Tidbits: Boys of Summer Edition

Ah, summer.  Filthy, shameful summer.  Seriously though, whether you work in some sort of educational profession or not, you usually feel down about it coming to an end.  And while this one was probably one of the hottest I can recall, fraught with more Grand Prix construction, it was not without its high points food wise.

Chiapparelli's, Little Italy, Baltimore

I headed here for Restaurant Week (yes, I really am taking that long to write this), and Chiapparelli's, a place my family had gone several times before, was one of the few places that did a prix fixe dinner for only $20 instead of $30.  True, with beer, tax and tip (yes I drank beer with Italian food, okay?  Sue me.  And it wasn't even Peroni) it came closer to $35 but imagine what it would have been otherwise.  I had a lovely salad and a minestrone soup that made me love minestrone again.  I had grown tired of it, but Chiapparelli's was a nice change.  The main course was the hearty, luscious shrimp nicola that I could just sit there and eat again and again if I had no bottom to my stomach.  A cannolo for dessert topped off a fine, relatively iinexpensive (before drinks, tax and tip) gut-busting Italian meal.

Toss, North Baltimore

I went with friends Eric & Alan for pizza at Toss, a newly opened upscale BYOB pizza place on York Road.  Long story short: cheap but good pizza and salad.  Each of us spent about $10 - 15.  The Greek salad is more than enough to fill you up before you get the pizza, which had a nice crispy crust underneath all that melted cheese.  We got the Toss Special, covered in mozzarella, ham, Italian sausage, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers - hoo, Lawdy, is it hot in here?

Sláinte Pub, Fells Point, Baltimore

I've written about Sláinte a few times, and visited many, but I do have to give a shout out about the Irish bibimbap.  You read that right.  It's a Celtic take on the Korean classic, swapping out Korean style beef for Irish corned beef.  Try it.  It's good.

Aladdin Kabob, Mt. Vernon, Baltimore

This is one of those places you constantly pass by and never bother to go into because it's neatly tucked away where you cannot find it.  Next to Mari Luna and across from the Meyerhoff, Aladdin Kabob (their sign is "Aladdin Kabob" but their website is spelled "Alladin Kabob", so please note) is a quite unassuming and, unfortunately, pretty sparsely populated Pakistani restaurant.  At least it was when I went in on the Friday night of Artscape weekend.  I didn't really see much of Artscape myself, but I did feel this place pulling men, and I left absolutely stuffed and with leftovers!  Better yet, I was stuffed with food that was delicious: samosas, their wonderful chapli kabob for only $7, not to mention the free bread (the biggest naan I have ever seen) and a chickpea side dish.  Your dollar will go a long way here.

Mission Inn, Riverside, CA

I didn't write anything about my recent trip to SoCal, but I have to note the beautiful, historic Mission Inn in Riverside.  I note it for a few reasons: it is on the California Register of Historic Places, it's absolutely gorgeous both inside and out - done in an eye-popping Mission style (hence the name), and in all the years I've lived in and (since moving back home) re-visited the Inland Empire - 15 years I've known about this place - I've never been in.  All that changed this month, as I decided to treat myself to a lunch that I knew was going to be a little pricier than I'm used to spending.

If you go to the Mission Inn to eat, note that there are several restaurants inside, including: Las Campanas (a Mexican restaurant), Bella Trattoria (an Italian restaurant), 54° at Duane's (a super upscale wine bar), the Presidential Lounge (ten US presidents have passed through the Mission Inn, including Ronald Reagan who honeymooned here with Nancy; this cocktail bar and lounge gives a nod to all of them), Duane's Prime Steaks & Seafood (steak, seafood, pricey), and Casey's Cupcakes, featured on that cupcake challenge TV show (Casey was a winner!)

I went for the Mission Inn Restaurant itself, and was pleasantly surprised when the waitress told me about their lunch buffet.  Surprised not only that such a nice place would have a buffet in the first place, but that it was all of $18 (less than I would have otherwise spent), with a nice selection (quality wise, and to some extent quantity, too).  When I was there, they served up (among other things) Korean short ribs, chicken, fish, and everything was delicious.  Usually chicken and fish can and should be avoided with aplomb at these buffets, but the Mission Inn knows better than that.  You get your money's worth.  And please get some of the dessert as well.  Their bread pudding is was the single best thing I ate the whole time I was out there.

Flashback: Highlights from London (originally published between 12/29/06 and 1/6/07)

As the London 2012 Olympics wind down, I fondly remember my one trip to the British Isles at the end of 2006 - start of 2007.  I was in London for New Year's, staying with some friends who were working there at the time.  I had some incredible food.  I also met one or two folks whom I had hoped to keep in touch with, y'know, to have a place to crash during these Olympic Games. 5 1/2 years later: I am watching stateside.  Oh well.  Some of my favorite places to eat and drink while I was there were the pubs, London's Chinatown and the country's oldest Indian restaurant.

- - - - -

London Post 1: Postcard from London / Marlborough Head Pub (originally posted 12/29/06)

Haven't posted in a while. I have been so damn busy! It is now Friday, the day after my plane landed. And oh my, British Airways is amazing, simply for the stuff they provide on the flight that American airplanes used to provide. For example, a meal. I had a braised beef which, considering it was airplane food, pretty decent. Also had a salad, a Cadbury crunchie candy (kind of like a butterfinger, only it didn't fall apart as soon as I bit into it), and I think a mini mince pie - those are popular for Christmas over here, as they bring good luck if you eat one. By the way, it is the fifth day of Christmas over here. On the contrary, back home in Bawlmer it is, simply, Friday.

In the airport I ran into this gay couple from San Francisco. It was such a coincidence because one of them was originally from Cockeysville! Both had been to London before, and let me in on a few sights to see and things to do. Small world after all, I guess.

After my small encounter with the London tube (subway)* yesterday, which puts Baltimore's to shame (but any subway system puts Baltimore's to shame, so what am I talking about), I walked to my friend's flat (apartment). He lives very close to London's central mosque and we are very close to a big and bustling Muslim section of town. My first thought: mmm, Middle Eastern food. But there is also Turkish, Pakistani, and I've hardly scratched the surface. A lot of cheap takeaway (take-out) places selling shawerma and kebabs, lots of halal (and one kosher) store. And we are near the popular Tesco food market.

Because I prefer to get a look at what the locals do, I avoided the touristy things on Thursday and walked around with my friend to see the local things. We went into two popular department stores that both sell food (and may be the basis of lunch soon), Selfridge's (like a more expensive Nieman Marcus), where I bought one small container of Turkish delight (I wouldn've bought a shirt for only £20 - but it shouwed everything underneath, so, uh, no) and the much more reasonable Marks & Spencer (like Macy's), where I bought a damn fine looking shirt for £15 (most shirts were at least £25, but they had jeans on sale for £9.50 (that's 9 pounds, 50 p - said like "50 pee," for pence)

For lunch we ate at the Marlborough Head Pub. My friend and his partner call it the "Scary Pub" because it has all this morbid stuff around it - coffin-shaped boards on the outside advertizing nightly specials and whatnot. He opted for the chicken Caesar salad. I went more local and got fish (haddock, in this case) and chips. It came with peas (different from the mushy peas of Café Anglais in Frederick), which I hardly ate, and vinegar and tartare (tartar) sauce. All in all, very tasty. Though I have been warned: that's as good as indigenous English food gets.

Today, I hope to try some Chinese, or maybe M&S. or perhaps even the UK's national cuisine: Indian food!


* Whenever there is a word that is popularly used in the UK but not in the US, I'll give the US version of that word in parentheses - for example, flat (apartment).

- - - - -

Veeraswamy (originally published 1/3/07)

As I hinted at in an earlier post, there was so little time and so much to do in London that I simply gave up on blogging about each place I visited whilst there. Instead, I am going to post about a few of the notable places at which I ate. And as y'all can see, yes, I did take photos! And possibly annoyed my friend during his lunch.

Veeraswamy was founded in 1926. Legend has it the proprietor was the descendant of an English general and a Mughal princess (if I remember it correctly). Today, its interior is posh and colorful, yet very elegant. We went to the Picadilly Circus tube (subway) stop and walked around for a while, just looking at all the sites (well, my one friend, who had off from work that day, had seen it all by now). We hit a long semicircular row of beautiful buildings. Okay, it was just one looooong building occupied by many businesses, like a long rowhouse (here's a Google map image of it).

We went into the lobby and saw this stainless steel wall tile (very neat), then went up an elevator to get to the dining room. And a lovely dining room it is, all covered in lush tones with rainbow light fixtures above. The luxurious feel continued in the seats themselves, with purple pillows festooning the benches that served as much of the seating, and rose petals strewn all over each table.

For lunch, we went for the fixed price meal for £16 (about $32, but that is disturbingly cheap for a nice restaurant such as Veeraswamy). This gave me three courses of things I would never have thought to order by themselves. For starters, we got a concoction the size of a large muffin, but certainly more interesting! Served on a neatly cut banana leaf, this appetizer featured wheat biscuit, yogurt, pomegranate and other good stuff. I actually can't remember it all, and the photo didn't turn out, sadly.

Then came our main course, a chicken tikka in a not-so-spicy coriander sauce. This came with okra in a ginger sauce that my friend said was the first okra he has ever liked (me too, for the most part, as it's so often slimy when I do eat it). I really loved this, despite the small amount of food. Normally, this paltry amount would not be worth 33% of $32 - and, okay, it isn't. But if anything comes close to being worth that amount, it was this.  Very yummy and tender, this chicken tikka was more tender than most chicken tikka I have eaten. And yeah, the okra was pretty good, again with a lovely presentation.

Our final course came in the form of a blood orange sherbet. Both of us were thrown for a loop by this one, as this pinkish sherbet was served with rose petals and a raspberry in a martini glass. It didn't taste like an orange, but it was tasty nonetheless. And again, there's that ubiquitous banana leaf. Not for eating, mind you, but decoration.

Altogether, our bill came to about £44. This includes two meals for £16 each and two bottles of water, plus tax and tip. This water, by the way, is made by the Belu company, whose profits all go to water conservation and clean water projects, both in the UK and in other countries. One project involves the digging of wells in Mali. We got served with classy glass bottles, though Belu touts its biodegradable corn bottles. It is very proud of only using local sources of water, instead of imported water from other countries.

I am trying to think of the closest Bawlmer-area match to Veeraswamy. Although I haven't been in yet, my best guess would be the Brass Elephant. Although I have never eaten there (and after this trip, probably won't for a while), the atmosphere certainly is of the same caliber as Veeraswamy. OpenTable.com quotes the restaurant's description of itself, the restaurant telling us to step back in time, dine in "an opulent Victorian mansion of hand carved teak, tiffany skylights and lavishly appointed dining rooms."

The menu shows not a drop of Indian cuisine, but for its atmosphere alone it may offer a similar dining experience.

- - - - -

Aroma (originally published 1/6/07)

To further play catch-up on my trip to London, I will write a little bit about a very good Chinese restaurant that we dined at. Charles and Kevin knew that I wanted to eat in London's miniscule Chinatown at least once, so they took me to this great place called Aroma. It's squooshed inside, like many of the Chinatown establishments, but we got a cozy table in the middle of the jam-packed, brightly-lit dining area.

Like several of the restaurants I ate at in London, Aroma was several tightly-squeezed stories, with bathrooms downstairs and a cooking area on the bottom floor. Apparently there was some dish-washing room on the top floor because I saw a few used plates going up in that direction. Apparently, Aroma is a "mini-chain," with two buildings throughout the city. Many are overpriced, and though I wouldn't call this cheap (what is cheap to an American in London, what with the value of the dollar being what it is?), it is cheap compared to many of the places you could eat at. True, there are some truly rock-bottom places - all you can eat buffets for a mere £4.50, but these are, um, probably not the best places to eat. But the guys liked Aroma, and I was happy to go on their recommendation.

We started with a starter (appetizer), a duck with rice pancakes. The waitress brought half a whole roasted duck, some cuke sticks and thin strips of spring onion, and a plate of covered-up thin rice pancakes. It was like a Chinese fajita of sorts. Before we could do anything, she took fork and knife and quickly made work of that duck! She pulled that meat apart like wrapping paper through a shredder! It was so cool to see her rip the meat from the bone the way she did, and she made short work of it, too - a mere one or two minutes after she started, we were eating shredded duck fajitas and tacos (sorry, the best analogy I know). This appetizer was about £13, but my friends said it was on them, so who was I to object?

It was all so good, and so filling that we hardly had room for our main course. Kevin and Charles ordered chicken dishes with chicken fried rice, which looked and smelled wonderful. I got an amazing duck in plum sauce (yes, more duck, I know), with plain old egg fried rice. The sauce was so rich and delicious, and the duck came in a dessert-bowl-sized mound of meat and plum sauce. I ate this alternately with the rice, and it was quite satisfying. But I labored to finish this dish, of all about £6.40 for the duck plus £2.50 for the rice, because of all the duck I had already eaten before!

Oh, I just found out a co-worker of mine is going this August to visit a Jamaican friend who lives there, so I have a use for my travel guides now! Maybe I will have to follow her there when she goes. If I do, I may reserve my restaurant visits for other places I haven't tried yet. But if I can, I think I will find a path back to here, or at least recommend it to my coworker. And you, if you find yourself in London at some point! Otherwise, I will just head to the Jasmine Asian Bistro in Towson, which is not exclusively Chinese, and doesn't please everybody, but is tasty nonetheless. Try their Thai bento box!

I have no idea who these people are, but I thought it would make for a good photo.

Dougherty's Pub

Last night I wanted a hamburger or a Reuben after happy hour, and I was in Mount Vernon.  I considered my usual choices for such sandwiches: City Cafe, Marie Louise, Stable. But a friend texted me another option: Dougherty's Pub, next to the Triple L Bar.  I've passed by this little pub many times but never thought twice about it.  I am glad I did.  Pretty sparsely populated on a Wednesday night, and homey.  They have a standard pub fare menu - pretty much American fare, nothing really Irish if that's what you're seeking - including a list of burgers to go with that beer.  I went with the Blue Cheese burger ($7.50), topped with the standard onions, lettuce, tomato (they will hold those if you don't want them), along with bacon and Bleu cheese dressing.  Not your average warmed over, dried-up burger.  This one was a little soppy on the bottom, but still a good, juicy one.  And a good way to absorb the Fat Tire or two you had at the Central during happy hour.

Adams Morgan for Capital Pride

I was in DC last Saturday night for Capital Pride. No I wasn't living it up, but I did eat out and then crashed at a friend's place before our Sunday morning soccer game and then my first ever visit to DC's pride festival. Said dinner was at Casa Oaxaca on 18th Street in Adams Morgan. Casa Oaxaca brings not just Mexican, but specifically Oaxacan dishes to DC diners. I had been meaning to head here for a while but was always flummoxed with the variety of restaurants.

I chose to eat downstairs in their softly-lit, earthy-colored restaurant. The menu does not offer much in the way of cheap eats - average entrée prices are about $15 to $25. Casa Oaxaca notably has a dizzying array of moles, a Oaxacan specialty. It's not just mole poblano.: it's red moles and black moles, yellow, orange and green ones. There was even a fig-based mole that intrigued me enough to seriously consider ordering. Eventually I went ahead with their three mole plate ($19) - red, black and green moles smothering a nice piece of chicken breast, with beans, Oaxacan cheese and small corn tortillas. It's a delicious combo that gives you a nice sample of several moles that would be pricey to order on their own.

Much of my bill came from what I ordered to drink - unusual for me, since I rarely order anything pricier than a small sake when I get sushi. In addition to the obligatory Mexican beer (Dos Equis on draft for $5.50), I considered ordering one shot from their extensive tequila list - I wasn't driving anywhere. Instead, I moved my eyes to their mezcal list. Most mezcales are made in Oaxaca (unlike the more Jalisco-based tequila), and so it seemed appropriate. Since I have no experience ordering mezcal I had no idea what to order. The waiter recommended the Del Maguey Minero ($10 - they were all that much), which goes well with moles. After the obligatory offering to Mayahuel, the Aztec goddess of fertility and of maguey (the source of mezcal)* I very slowly sipped the warm, tangy shot of mezcal while I ate. This may be why it didn't hit me so hard. Mezcal is strong if you drink it all at once, and since I was spending so much for such a small glass of alcohol, I intended to make it last.

To finish off my meal, I ordered a chocolate flan ($6), a silky and rich custard that also went well with this brand of mezcal. This topped off what ended up being, after tax and tip, a $50 bill. That is not chump change for me, and it is the rare time that I will spend so much on one meal. Heck, that's usually two or three meals out for me. But I'm not eating in Adams Morgan often, and I thought I would splurge for once. Yes, for me that is a splurge.

Before meeting up with my friend, I walked over to the 18th & U Duplex Diner for a few Sierra Nevadas on tap, while I navigated around all the much more drunken gays in silly beads from the day's parade, and watching the United States lose their CONCACAF Gold Cup match to a Panamanian team they were roundly expected to defeat.

* Now that I have an Android phone, I decided to look up how to drink mezcal while I was in the restaurant (these devices are pretty handy). Traditionally, among other things that I was in no place to do, one makes an offering to Mayahuel by spilling a little mezcal on the ground. I stuck my fingers in the glass and flicked a little on the floor. Hey, I don't want to take any chances here.

Random Bites: Tax Day Edition

Tax season bites. Looks like I withheld too little last year because I owed for the first time ever. Wow. I also made more in all of my part time work than I realized, which is great - though it did push me into a higher tax bracket. I'm not complaining about being taxed per se. I'm just kicking myself for not having changed my W4's sooner. Now I'm withholding nothing. Hopefully I'll get something back next year?

Just a few more bites as I recover from tax season.

1. The drive to cut back on my soda consumption has taken a slightly bumpy road, but I'm still on it. I now drink, on average, about two cans of soda a day. That said, I have gotten much more used to using that press-n-seal wrap on the half-empty can and putting it back in the fridge. I've also been a little generous in my definition of what counts as "soda". I haven't been counting it if it's normally caffeine-free, like ginger ale, or "all-natural", like one of those sugary sodas you might find in some of the more upscale natural food stores. The iced tea I keep brewing (thank you, Luzianne) has definitely cut down my soda consumption, that much is certain.

2. About those "upscale natural food stores": I don't have the cash to do all, or even much, of my shopping at places like the Good Life Organic Market in Severna Park or David's Natural Market in Columbia. I do love roaming around them to see the merchandise and hopefully pick up one or two things without breaking the bank. Good Life has hot soups (a small Senegalese Peanut Soup will cost $4), chocolates that I cannot avoid (a quarter pound for about $4.50) and more of those natural sodas. They also sell eggs individually - 35¢ per egg. David's is also a lovely store, and I have become addicted to the individually wrapped Dan's Chocolates that are conveniently located right by the checkout (50¢ each).

3. The Haute Dog Carte has a second location! It's at the Colonnade at Hopkins.

4. Speaking of businesses in Mt. Warshnin', Bansky's is just awesome, a beautiful group of people with awesome food.

5. I'm trying to find some huckleberries in the area! This is for an upcoming Snacking State-by-State post about food from Idaho. Rachel (Coconut & Lime) gave me the head's up that Atwater's at Belvedere Square sometimes sells huckleberry jam, but they have none at the moment. Will probably need to break down and mail order it online, like I almost did with poi for my upcoming Hawaii post.

6. If you didn't know this already: RuPaul's Drag Race (one of my guilty gay pleasures) is on every Monday night at The Hippo. Now I don't have to wait until it's posted online the next day!

Proposition 8 Ruled Unconstitutional!

I had to get out and celebrate the news out from the West Coast that Prop 8 is ruled unconstitutional. As the judge said himself, "Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gays and lesbians for denial of a marriage license" (this from Marc Ambinder at the Atlantic).

So I headed down to Mount Vernon to celebrate. First I had a Flying Dog (draft, $4.25) at the Grand Central - where I struggled as fast as I could to get away from some annoying drunk bragging about a $5000 bonus he got while I'm here trying to find a full time job. Happily fleeing that drunken fool, I skidded on over to the Mt. Vernon Stable for a slice of Pimlico cake ($6.50).

Come on, Maryland, it is time!

Rehoboth Beach... in Haiku

It's been a week since my visit to fabulously hot Rehoboth Beach - and a good long while since I posted anything in poetry format. So to help cope with the heat, a little silliness in haiku format.

My stay started at
The Rehoboth Guest House - a
Charming place to stay.

Dogfish Head Brew Pub

Dinner was Dogfish
Head Brewpub, one of my main
Reasons to go down.

So many beers, all
Mem'rable. But enough to
Cloud my brain a tad.

I must recommend
Their five dollar sampler of
Five beers with your meal.

With that I got the
Fried squid - crunchy, nice, although
Not too flavorful.

Alongside, their In-
dulgence burger (just nine bucks),
Piled with lots of stuff:

Cheddar, bacon, and
A fried onion ring - I asked
For it to be rare.

Flavorful, juicy,
A bit messy (duh) - quite good.
Get it if you can.

Walked to Double L,
One of the rare gay bars that
Has Guinness on tap.

What a cute couple,
Standing on the Boardwalk on
Drizzly Thursday morn.

The Bake Shoppe

Stopped by the Bake Shoppe
On Rehoboth Av for a
Croissant and a chat.

Crusty, happy guy
Who grew up in Baltimore
Told me about two

Women who baked pies
In his 'hood in South B'more
Back when he was young.

Baywatch: Delaware!

Lifeguards training in the sand.
Yum. I stared a bit.

And of course, I get
On the beach and it drizzles.
I still got sunburned :\

In contrast: what the
Trendy woman wore here a
Hundred years ago.

Also checked out an
Exhibit on Rehoboth's
Archaeology.

Leave it to me to
Go to the beach, and end up
In a museum.

Seafood Shack

For a post-beach lunch,
I stopped at the Seafood Shack
On Baltimore Av

With my Dos Equis,
Got a po'boy which was a
Three seafood sampler:

A mini-crabcake,
Three oysters, and two shrimps - for
all of thirteen bucks.

Po'boy did the job,
In a friendly setting not
Far from the Boardwalk.

Visit at night for
Music from lesbian and
Straight female singers!

Dogfish Head Brew Pub Part Two

On back to Dogfish,
For their down-scale brew pub tour
Free at 4:30

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays,
and Thursdays. No free samples
Like in Milton though.

Showed me their vodkas,
Including an intriguing
Peanut Butter one.

I had to try this.
A shot for five bucks tastes JUST
like peanut butter.

Finbar's Pub and Grill

However, dinner
Was at Finbar's - the locals'
Favorite for dinner.

The service, at first,
Was lacking. But I was helped
Eventually.

With a thick Guinness,
I got a big fish and chips
For seventeen bucks:

A humongous piece
Of Irish ale-battered cod
With a rémoulade.

The fish was tender,
And the batter not soggy.
Locals must love it!

While fries are often
A throwaway, these chips were
A nice complement.

Finbar's, by the way,
Is easy to find: Dogfish
Brew Pub is next door.

Blue Moon

Bookending dinner,
A visit to the Blue Moon,
So close to my room.

Dinner is pricey.
So I only went for their
Happy Hour at first.

After dinner, I
Returned to meet up with friends,
Watch karaoke.

Had yet more Dogfish:
Two (or three) Shelter Pale Ales,
But Happy Hour-priced.

And please check out the
Entertaining Pamala
Stanley at Blue Moon!

Late? Karaoke
With Mona Lotts (just don't sing
Off-key like some guys)

Finally found the
Fabled gay end of the beach
(and much eye candy...)

So nice to see gays
With their kids, even some straights,
Gay couples and groups.

If you're looking, it's
13 minute walk from there
To Rehoboth Av.

Hobo's Restaurant and Bar

For my send-off lunch,
Hobo's offered one very
Eye-popping option:

The place looks like they
Took Artscape and made it in-
to a restaurant.

My lunch: a combo
Quesadilla of blue crab
Mixed with melted brie.

For nine bucks, it is
Melted with arugula
And artichokes, too.

You would not think to
Mix crab and brie, but my God
What a great combo!

Topped with rémoulade
and red bell peppers, which made
The meal quite complete.

Of course, I had to
Stop at Dolle's for car'mel corn -
A six dollar tub.

And Candy Kitchen:
For a pound of fudge to take
Back for family.

Did I mention the
Eye-candy? I did. Just had
To revisit it.

No haiku verse here: this speaks for itself.

Sláinte Pub and the Amazing Last Minute Goal

Unless you live in a cave, you've probably heard by now about the dramatic US victory over Algeria in Wednesday's World Cup match. Thanks to Landon Donovan (I used to live in his hometown of Redlands, California, mind you), who scored the game's only goal in the 91st minute of play, the US Men's National Team went from being sent home to being the winners of our Group. Now we advance with England, while Algeria and Slovenia head home. Go USA!

I decided to watch today's match at Sláinte Pub (pronounced SLAWN-chuh in the South, or SLAN-chuh in the North) in Fells this morning, with a lot of men and women who decided to take a sick day today (the malady: World-Cup-itis). To do this, I had to get up pretty early. The hoopla started at 9:30, but unless you got there around 8:30 you were not going to find a seat. Not only did I find a seat but I found one at the bar (okay, somebody else's seat, but he was outside and let me use his seat until I finished eating) in plain view of their biggest TV. Sláinte's motto is "Where soccer is religion." It certainly feels like a tempe to the Beautiful Game: three floors were showing today's games - the bottom two floors had the US-Algeria game, and the top floor had the riveting game between England and Slovenia. Football scarves abound all over the pub. Perhaps they may show other sports here when something soccer-related isn't on, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

In addition to three Diet Cokes and two beautiful pints of Guinness, each with a fat and shaggy head of foam like I have rarely seen, I went ahead and ordered myself some breakfast. Sláinte's regulars swear this is THE place for a good breakfast. Most of these breakfasts are in the $9 to $13 price range, including a mixture of American and Irish breakfast favorites. Some of the more intriguing menu items include the the not-quite-Mexican-or-Italian ranchero fritatta ($15) and the imposing traditional Irish breakfast ($12) of bangers, rashers, scrambled eggs, beans and toast, etc (I may need to order this for Sunday morning's England game - yes, I'm already considering returning). They have more traditionally American offerings as well, including blueberry pancakes ($8) and vanilla French toast ($8.50).


My breakfast was the Boxtie (BOX-tee), a mishmash of Irish-style potato pancakes (like a few large hash brown patties) interspersed with egg, Irish bangers and rashers (sausage and bacon) and topped with what is described as a "Guinness-infused cheddar". The Boxtie is served with sliced potatoes, onions and green peppers, and a slice of melon with a strawberry. This is a pretty imposing breakfast in itself, and it took me a while to slog through it. My favorite part of this meal was the Boxtie itself - the potato pancakes were slightly crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, and not at all mushy. The flavors melded well with the bangers and rashers. I'm not sure how I feel about the Guinness cheddar. There could have been more of it, because I really didn't get too much of a taste. But overall it's a dish I would suggest you at least try. Perhaps you should try it when the US plays (I think they're playing) Ghana on Saturday afternoon? Or when England next plays on Sunday morning. I mean, Sláinte isn't a church, but again, you are getting their brand of religion! And it's easy to go into a higher state of consciousness when your team scores the game winning goal that keeps you in the whole dang tournament just before the game ends. It is amazing and exhilarating.


Again, GO USA!!!

In Memory of Our Forequeens

It was 40 years ago this weekend: the Stonewall Riots, one of the first big steps in the gay rights movement in America. Named for the Stonewall Inn in New York City (which I hope to visit next month), at a time when police raided known gay and lesbian establishments to harass the patrons and arrest so-called "perverts." On June 28, 1969, the gay and lesbian patrons had had enough and fought back.

I could continue to drone on about this, but Varla Jean tells it in a much more entertaining way.

She just can't bear the thought of losing you!

One of the funniest drag queens in America is back in town, and she's a-huntin' bears. Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Varla Jean Merman!



She's also appearing tonight at the Hippo.

Exit 43 - MD-157 (Peninsula Expy) and MD-158 (Bethlehem Blvd), to Dundalk

We are nearing the end of our culinary journey around I-695. I can tell because of all those signs that say "Key Bridge - this way" and "Last exit before toll". But perhaps an even bigger indicator is that this penultimate exit is, in fact, the last exit on the inner loop. That's right. Exit 44 - the final exit - is only found on the outer loop (whose numbers go down). In order to make it from the inner loop, you have to do some funky U-turn thing - which of course I'll have to do, unless I come from Glen Burnie. But technically, if I was just doing the inner loop of the Beltway, I'd be done!

No such luck for me or my schedule. But we'll save that for the next post.

When you get off of this exit, you have two options to turn: Bethlehem Blvd (MD-158) and the Peninsula Expressway (MD-157). I headed for 157, which I reasoned would be an easier route for finding food. It's a long but mostly scenic drive into Dundalk along this route, and wouldn't you know it? Going this way took me directly back to Merritt Blvd and CCBC Dundalk. Since I covered this area a few posts ago (Exit 39), I found myself driving around a lot - I mean a lot - to find something different to eat. It didn't hit me that I could've just gone straight across Merritt along Sollers Point Road and Delvale Avenue - past Dundalk High School on to Holabird. Another option was to continue along Sollers Point towards Dundalk Avenue. That last bit I will save for the next post.

Along the way I didn't find a whole lot until quite late. When you're on Peninsula Expressway, there really isn't a whole lot to eat, unless you catch it yourself. You find a few marinas and parks - quite a few - but eateries are sparse. The only one I found off of Peninsula was the Hard Yacht Café (map), in the Anchor Bay East Marina on Cove Road. Well, at least I would have found it. You see, I found it difficult to get to, even with my GPS. So to be honest, I couldn't really find it. I probably just didn't look enough. And it would've been difficult anyway - the only street is a narrow residential one. Maybe it's easier to get to by boat? When you do get there, you can order anything from sandwiches to burgers to hot dogs to seafood, and of course there's beer.

A few more along the Peninsula-to-Sollers Point route took me past a very large Moose Lodge, and a few businesses that looked either closed down for the day or forever. Tony's Carry-Out (map) looked like it was shut down for good, since - again - there were no vehicles anywhere to be found. Nearby was a Pizza Boli's and the Oriental Wok (map). This place was indeed open, but I got the impression that I needed to phone in my order first.

Hello?

I almost stopped by yet another Filleti's (map) - there seems to be three locations in all, including one on Sollers Point Road - and that probably would've resulted in a pretty good meal. But I wanted to find an unfamiliar name first so I pressed on. Along the way I found Minnick's (map), apparently right across from Dundalk High School. At least it's supposed to be - I could only find what looked like houses. I must have missed it. But at least I know its general location. Minnick's has a bar that is open to the public, and its a jeans and T-shirt sort of place. Its restaurant is only open to private parties and wakes, which you probably shouldn't wear jeans and a T-shirt to anyway.

Once you hit Holabird you can go west towards Dundalk Avenue, or east back to Merritt, and to restaurants I have been to before. The westbound locations I will save for the next post. Eastbound, I found only one restaurant that I haven't written about before. This is Bada Bing Bada Beef (map), next to the Mars supermarket. Bada Bing does catering, bull roasts and all manner of pit beef, pit ham, pit poultry and pulled pork, as well as things you don't usually expect a pit beef outlet to provide, from fried mushrooms to crabcakes to snowballs. That's right - there's a snowball stand!

I needed a minute to look over the menu, and finally decided on the standard pit beef sandwich - rare for $5.60 (you can also get it medium and well done) - and a small fries with gravy (about $2, though typically it costs almost $3). I spent about $8 total.

These were shoestring fries, unlike most pit beef stand fries I have had, which are the thicker variety

The pit beef survived the half hour drive home, though I can't say the same for the fries. I'm not much of a fry person, and I didn't really like these fries a whole bunch. Maybe it's also because they looked a little overdone, even though they didn't taste that way. They were okay. The pit beef was much better. It was one of the more tender pit beefs that I've eaten, and very juicy. It was also a little stringy in some spots, though I've found that with every pit beef I've eaten. It just seems par for the course. The horseradish, BBQ sauce and onion that they put on it (by my request - they ask these things while you're there) also tasted quite good. Only the roll was a soggy let down, but any roll would be after a 30-minute car ride, so that's not their fault. In short, Bada Bing gave me a very good pit beef sandwich, even though I'd avoid the fries in the future.

Sigh - 43 down (counting A, B and C exits, it's more like 60), one to go! Off I go to Broening Highway...

Is there a toll coming up?

Other photos -

A porch with a view - Bada Bing Bada Beef (B⁴?)

You would think that one of these things would help me not get lost, but noooooooooooooo... (Also, I don't advise that you click and drive. It's not easy.)

The legendary Loyal Order of Moose. I think this is the biggest Moose Lodge I have ever seen.

Places I visited -

Bada Bing Bada Beef (pit beef / snowballs) - 7210 Holabird Ave Dundalk, MD 21222 (410) 282-9500

• Would I eat there again? Yes
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Yes, but not for the fries

Places to look up later -

Filleti's Carry-Out (pizza and subs) - 2917 Sollers Point Rd, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 285-5300‎

Hard Yacht Café (American / seafood / bar - in the Anchor Bay East Marina) - 8500 Cove Road, Dundalk, MD 21222 (39°15'02.5" N, 76°29'15.2" W); Phone: (410) 284-1044

Minnick's (bar / restaurant - restaurant is only open to private parties) - 7100 Sollers Point Rd, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 285-5828

Oriental Wok (Chinese) - 2109 Merritt Ave, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 288-3663

Tony's Carry-Out (American) - 2102 Merritt Ave, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 288-4220‎




for Bada Bing Bada Beef

Exit 41 - Cove Road (to MD-151 and Dundalk)

The search for food along North Point Boulevard continues. This leg of the trip takes me from Cove Road to Wise Avenue, beyond which lies the Sparrows Point Industrial Complex and - yes - another Beltway exit. The next one will take me into the heart of Sparrows Point itself. But for now, I'm still exploring MD-151 for some eats.

A few more notable things that I found past Cove Road:

• The seemingly vacant "Sand Witch" trailer (closed for today). Does anybody know anything about it at all?
• The standard Chinese and Italian places. The Chinese place is the Great Wall Chinese Restaurant (map). The Italian place is Vizzini's Pizza (map), one of several in the Baltimore area (including locations in Pasadena and Baltimore itself). Great Wall and Vizzini's are both in the St. Gregory Shopping Center. It looks like the North Point Mart Shopping Center but make sure you read the part at the top (especially bad to diss St. Greg if you're a singer, a musician or a teacher - or all three).
• Pop's Tavern (map) looks like a clean, bright and crusty old place (neither a good nor a bad thing - it's just a thing). They've got a listing on MDparty.com. From the look of the acts, Pop's seems like a country place. Their MDparty page lists upcoming live country band performances, including seemingly regular performers like the Cumberland Band, Southern Exposure and the David Wayne Band. I think they're all local acts, and are performing alot in the upcoming months.
• The Sparrows Point Restaurant, tiny and compact, so they must be crowded when they're open. Are they still open? I can find nothing about them.

Alright, Google, Yahoo, Urbanspoon - y'all don't believe me that there's a Sparrows Point Restaurant? Here it is! HA!

One important find for the drooling crab lover: dueling crab joints, across the Boulevard from each other. At least one makes it onto Elizabeth Large's top ten crab houses in the Baltimore area, and the other gets raved about by commenters.

On one side is the Costas Crab House/Inn, (map), voted the 2003's Best Crab House by the City Paper. Costas has also made its way into Zagat, where most reviewers loved the place (a few hated it big time). Costas serves "crabs all year round, hon". But of course, it doesn't stop there: they've got crab cakes, pit beef, even their own seafood seasoning. And yes, they do cater. It's a big, sit-down place where you can get your hands and arms covered in Old Bay and little crab shell-induced cuts right quick. It's one of those places that I really should have known about, but I don't. So I will have to get to know it when I have the time and the money.

On the other side is the Salty Dog's Crab House (map). This is not so much a crab house as a seafood shop. No, it looks like you can't sit down and eat, well, anything in Salty Dog's. This seems to be a carry-out place, so I assume carry-out is the only way to meet your seafood needs here. This place was packed - but considering that it was relatively the size of an outhouse (okay maybe not that tiny), it would have to be. Still, there were about as many people there as at the Costas Inn (maybe 10 5 times as big) across the street. They sell urshters, soft shells, etc. And here's what REALLY caught my attention: Tuesdays are $1 crab days! Get crabs for $1 each. That is my price range! I love what one reviewer said: "The crabs are not the absolute best but definitely are worth the money".

Yes, you too can get delicious steamed crabs for only a buck a piece! Too bad it's Wednesday...

I HAVE to venture back to the Salty Dog, maybe on my way back from Exit 42 when I get around to it. And I would've come here had I not already been to Tommy's Charcoal Express (map), a small little diner with all the feel of a Waffle House without any of the glitz. And like WH, Tommy's sells just about everything here. Their specialty, of course, is not waffles but all manner of pit meat: pit beef, pit chicken, pit sausage, pulled pork, etc. So much to choose from!

I stuck with the specials to save myself the trouble. For my meal I quickly settled on the pulled pork slider special with French fries and a 16 oz drink ($6). I got my meal in under ten minutes, all the while I was perusing the local Dundalk paper at one of the stools set up by a counter-away-from-the-counter, with booths and old video arcade games behind me. I'm not sure what he was doing, but one older gentleman (who obviously was familiar with the staff) took a butter knife from one of the tables and fidgeted with the side of one of the video machines for a second. Then he put it back down, which puzzled me.


The sliders were too hot and messy to even attempt to sample in the car, but I did get some fries: very fresh-tasting, like they had been cut not long before. I don't know if they had been just cut, but they sort of tasted like it. I ate the sliders later at home: three perfect little sweet blobs of pulled pork, each on its own soft mini-hamburger bun. Actually, I didn't eat them all. Instead I just cut each in half, saving the rest of them for later. It all microwaved well (even the fries) for about 45 seconds. Some of the tastiest pulled pork I've had as of late.

Other photos -

Just how many Louisville Sluggers have come in contact with headlights in Pop's parking lot? Did it make a difference?

Do you really want to argue with the man-sized crab? I mean he looks pretty steamed.

Onward and outward, back to the Beltway, hon

Places I visited

Tommy's Charcoal Express (American) - 3950 North Point Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 477-6900

• Would I eat there again? Yes indeed
• Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Maybe
  

Places to look up later

Costas Crab House & Inn (crabs / American) - 4100 North Point Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 477-1975

Great Wall Chinese Restaurant (Chinese) - 4045 North Point Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 477-4605

Pop's Tavern (bar / American) - 4343 North Point Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21219; Phone: (410) 477-0270

Salty Dog's Crab House (crabs / seafood) - 4011 North Point Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 388-0515

Sand Witch trailer (sandwiches) - can find no information

Sparrows Point Restaurant - can find no information

Vizzini's Pizza (pizza) - 4051 North Point Boulevard, Dundalk, MD 21222; Phone: (410) 477-1200



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