. . .hmm. Never been there. Oh, wait . . . it's one of my very favorite cities, not to mention one that I own real estate in.
Seriously, though -- NYTimes' "36 Hours In . . ." this week is all about Big B.
"BALTIMORE is sometimes the forgotten middle child among attention-getting Eastern cities like Washington and New York. But a civic revival, which began with the harbor's makeover 27 years ago, has given out-of-towners reason to visit. Yes, there are wonderful seafood restaurants, Colonial history, quaint waterfronts and other tourist-ready attractions. But Baltimore's renaissance has also cultivated cool restaurants with innovative cuisine, independent theaters that showcase emerging talent and galleries that specialize in contemporary art. In other words, Baltimore is all grown up, but it's still a big city with a small-town feel."
Read more here.
As for the Times' food recommendations . . .
Obrycki's for crabs is pretty predictable, I guess. They are OK; they are near the Inner Harbor, and therefore accessible by tourists (in theory, anyway). But I prefer Mo's Seafood, especially the one on Eastern Avenue, east of Greektown. I also love G&M restaurant's "cat head" crabcakes. (Yep. They are that big.) But believe it or not, my favorite cakes are the premade, but as-yet-uncooked patties, from Eddies of Roland Park. Ooh, do they ever broil up deliciously, in your very own oven. (Yeah, I know, hard to do in your room at the Baltimore Hyatt.)
I'm really surprised the Times totally left out Federal Hill, except for Cross Street Market. Some of the best restaurants -- and one of my three favorite breakfast joints -- are down there. Blue Moon Cafe for breakfast?? Guys, you can do much better. (Though they do serve Bluebird Coffee, whose roastery is just steps from our Baltimore digs.) I would, instead, recomend Miss Shirley's, Spoons (in the aforementioned Federal Hill), also recently joined by Dangerously Delicious), and Greg's Bagels, in Belvedere Square.
'Course, to get to any of these, you have to leave the Inner Harbor. It's getting to be a joke, really -- travel guides and articles mention Baltimore's Inner Harbor, and maybe a couple of other things close by, but not much else. C'mon! There's waaay more to Baltimore than the Inner Harbor, and I'm kinda surprised that the NYTimes mentioned Baltimore's "cool restaurants with innovative cuisine," but didn't point the reader toward any of the neighborhoods where those may be found. Sure, Pazo and Charleston are near the I.H. (and they strangely go unmentioned by the Times), But Cindy Wolf's other restaurant, Petit Louis, is in Roland Park. Taste is up York Road near the Senator Theatre. Bicycle is in Federal Hill. Salt is in Butchers Hill. Helen's Garden is in Canton.
I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Baltimore really is a city with a small-town feel . . . but to get that feel, you have to go to Hampden, or to Greektown. Or to Pigtown. Highlandtown. Brewer's Hill. Mount Washington.
Ya gotta go outside the Harbor, hon.
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