Katalog

I know, I know, its been nearly a year since I’ve put my MvF travels on hiatus.  But, just like Mad Men, I’m back after a long break to tell you what I think of Baltimore’s eateries.  I can only write about two of the three locations, because Obrycki’s has closed their main restaurant, only to be found in the city’s airports.  So if you fly into Charm City, eat there, and let me know how it is.

First, Chap’s Pit Beef.  Not only is this place on the show, but Adam Richman tweets about it often.  So I knew there must be something good going on there.  My mom had a pulled pork BBQ sandwich, but I had the pit beef sandwich.  I smothered it in their house BBQ sauce (even though they had the best sauce, Sweet Baby Ray’s).  I got my meat well done, and it was perfectly tender.  I can only describe the taste as a cross between roast beef and smoked beef.  It was really good, no fat, no grease, just a simple, tasty sandwich.  Not only that, the sandwich was under $7.  Good call, Adam!

Now, for Steak & Main, I had to defer to my father.  Since I won’t be getting to Baltimore again any time soon, I thought I would ask my dad to tell me about his dining experience at the place where Adam did a food challenge.  In fact, my dad was there only a few weeks after Adam did the challenge!  Unfortunately, my dad doesn’t remember what he ate when he was there.  He does remember liking it, but I couldn’t get him to elaborate.  So, with that helpful advice, if I do get down there again, I’ll be sure to come back with a more thorough report.

Even though there were no Michael Phelps sightings, this was another successful dining trip to a lovely city.  My next MvF travels will be the Jersey Shore episode (about time, I know.)  Enjoy!

I was supposed to go to England this year for vacation.  Long story short I am going next year.  In the meantime, however, I have been getting increasingly antsy and need to get this travel bug out of my system.  As we know, I like to connect my travels with Man v Food destinations, so  I decided to take a day trip to Baltimore, MD. 

My mom and I set out in the morning from New Jersey.  The drive was just over three hours, and we were there by 12:30.  Our destination was the historic ships scattered around the Inner Harbor.  The Inner Harbor is a really great place, we discovered.  There were all-you-can-eat crab boils with live bands, dragon paddle boats on the water, an aquarium, and shopping galore!  There really is something for everyone.  As for the historic ships, there are four of them.  We chose to see two, which was $14 for adults.

Our first stop was the Torsk submarine.  I realized that I have been on many submarine museums, and this one was pretty cool.  It had torpedoes, bunks where the men slept, the galley and dining area, communication center, even a view from the periscope.  It was really interesting, but I quickly came to the conclusion that I would never be able to survive the cramped living quarters for long.

After walking around some shops and getting a snack, we made our way over to the USS Constellation.  They offered a free historic tour of the ship that day, and since neither my mom nor I like reading things in a museum, having someone describe life on a ship was ideal.  We learned that the ship was built in the 1850s, and was sent to the Mediterranean Sea during the Civil War to stop blockades and to promote good will for the Union throughout Europe.  It also captured three slave ships, and returned the people to Africa.  Our guide took us below the main deck and showed us the cannons and sleeping area, among other things.  It was the best way to learn about the ship, and I’m really glad we did the tour.

^Captain’s cabin on the USS Constellation.

One thing I didn’t know was that in one of the shopping pavilions on the Harbor was a McCormick’s spice factory store.  We went in and bought  enough to keep our taste buds interested all summer!

We were tired and hungry by this point, so we drove off to a Man v Food spot, Chap’s, and later for dessert to Dangerously Delicious Pies.  You can read about Chap’s in my post above, but let’s talk pie.  I have been to Dangerously Delicious Pies before, where I had the Baltimore bomb.  It was OK, but one bite of my brother’s choice of mixed berry pie and I was hooked!  I’m not usually a mixed berry pie fan, but their recipe is just  right.  So this time I chose the mixed berry.  I had it when I got home and it hit the spot.  I also got a mini chocolate chess pie to have the next day.  It was very good but very rich.  Definitely check them out when you’re in the area.