Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
appointed guest rooms with all-marble bathrooms and top-notch service. Often has great
deals online.
MARYLAND BLUE CRABS
Eating at a crab shack, where the dress code stops at shorts and flip-flops, is the
quintessential Chesapeake Bay experience. Folks in these parts take their crabs
seriously and can spend hours debating the intricacies of how to crack a crab, the
proper way to prepare crabs and where to find the best ones. There is one thing
Marylanders can agree on: they must be blue crabs (scientific name: Callinectes
sapidus, or 'beautiful swimmers'). With all this said, blue crab numbers have
suffered with the contuining pollution of the Chesapeake Bay. Sadly, many crabs
you eat here are imported from elsewhere. Steamed crabs are prepared very
simply, using beer and Old Bay seasoning. One of the best crab shacks in the state
is
Jimmy Cantler's Riverside Inn
(458 Forest Beach Rd; 11am-11pm Sun-Thu, to midnight
Fri & Sat)
, where eating a steamed crab has been elevated to an art form - a hands-
on, messy endeavor, normally accompanied by corn on the cob and ice-cold beer.
Another fine spot is across the bay at the Crab Claw (
Click here
)
.
Eating
Baltimore is an ethnically rich town that sits on top of the greatest seafood repository in
the world, not to mention the fault line between the down-home South and cutting-edge
innovation of the Northeast.
Lexington Market
FAST FOOD$
(
www.lexingtonmarket.com
; 400 W Lexington St, Mt Vernon; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat)
Around since
1782, Mt Vernon's Lexington Market is one of Baltimore's true old-school food markets.
It's a bit shabby on the outside, but the food is great. Don't miss the crab cakes at
Faid-
ley's
(
410-727-4898;
www.faidleyscrabcakes.com
; mains $8-14;
Mon-Sat 9am-5pm)
sea-
food stall, because my goodness, they are truly amazing.
Vaccaro's Pastry
ITALIAN$
(
www.vaccarospastry.com
;
222 Albemarle St, Little Italy; desserts $7; 9am-10pm Sun-Thu, to
midnight Fri & Sat)
Vaccaro's serves some of the best desserts and coffee in town. The can-
nolis are legendary.
LP Steamers
SEAFOOD$$$
