.  However, quieter does not translate to boring.  As a member of a major metropolitan area, Cambridge and its world-class universities demand high quality and on-trend food.  This gastronomical focus, combined with the history and tradition of the New England area, makes for a delicious and educational getaway to sample its iconic fare.

Next Stop? New York City......