Brooks Crab feast. Courtesy, Visit Baltimore.

Hear it? Yes, that’s our national anthem wafting everywhere in Baltimore, Maryland, the birthplace of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Through September 1, enjoy special exhibitions, events, and activities honoring its 200th anniversary and dine on summer bounty from the Chesapeake Bay’s waters and farms.

Baltimore (“Bawlmer” as the natives say it) is home to “Chesapeake Cuisine” and all things crab—crab cakes, crab fritters, crab soup, Crab Imperial, and the ultimate “crab feast” are just a few variations. Other culinary musts while in Baltimore include single-fry oysters, rockfish, pan-fried chicken, and corn fritters. To experience it all under one roof, head to the gleaming Lexington Market, the world’s largest, continuously running market, a landmark since 1782. Meander around the 130 vendors, but head for Faidley Seafood, established in 1886 and famous ever since for their flaky half-pound crabmeat sandwich. Their secret? Before the balled-up mix is tossed in the fryer for five seconds, they stir in chopped saltines, which give the crab meat, mustard, and Old Bay mix a fluffier quality.

Lexington Market. Courtesy, Visit Baltimore.
Phillips Crab Deck at Night. Courtesy Brown Craig Turner.
Fells Point harbor. Courtesy, Visit Baltimore.

To experience a crab feast try Phillips Crab Deck or the Rusty Scupper, or Jimmy’s Famous Seafood, all in the Inner Harbor area. Nearby is the famed Miss Shirley’s Café, serving food from early morning to mid-afternoon. On the café’s large outdoor patio or in its inviting indoor dining room, enjoy eggs benedict with fried green tomato and, of course, a crab cake, “funky monkey bread,” grits, various blackened seafoods, and other southern specialties.

Historic dining venues are all just a short distance away from the Inner Harbor area, in neighborhoods such as Fells Point, Federal Hill and Mount Vernon Square. The city offers the free Charm City Circulator, a fleet of hybrid electric buses that travel literally everywhere you’d want to go in Baltimore. They run every 10–15 minutes, and until midnight on weekends.

If you’re looking for formal dining near the waterfront, there’s the B & O American Brasserie at the elegant, historic Beaux Arts Hotel Monaco, formerly the B & O Railroad headquarters building. The lounge offers a wide variety of drinks, while the upstairs dining room provides a seasonally changing selection of American dishes, from pot roast to braised pork shanks to Arctic char. The extensive appetizer list is a fun way to experience the menu.

Gertrude’s, in the Baltimore Museum of Art on Art Museum Drive, is an Eastern Shore-inspired dining room with an outdoor terrace surrounding a fountain and reflecting pool. There, they dish up a menu of Chesapeake-area delights for lunch, dinner, and a very poplar brunch. Their number one seller—crab cakes—is offered in three variations, but Gertie’s Crab Cake, the most traditional, is the most popular.

Don’t miss the Maryland Historical Society’s 2,200 paintings, miniatures, and so much more, including my favorite, the original manuscript of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Nearby is the stunning Sascha’s 527 Cafe, housed in a glorious nineteenth-century townhouse complete with towering sixteen-foot ceilings supported by marbleized columns, with walls draped in deep red velvet curtains. Try their “taste plates,” an innovative approach to tapas.

At the Belvedere (a historic landmark in the heart of Baltimore; once a grand hotel and now condominiums) you will find the Owl Bar, known for its Prohibition-Era past. They serve soups, salads, burgers, and pizza until midnight (2:00 am on the weekends). The hip Waterfront Kitchen in historic Fells Point offers sweeping views of the Baltimore harbor and a “seed-to-plate” concept. They grow many of the ingredients they serve to accompany local fluke, rockfish, blue catfish, and duck. The highly rated Woodberry Kitchen is also known for farm-to-table cuisine and braised beef, tavern steak, 48-hour short rib, and dry-aged rib eye from the family owned and operated Liberty Delight Farms. Rounding out the extensive menu is wood roasted weisswurst (Bavarian sausage) and local “Americana” vegetables.

Owl Bar, at the Belvedere. Courtesy Belvedere & Co.

The Hampden area of town, aka “The Avenue” (West 36th Street), made famous by native son, director John Waters (Hairspray), is fun with funky food to match. You can’t miss Cafe Hon with its giant pink flamingo out front—or the beehive hair-do’s inside. Enjoy good-ole fashioned meatloaf and “Thanksgiving dinner.” Nearby is Atomic Books, where John Waters often stops by to pick up his fan mail.

To learn more about Baltimore visit baltimore.org or call 877-BALTIMORE. Their visitor center, just blocks from the convention center at 401 Light Street, is open seven days a week, 9:00 am–6:00 pm.

Steve Trombetti is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers. He authored Historic Dining Philadelphia.

 

Originally published in the Autumn 2014 issue of Antiques & Fine Art magazine, in tandem with InCollect.com. The digitized version of the entire issue is available on afamag.com.