To Baltimore for Crab Cakes and Pit Beef

Part One

I was up early yesterday morning. The Eating Team was on the road again and I had about an hour’s drive to get to our starting point. The temperature was just below freezing and a light rain had fallen overnight. I needed to leave plenty of time in case the roads were bad.

I avoided my usual route across the back roads of Hunterdon and Bucks counties. I decided to stay on the main roads in case some ice had formed during the night. I crossed the Delaware River on the toll bridge at New Hope, PA and arrived at Tony’s house on time.





I brought Tony some Kool Aid pickles. As you can see, Tony can’t quite figure out if this is really edible. You might remember this Mississippi delta delicacy from Alton Brown’s Feasting on Asphalt show this summer. He actually showed how to make them on his Good Eats show this fall. This is the second batch I have made and I have come to like them. Tony tasted one and said he liked it, but he might be blowing smoke at me.

We got on the road to Baltimore a few minutes late. Deb brought her husband’s new Garmin GPS device which amused us on the trip. Neither Tony nor I had much experience with these devices and found this one to be quite interesting. I have used paper maps for years, but this device is definitely something that I am going to look to purchase in the near future.

We arrived at our first stop in Baltimore, Lexington Market, a few minutes late. I had called Howard, our guide and host for the day, and warned him. Since we entered the market right by the Mary Mervis deli we decided to start there.





Mary Mervis was one of our planned stops. They have been serving sandwiches in Baltimore since 1913. We had been told that their shrimp salad sandwich was very good. We found the shrimp salad to be light & creamy with a hint of Old Bay seasoning. The shrimp in the salad were also fresh and tasty.





As we were chatting with some of the people at the counter they noticed our shirts. Some of the Eating Team wear distinctive shirts when we travel and we tend to stand out. As we were chatting they offered us some of their corned beef. The corned beef was good, but this was our first stop and we had corned beef planned for later. We did not order a corned beef sandwich.



Across the aisle from Mary Mervis was a shop that sold Utz of Hanover products. Howard explained to us that the chips are shipped fresh from the factory in large barrels. They are then repackaged in small bags at the market to ensure freshness.



We purchased a small bag as a sample and found them to be very fresh. There was a wide selection of chip varieties available, including one called Crab Chips. These chips are flavored with Baltimore’s all purpose and ubiquitous seasoning, Old Bay.

Having whetted our appetites, we were now ready for some serious eating. It was time for the first crab cake of the day so we headed over to Faidley Sea Food.





Faidley makes one of the best known crab cakes in Baltimore. A few years ago, I spent a bit of time in Baltimore and had tried their crab cake. At that time it was the best crab cake I had found in Baltimore. Today would be the day that I learned how good they really were. The best crab cake Faidley makes is the jumbo lump cake. In the picture above you can see several of these waiting to be finished off on the grill.



This picture shows two Faidley jumbo lump crab cakes as they are served. The crab cakes are prepped and then finished on a grill. We found these cakes to have a light flavor of Old Bay and a good crab taste. Unlike some other crab cakes there was not much filler or binder. A good crab cake has only enough filler or binder to hold it together as it is prepared. Once it is served it almost falls apart as you eat it.



In this picture Howard is showing us the Baltimore protocol for eating crab cakes. You must put a little bit of the crab cake on a saltine.

We found one objection to the Faidley crab cake. The cake is not grilled very long and the center is still a little cool. This makes for a bit of a wet center which some of our tasters found objectionable. However, we still found this to be an acceptable crab cake.



As we were leaving Faidley’s I saw this sign. It was located in the fresh fish section, so I am assuming the raccoons are dressed rather than live. We did not see any raccoon carcasses mixed in with the fish so they must be kept in a refrigerator somewhere else. I thought that $20 for a raccoon was quite reasonable, but was not sure how to season it. I opted not to get raccoon take out for dinner.

Now we come to the first really outstanding item we enjoyed on the trip. As I was researching the trip, Howard had given me some great information about different places to consider. He had highly recommended Berger’s cookies and had said that their Chocolate Crème was an excellent cookie.



I have to admit that I had said to myself, "How good can a cookie really be?” I was looking forward to trying the cookie, but I was not expecting such an exceptional treat.



I find it hard to describe how rich this cookie is. The short bread bottom of the cookie by itself would be amongst the best cookies I have ever eaten. I do not know if I have ever had chocolate as good as what is used to cover the short bread. This was about the most flavorful and rich dark chocolate I have ever tasted. Putting the two together creates as good a cookie as you will find anywhere. The cookies you see were all eaten before we left the market. Thankfully, Howard saved the day. He told us that Berger sells these cookies fresh to local grocery and convenience stores. Before we left Baltimore for the day we bought some to take home.





One of our Eating Team members, Deb, is a baker. She bought these slices of rainbow and red velvet cakes. I have not adjusted the colors in these photos, or any of the photos in this report. The colors you see are the colors of the actual food item. I neglected to check to see if Deb sampled the rainbow cake. She did say that the red velvet did not have as much chocolate flavor as she would have liked. I told her that I remember being similarly disappointed with a red velvet cake in Memphis last year.

That is all I have time to post today. We stopped at a lot more places, but I will have to post more tomorrow.

The rainbow cake looks like the case against irradiated food...when you turned off the lights was it glowing?

Not to hijack the thread and turn it into one on red velvet cake, but I'm going to try the recipe from the "Cake Mix Doctor" chocolate book over Christmas. Her recipes are really, really wonderful, and I think using a mix would provide much more chocolate flavor than the 2-3 tablespoons of cocoa usually in a scratch red velvet recipe.

Nice pictures...I like the crab cakes on saltines with a little tartar sauce.

Sorry I couldn't join you guys on this trip. signman is the man when it comes to all things Baltimore.

I've had the Berger cookies before courtesy of Howard and have had coddies with him in the parking lot of G&M at the first Crabstock a few years ago. Both of these Bawlmore specialties are very, very good.

Nice pics...looking forward to seeing more from your tour.

You will find Rainbow Cake all over town. Obviously lots of food coloring used. But to be honest, I've never noticed Rainbow Cake in other places. I know you won't find coddies or Berger's Cookies anywhere else, but do you have Rainbow Cake where you live?

Great report so far.

I'm glad to see that there were several "roadfood excursions" over the weekend here in the Northeast (and of course Buffetbuster's in the Southwest)

Looking forward to hearing more about your gastronomic day.

I want a Mary Mervis shrimp salad on rye followed by a couple of berger cookies![|)] I got to start planing a trip back home to Baltimore come spring (well after all chances of snow are past)

OCdreamr -

Howard showed us that the Mary Mervis shrimp salad was supposed to be on rye. Unfortunately, I had already ordrered ours on a kaiser roll. Shrimp salad on rye will have to wait for the next trip.

THANKS to Howard for taking some of us Eatingteam members on this tour. Really added so much to our best of lists. I think I counted 7 items and places that I am adding to our best of lists. Howard again, THANK YOU!!!!

Tony

It was my pleasure. Great to meet you and the rest of the crew. I'm sure I'll see you again for some good Philly style eats.

The whole time I was reading the report, I was wondering if the Howard being mentioned was, in fact, our very own signman.

It looks like I will be up your way just after New Year's. If you are back from your Mexico adventure, perhaps we could do a repeat of some more crab cakes???? I will let you know when my dates firm up a little better.

Part 2

Our next stop was one that was not on our list. The Eating Team has a habit of trying sausages almost everywhere we go. When we saw Polock Johnny’s advertising Famous Polish Sausages we had to see what this was all about, especially since they claimed to have been around since 1921.





The item pictured is what is called a “Polish with the works”. In our opinion this was more like a hot dog than any Polish sausage we knew. I consider the Chicago “Polish” sausage to be almost the same as a hot dog. I like it, but to me it is more like a hot dog than what I have come to know as Polish sausage in other areas of the country. The sauce had a bit of crunch and a bit of hot tang to accentuate the onions and peppers. All in all we were not impressed by this item.

On our way out of the market, Howard wanted us to try the western fries at Park's Fried Chicken. As I explored the market, besides the sign advertising raccoon, I had seen uncooked pigs trotters, hog jowls, pig’s tails, and many other unusual items for sale. Park's had chicken gizzards for sale as well as a special on chicken necks – 10 for $2.





I had never heard of western fries before. They are pictured above. They are a soft potato, like an Idaho potato, that is cut into thick wedges and deep fried. They were not extremely crisp or crunchy on the outside, but inside they were as creamy and tender as any potato I have ever eaten. Another thing I found amazing was how hot they were and how long they maintained their heat. This is another must have dish when you visit Lexington Market.



Deb decided to try the mac n cheese from Park's. Tony started talking to some people who asked him about his shirt. We gave the mac n cheese a thumbs up. It was creamy, spicy, and smooth. Deb was trying to place the taste so she asked the counter workers what was in it. Of course, the secret spice turned out to be Old Bay. This mac n cheese had just a hint, not an overpowering flavor of Old Bay. We were still coming to a true understanding that Old Bay, or its equivalent, is used to make almost everything in Baltimore.



As Tony was talking to some curious passers by about the Eating Team, I was amazed at how many people are interested in the “food tourism” that we like to do on weekends. During the course of the day we must have run into 25 people who expressed an interest in our hobby. Anyone who is interested in joining us on a future tour or keeping current on our plans can contact either me or Tony. Tony posts on Roadfood as “eatingteam”.





Park's was our last stop at Lexington Market. As we were leaving I grabbed these pictures of the peanut vendor who sets up on the sidewalk outside the market. The canister shaped machine is the actual roaster they were using for the peanuts that day.

Having finished with Lexington Market, we were off to Corned Beef Row for our next Baltimore specialty, the coddie. Howard describes the coddie as cod flakes mixed into mashed potatoes and flavored with onion powder. It is cooked in the deep fryer. Coddies are found exclusively in Baltimore as far as we know. It developed in the Jewish community as a kosher alternative to the crab cake and was once sold from pushcarts on the street and in almost every tavern. Our first stop for coddies was Attman’s Deli.





Attman’s is one of the few restaurants remaining on what was once a thriving street in the former Jewish community. The area is known as Corned Beef Row.





Here are some pictures of the Eating Team chatting at the counter and the coddie, our reason for visiting Attman’s. You can see the coddies on the tray in the deli case. One of the counter workers also gave us a sample of the corned beef. I found it to be quite good and was looking forward to our corned beef sandwich.





The eating area at Attman’s is called the Kibitz Room. We found this eating area a nice place to sit, relax, eat, and well, kibitz! Although we are big fressers, we did not take the challenge and try to get some free sandwiches. We had far too many things to eat that afternoon and did not want to fill up here.





Above is a plate of Attman’s coddies. They were served in the traditional manner which is between two saltine crackers with a schmeer of mustard. According to Howard, our resident expert, the coddie is supposed to be served at room temperature. These coddies had been kept in the cool deli case and warmed up as they were served.





Above you can see a coddie with a bite taken from it. We found the coddie to be a nice snack. The taste was pleasant and not fishy. I asked Howard if the cod that was used was salt cod or fresh cod and he did not know. Deb tasted a hint of celery seed in the coddie. I can see why this became a popular tavern snack. It is a first class comfort food.

The corned beef sandwich was also quite good. The corned beef was quite lean and was sliced thinly. Both the sample at Mary Mervis and the sandwich at Attman’s were very lean. I was reminded that I tend to prefer the slightly fatty type of corned beef that is served at New York City delis. This was good corned beef, but a little more fat would have been nice.

I particularly liked the rye bread used by Attman’s. It is very soft with a surprisingly chewy and tasty crust. Attman’s uses a spicy brown mustard that added the right amount of flavor to both the coddie and the corned beef sandwich. It is a small touch, but a good corned beef sandwich has to have the right mustard. This was the right mustard for this sandwich.

As we sat in the Kibitz Room, Howard told us a bit of the history of the neighborhood. The pictures on the wall showed a chicken slaughtering operation from the old neighborhood. Howard said that at one time there were chicken coops on the street near the deli. Also, across the street from the deli a horseradish processing factory used to do a thriving business. As we left the area we drove by a street called Horseradish Lane.



There were also several synagogues still open in the neighborhood. The one pictured here has an interior that is described as a beautiful Byzantine style. It was a nice touch to be able to understand a bit of the history of the neighborhood we were visiting.





Our next stop was right down the block from Attman’s. Weiss’ is the other deli still operating on Corned Beef Row. This was where we discovered the true coddie. These were served at room temperature, just like in the old days. Also, they were served with the crackers and mustard on the side. According to Howard, you are supposed to assemble your own coddie.





The Eating Team tasters liked this coddie much more than the one at Attman’s. They were too big to fit on one cracker, so we cut them up and made multiple sandwiches out of each one. Pictured above is your author showing you a side view of a coddie as it should be prepared. We found the flavor of this coddie to be a bit more pronounced and enjoyable than what we experienced with the Attman coddie. Deb was actually able to see the celery seeds in this coddie. If you want a coddie and don’t have the time to try both, we recommend Weiss’ Deli.

That is all the time I have for writing today. I plan another installment tomorrow. This was quite a trip and I think that this might become four installments.

Thanks to everyone for reading this and posting their comments.

Wow, what a great job Akavar. The photos and commentary take me right along with you. Wait, I was with you.

Traveling Man, I'll be happy to squire you around in January, except for weekend of 12th & 13th, when I'll be enjoying a corned beef at Harold's in Edison, NJ and viewing the 3 Queens in New York.

Great pictures but I have a question. Did you actually put your fingers in the pickle jar? This is an illegal move in the food world and ranks right up there with DOUBLE DIPPING. ...Russ

Great stuff Akavar, Tony & all the eatingteam... Howard too!

I shouldn't have read it when I'm hungry...

Russ -

What's double dipping?

Dipping a chip into chip or salsa, then lifting to one's lips biting off the portion with the dip, then dipping the remaining portion of the chip that touched your mouth back into the dip thus transferring germs/spittle back into the dip.

Great job, Akavar! Ted and I really love reading your food reports. Please let us know about future Eating Team trips. We would love to travel with the team one day!

Beer & Snausages -

OK - so is there something wrong with that?

Wait until the pit beef pictures come out later this week on this thread. THAT WAS AWESOME.

Tony

Nice job boys!

Great tour, great photos, great recap.

Now I want a coddie. I had never heard of them before. Souns really good to me.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxcville, TN

I think it's time for me to hope on the MARC train and spend another weekend in Balto! Great pics and report.

So where's the PIt Beef? (my fave)

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

Now I want a coddie. I had never heard of them before. Souns really good to me.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxcville, TN

Here you are, Paul. Let us know how they turn out!

Baltimore Coddies

Makes 16 to 20 coddies

1/4 pound salt cod or 1 tablespoon cod paste or 1 tablespoon fish flakes
1 to 1 1/4 pounds potatoes
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup crushed crackers
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
vegetable oil for frying
saltine crackers
yellow mustard

If you are using salt cod, soak the fish for 24 hours in a bowl of water.
Change the water every 6 to 8 hours. Cover the fish with water in a pan and
simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and break with a fork; cool. Peel, dice
and boil potatoes until cooked. Drain, mash with 2 tablespoons milk and
cool. In a large bowl, combine salt cod (or cod paste or fish flakes),
potatoes, crackers, eggs and black pepper and make into thin, palm-sized
balls.

Flatten slightly and cook in a pan filled with 1/4 inch of vegetable oil.
Brown cakes on each side and drain. Replace diminished oil between batches.
To serve, place each coddie on a saltine cracker, top with yellow mustard,
and place another saltine on the top. Serve either warm or at room
temperature.
--Recipe based on interviews with coddie makers

Great job and great pics Akavar. This is true Roadfood.

Did you encounter bad roads? Would you believe that today here in Huntsville, AL, the temp is expected to be 79 degrees! But it sure won't last as this weeked the low will be in the 30's and the high in the low 50's.

Greymo -

Thanks for the coddie recipe. I will have to try it sometime.

Greymo: I do have a question about the recipe. It appears like a disportional amount of salt cod or the option of a small amount of fish flakes or paste. Is that intentional?

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I can recall the coffee shop/sandwich deli on the square in Haverhill, Mass (mid-1960's) selling a lot of clam cakes and fish cakes that looked just like the "Coddies". However to be as good as they could, they would be eaten while piping hot from the fryer! The fish cakes were cheaper than the clam. As a nite-time postal worker in that busy office, we enjoyed those 'cakes' almost every night at break time.

Part 3

Our next stop was for more crab cakes. We headed out of downtown Baltimore for the suburbs. Our destination was G & M Restaurant in Linthicum Heights. What had been a cool and gray day was gradually turning into a warm (for December) and sunny day. By the time we got to G & M the clouds were gone and the sun felt comfortably warm.





You cannot tell from the exterior shot of G & M, but they are performing an extensive renovation on the building. Evidently, business has been very good for them. G & M offers a sit down dining experience as well as a take out area. Even though it was early afternoon and we were more or less on schedule, we opted for the take out area. You can see from the interior shot that there are a few tables in the take out area. This was perfect for our purposes.



We ordered the jumbo lump crab cake. The before and after shots show you how much we enjoyed the meal. G & M makes their crab cake with large, tender, and tasty pieces of crab meat. They hold it together with just enough binder to keep it from falling apart as it is cooked and served.



Besides the hint of Old Bay, one of our tasters thought there was a bit of horseradish in the cake. I noticed a definite spice blend that was ever so slightly hot. On the back of my tongue there was just enough of a hint of heat to tell me that there was something else going on with this crab cake than the more bland one we tasted at Faidley’s. This crab cake was warmed all the way through and did not have the softer center like the one at Faidley’s. Deb asked the counter staff what was in the crab cake to give it that flavor and of course, that was a secret that they would not share.

Additionally, we thought the fries at G & M were good. As you can see we picked apart the crab cake and demolished the fries. We definitely thought this was the best crab cake of the three that we sampled that day.



We chatted with a number of other customers at G & M. Once again, they were intrigued by our shirts and were interested in food tourism. One of the other customers was raving about the cheese cake that G & M served. Howard said that G & M purchased their cheese cake from a vendor, but we decided to try it anyway.

Our resident baker, Deb, pronounced this to be a good NY style cheesecake. Tony liked it as well. Having had a great crab cake, fries, and cheesecake it was now time to move on to our final stop for crab cakes, Corner Stable.

The Corner Stable is located in Cockeysville on the northwest side of Baltimore. We enjoyed the beautiful afternoon as we made the half hour drive. When Cockeysville was founded it was several miles outside of Baltimore. As the city grew Cockeysville became just another suburb.





As you can see from the pictures, Corner Stable is also known for their ribs. Our mission here was the crab cake, but we did try the ribs. The rest of the team went inside while I walked around taking pictures of the exterior. When I was finished I went inside and looked for them in the restaurant. Not seeing anyone, I figured I must have missed something so I went back outside.



Not seeing anyone outside, I went back in and looked for them again. Still not finding them I finally realized that they must be at the bar. Doh! Sure enough they were huddled at one end of the very long and very empty bar. We had decided to get this crab cake as a take out so they were ordering at the bar. Then, as was the order of the day, we got to talking to anyone who was around. In this case this meant the bartender.



As we talked to her about the Eating Team and our plans for the day we mentioned that we were going to go over to the pit beef place across the street. The bartender told us that we should go to Andy Nelson’s for BBQ pork and pit beef instead. Howard agreed with this change in plan so we left our original destination, Charcoal Deli for another day.



As we sampled the crab cake at Corner Stable we were struck by the quality of the crab. This crab cake was very similar to the one we had at G & M, but it did not have quite the spicy heat of G & M. This cake was warmed through without the cool moist center we experienced at Faidley’s. The fries were also outstanding. They were hand cut from fresh potatoes and had an excellent depth of golden brown and delicious (GBD). This crab cake and fries came in just behind G & M in our rankings. I would definitely order this again.



Two of the members of the Eating Team group this day are members of the Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS). This helps us when we are tasting ribs, BBQ sauce, smoked meats, as wells as BBQ. Tony and Deb are the KCBS judges and set to work evaluating the ribs. They thought the ribs were good and the sauce was very good. I liked the sauce, but found that the ribs were not smoked. The ribs were cooked in an oven and had a nice crust on them, but I would have preferred them to be smoked. I apologize that I did not make exact notes about the sauce. I remember it being a bit sweet with just enough vinegar to give it some tang and a slight bit of chili heat.



Our next stop was Andy Nelson’s BBQ. This was only a few miles from Corner Stable, and not very far out of our way. As we arrived I attempted to explain to my traveling companions the Roadfood significance of the pig on the roof. Old hands at Roadfood know the Jane & Michael Stern maxim of “if there is a representation of the primary food served on the roof of the restaurant, it is probably a good place.”



The idea of this is that when you decide to put a pig or whatever else you want on the roof, it takes a lot of effort to keep it there. You have to replace it when the weather knocks it loose. You have to paint it when it fades. That effort usually means that the people who own the restaurant are serious about what they do.

My traveling companions gave me “Is he crazy?” look, but I knew I was in for something special at Andy Nelson’s.





We parked in the back. When I saw two more pigs on the roof and the sign over the door that said “Hog Heaven” I knew this was the place for BBQ pork. Then I saw the sign on the front door. “Hogs Smell Better Barbecued” says it all. Finally, I noticed the cast concrete pig that is used as a door stop. I said to myself that if I could not get good BBQ pork here, I didn’t know where I could.



Smell is one of the signs that I use when I walk into a BBQ that tells me how good it is. If I can smell the smoke, the meat, or the wood fire as I enter, I usually have a good meal. I had already smelled the wood fire in the parking lot as I took my pictures. As I walked in the door it seemed like the smell of smoke reached out and whacked my nose. Andy Nelson’s was showing every sign that this would be a great meal.



As I walked back through the restaurant to find the rest of the team I noticed Howard talking to a customer at a table located in the front. Later, Howard told me that this was Tom Matte. Any of you older pro football fans should remember the Baltimore Colts. Tom Matte was a running back for them in the days when Johnny Unitas was the quarterback.



The picture of the food shows the pit beef on the left and pulled BBQ pork on the right. Howard had explained to us that pit beef is Baltimore’s answer to BBQ. Although it is not really BBQ, it is a smoked meat. Baltimore pit beef is a top round that is cooked as a roast over charcoal. It is sliced thin and the customer dresses it with onions, horseradish, and BBQ sauce. We found the pit beef at Andy Nelson’s to be moist and tender thin slices that had a slight hint of smoke to them. This was an excellent introduction to pit beef.

Having seen all the signs of what portended to be good pork BBQ, I was not disappointed. The pulled pork was chopped like some of the BBQ I have eaten in the Carolina’s. It is soft and flavorful. Andy Nelson also adds some of their vinegar based BBQ sauce as they chop the meat to give it a little tang. Adding a little bit more of this excellent vinegar sauce at the table gives the meat just the right flavor. Our KCBS judges also pronounced the sweet BBQ sauce to be excellent. This was some excellent pulled pork. Topped off with a huge cup of sweet tea, this had become a BBQ to remember.

Once again I have run out of time. Tomorrow I will post our final stop and a trip summary.

Thanks again to all of you who are reading and commenting on our trip. We hope to travel with all of you in the future.

I am surprised that Howard didn't talk you into the onion rings at G&M!!!

Travelin Man -

We were concentrating on a few items that day. I love onion rings and had it on my list for G & M. As we got into the day we wound up eating so much that we concentrated on the few items that were the goal for the day.

We have already decided that we need to go back. The question will be when we can fit it into the schedule. The Eating Team has already scheduled a trip in January and are working on one for February.

Well to tell the truth, the shirt wearing "Gonna Finish That" members of the Eating Team were offered some onion rings as we sat down in the carry out section to eat our crabcake. They were a few left on the plate of the gent sitting next to us, and upon seeing the shirts he immediately offered them to us. The Team members declined the offer. Despite what you put on your shirt, it's not easy eating off a strangers' plate.

And Travelin' Man, if it's onion rings that are on your mind, we can schedule at stop at Burkes Cafe, as theirs are really among the best you will have anywhere. www.burkescafe.com

Sundancer, and anyone else interested in the unique Baltimore Coddie, here's a good article for you.

http://www.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=2322

I should also add that Alabama native Andy Nelson was a defensive back, and a member of the 1958 1959 World Champion Baltimore Colts. Many of the old Colts settled in Baltimore, and several others also ended up in the food business. Notably Alan "The Horse" Ameche, and Gino Marchetti who started Gino's Hamburgers. http://members.aol.com/jsf0864/page1.html I even sung the Gino's jingle for Akavar.

www.andynelsonsbbq.com

quote:

Originally posted by Akavar

Beer & Snausages -

OK - so is there something wrong with that?

LOL only if you get caught! But for me it falls under the 10 second rule.

Part Four

The next mission for the Eating Team was to get ourselves to Pulaski Highway to learn more about Baltimore pit beef. My research had found three places that were relatively near each other, but I had researched from some old articles. As we were riding around Howard has said that he was not sure if two of the places were still open, but he was sure that we could get a good sandwich at Chap’s.





As we had somewhat suspected, two of the places were no longer in existence. I had not done a lot of advance work on these two places because it was clear that Chap’s was still in business. Above is the group photo of the team that day. From left to right are Howard, Deb, Tony, and Kim.

Once again there were some signs that this would be a good place to eat. As I wandered around the parking lot taking my pictures I could smell the wood smoke. Now that I think about it, I was able to smell it as soon as I got out of the car. Also, as soon as we walked into the restaurant we were greeted with the smell of meat cooking over a wood fire. I had high hopes for Chap’s.



Chap’s did not disappoint us. The pit beef sandwiches contained thinly sliced, lightly smoked, moist pieces of beef. I shared a sandwich with Howard who had dressed it with a lot of horseradish and a few onions. After tasting it he said it needed more horseradish, but I was satisfied with what I already had.



Although there was a variety of meats available at Chap’s we stuck with the pit beef. We had started only five hours ago and had lost count of all the places we had stopped and all the different things we had eaten. Chap’s is supposed to have a great hamburger, but at a half pound it was too much to try to eat at that point.




Besides the pit beef we tried the fries and mac n cheese. We also got side orders of BBQ sauce and gravy. The fries were hand cut and just the right amount of golden brown. The gravy was a brown beef gravy and complimented both the fries and the beef appropriately. Once again, our KCBS judges liked the BBQ sauce and once again I did not take notes of what it was like.

The only item that did not quite make the grade was the mac n cheese. The taste was a little bland and the texture was not as smooth as we would have liked. It was not extremely grainy as the side dish can sometimes get, but it was a little lumpy. We could not give it a complete thumbs up, but after all, we were here for the pit beef, not the mac n cheese.

Having finished our tour of Baltimore we thanked Howard profusely and got under way back to Bucks County, PA. We had plenty of sweet tea left to wash down the great meal at Chap’s, and a GPS device to play with as we drove. The traffic on I-95 was relatively light and we made good time until we had to get off and make our way on the streets and roads of northeast Philadelphia. We were thoroughly satisfied with our adventure.

Notes
I would like to make a few observations about the day.

First, I would like to thank Howard for all his help in organizing this trip. He was able to give me insightful and timely tips as to where to look for places that would give us a true flavor of Baltimore. I cannot say enough thanks to him because I do not think this trip would have been anywhere near as much fun without his help and attendance. Everywhere we went he was explaining the food to us and helping us to understand the ties to the cultural background of Baltimore.

Thank you Howard.

Second, I was struck by the quality of the French fries that we ate on the trip. Not one place served the usual food industry frozen fries. From the western fries at Parks to the fries at Chaps all had been excellent. If you look at the pictures of the fries you will also see that they are all very brown. This degree of doneness really imparted a wonderful flavor to these fries. I do not know if this is the norm throughout Baltimore, but it seems to me that Baltimore really takes their fries seriously and I cannot wait to visit again and try more of these wonderful fries.

Third, the way the Eating Team travels seems to be very efficient. When I have done this type of trip on my own I always end up both eating too much and throwing food out. When I have travelled with the Eating Team there are enough of us that we can order one or two of an item and share it. This allows us to get a sample of the particular food, but not have to throw much of it out. By the end of the trip you are full, but have not had to overeat to either keep from wasting food or trying a little bit of everything.

Finally, once is not enough for Baltimore. I have already determined that I will go back in the near future. Also, The Eating Team will have to schedule another trip to pick up some of the other places we could not get to on this trip.

For example, we only tried two pit beef places. There are more and we want to broaden our understanding of this Baltimore specialty. There are other crab cakes that we want to taste. Finally, there is Berger’s and their cookies. These cookies must be eaten fresh and that requires a trip to Lexington Market and further explorations of what they have to offer.

Once again, thanks to all of you Raodfoodies who have taken the time to read and post on this thread. Without your encouragement we would not know that we have other enthusiasts with whom we can share our passion. Happy trails until we meet again.

Bravo!
The Bear

Great report! You are correct about Howard being the Great Seeker of Baltimore Fine Foods. He is to Baltimore what Mr Chips is to Portland and Bushie is to central Texas. I honestly don't think that those guys could steer you in the direction of a bad meal.

I, too, was impressed with the quality of the fries at Chap's. I didn't really consider that it was a Baltimore thing, but now that you mention it. I also like that Baltimoreans (?? - sounded better than Baltimorons!) use Old Bay like anyone else would use salt and pepper.

One thing that you forgot to mention about Chap's. They share a parking lot with a strip club! You can get your fill of pit beef and a lap dance, if you are so inclined. As a matter of fact, on the day we went, they had this special coming up....



Just think....you could have gotten a pit beef sandwich and a lap dance for under $5. That is a deal in any town!!!
Just ask i95!!!

Travelin' Man -

I did not mention the nudie bar because I thought that it was your job to mention it. Far be it from me to do my own job let alone let alone someone else's.

...And when in Baltimore, hit SCORES, for a good steak dinner and a fine time.

Akavar,

Good to see you enjoyed Chap's Pit Beef. I've been going there ever since Howard recommended it to me several years back. I see that gravy was the condiment of choice for your fries. I preferred mine doused in old bay and vinegar.

Just curious- did you order yours medium or medium rare?

Medium rare, but then I noticed them putting the slices back over the grill, so it ended up more medium.

thanks for the pics!

Howard and company we are thinking about putting together a Philadelphia COal / wood fired oven pizza tour in the next few weeks. I am not sure yet if it is going to happen BUT you know you have an open invite to any eatingteam tour we do anywhere!!!

Tony

PS If I would have known that their onion rings were famous I would have eaten all that guy had left on his plate...

Akavar-
Just an all around excellent report! I especially appreciate your attention to detail, which I will try to incorporate more into my trip reports.

My Roadfood loving cousin Johnny lives in Baltimore and knew about all the places you visited. I am planning on a trip down there in January and will use this report as a guide. Thanks again!

By the way, he is a big fan of Polock Johnny's.

Hi all,

Wow !! Another excellent trip report . With Signman and his expertise in Maryland area and Akavars reports it felt like I was there with you .

Hey Signman , we have a group of fans from the original Poseidon Adventure , fans of ships and such , who will be getting together to see the 3 Queens also on the weekend of Jan 12th and 13th . Lets do a get together bud .

Benzee

Thanks for putting this together -- your report inspired my family and I to go to Attman's, where we had awesome Ruebens, pastrami, and matzo ball soup. We also went to Lexington Market, where we had berger cookies, a gyro, and bought Faidley's crabcakes to take home for dinner. Broiled at home, we thought they were great.

Wow...Tom Matte!! And Andy Nelson!!

"I thought that $20 for a raccoon was quite reasonable, but was not sure how to season it. "

Akavar, the best way to cook a raccoon is just like you'd fry chicken...the usual seasonings with a little Old Bay thrown in.. after you fry up the raccoon, you can make a pan gravy from the drippings... haven't had it since I was a kid but it sure was good!

Jennifer -

Does it "taste like chicken"?

quote:

Originally posted by Akavar

Jennifer -

Does it "taste like chicken"?

LOL Akavar, as I remember it, the taste is like fishy chicken....

Jennifer -

That is how I describe the taste of alligator. It has the texture and some of the taste of chicken but a taste of fish mixed in.

quote:

Originally posted by Akavar

Travelin Man -

We were concentrating on a few items that day. I love onion rings and had it on my list for G & M. As we got into the day we wound up eating so much that we concentrated on the few items that were the goal for the day.

We have already decided that we need to go back. The question will be when we can fit it into the schedule. The Eating Team has already scheduled a trip in January and are working on one for February.

Are you coming back to Baltimore? If you are, or points further south, I'd love to try to join y'all.
Cathy

I don't know where yall get your chicken, but coon tastes NOTHING like chicken.

Akavar - another great eating team report, I look froward to your adventures. I have not been to B'more in over 10 years. I guess I need to get back over that way.

Akavar-
I reread your trip report prior to my weekend trip to Baltimore and I have to say, that this just might be the best trip report I have seen on Roadfood. Excellent job!

My cousin Johnny and I hit several of the spots you hit and I most likely won't do a trip report myself, since it seems like I will be repeating.

Thank you for your kind words.

Oh that pit beef looked just wonderful!! So many wonderful pictures...THANK YOU. Also like the looks of that shrimp salad very much. Are the crab cakes very expensive in Baltimore? Sorry, if you've already said what they cost..I did not see it.

The thing that really flipped me out was that rainbow cake! I absolutely love rainbow cookies. They are one of the most popular cookies to be found in a Jewish bakery. They use sugar/rum syrup, marzipan, and apricot jam in the really good ones; they are like $20-$25 a pound. That cake looked like it had rasberry jam between the layers. Oh, it looked fantastic. Never knew there was such a thing as a rainbow cake.

Glad you all had a great time! Thanks again for telling us all about it.

Dearfolk,
Many thanks for a really enjoyable travelogue.
Now you have me wondering about some of the diners I passed on U. S. 1 heading north out of downtown Baltimore towards Philadelphia... I had already eaten in downstate Maryland, but was made terribly curious by the proliferation of mom-and-pop eats I noted along the way.
Unwanderingly Wonderingly, Ort. Carlton, still barnacled in Athens, Georgia.