Good Eats in Baltimore

Two flights and about 66 miles later I find myself driving past our brick townhouse in Baltimore, Md.

I’m happy to see that our former home still looks the same on the outside, particularly since we still own it.

Two days ago I drove down to Baltimore from my in-laws house in Pennsylvania. I planned to run some errands, catch up with old friends and former co-workers, and of course, eat. After a week with my family in Nebraska, I am now spending a week with my husband and his family on the East Coast.

For lunch, I planned to meet two co-workers at B&O American Brasserie in the heart of downtown Baltimore. Jason and I had enjoyed a few good meals and cocktails here before we moved away this summer.

The restaurant occupies the original Baltimore & Ohio Railway headquarters, which is also home to a beautiful boutique hotel called Hotel Monaco. The hotel’s lower lobby is detailed with creamy marble walls, accents of green and burgundy and a dazzling crystal chandelier.

Beautiful architecture in the hotel's lobby.

The menu features American dishes with local and seasonal ingredients. For starters, we ordered the mac n’ cheese croquettes, curried mussels and a cup of chipotle, butternut squash soup.

The croquettes were served with pickled red onions and arugula.

I think the mussels were my favorite because of the slight spiciness. Unfortunately, the soup lacked enough spice and could’ve use used a good splash of cream or a rich chicken stock to enrich the flavor.

For our entrees, my friends and I ordered the grilled hamburger, pork ragout pasta and the market brick-oven pizza which included a fried egg on top of it. Since I’ve been pork deprived in Istanbul, the pasta tasted heavenly.

If you happen to be visiting Baltimore, I’d highly recommend stepping into B&O – It’s a mix of good modern-day food and drinks.

Later on, while I waited for my friends to get off work, I paid a visit to Salt – one of my all-time favorite restaurants in Baltimore that’s just a few blocks away from our house. Jason and I used to frequent here just to enjoy the duck-fat-fried French fries and the Salted Pomegranate Margaritas.

I didn’t want to order a whole order of fries for myself so I ordered the new steamed Asian pork bun off the appetizer menu. The pork was topped with a homemade, fresh kimchi. It was Asian-licious!

I apologize about the poor photo. I only had my cell phone with me at the time.

On the following morning, I took one last drive down the cobblestone streets of Fell’s Point. I stopped along the harbor for one passing glance before I headed back north to Pennsylvania. I definitely have many happy memories from living in Baltimore, and I do miss my former life. But we have a chance to do something different abroad, so that’s what we’re doing now.

January 2009 - Snowfall along the harbor in Baltimore.