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East Coast pit stops: In search of Comfort food in Baltimore part one
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Baltimore is the stuff of fiction. No wonder this eclectic city birthed John Waters and Edgar Allen Poe. With its brick lined streets of row homes, Baltimore bridges the gap of the essence of what it is to be a city on the Mason Dixon Line. It is a an every growing multicultural city. Tourist attractions include the inner harbor, the National Aquarium, Little Italy, the Blacks in Wax museum and the new Reginald Lewis Museum which is the largest African American museum in United States. Let's face it though, foodies are interested all things crab-oriented when it comes to Baltimore;however, gourmet southern cuisine is another thing to brag about in this town. Angelenos, when visiting Baltimore there a a few places you must visit.
If you are looking for the heart of Baltimore in a restaurant then Cafe Hon is the place to go. Think the movies Hairspray and the play. Outside the cafe are brightly colored chair and table sets of lime green, yellow and orange. When you walk in you are transported to 50's Baltimore, life size Elvis figurine at the door, servers have big hair and brightly colored outfits. One may be wearing a matching flower in her hair like our server, manage Debbie wearing a lovely hot pink blouse and flower. The walls of the cafe are equally as loud with deep pink, chartreuse and light blue in various sections. Business travelers, WI-FI is also available in recent years at the cafe.
Food is big in flavor and in portions. There are an abundance of seafood options on the menu. All things fried are good. Why? The items like chicken, shrimp, and fished are breaded on the premises. Old bay makes an appearance in just about every fried food and sometimes bits of parsley. The fried cod is tender and light. The fried shrimp is superior to many others that I have consumed because often fried shrimp is not seasoned well.
The Chicken fingers are flavorful but they were dry. Another winning flavor is the dill dressing which comes with the house salad. It's has a unique flavor and it is so popular that is bottled and sold in the Cafe Hon store. Yes, they have a store.
Cafe Hon does a good job of reminding one that Baltimore is to crab what Bubba Gump is to Shrimp. My dining companion and I are served a plethora of crabby dishes. Maryland crab soup is a tomato based soup. At Cafe Hon, it is filled with generous amounts of crab meat, chunks of potato, carrots and peas. The cream of crab is like a bowl of comfort. Pull the blankets over me and bring on winter. There is also a thick crab dip with a cheesy coating topped old bay. Crab-cake is also a great option. Don't worry concern yourself whether or not there is any filler. It is all meat. As an aside I must mention the steamed shrimp dish is wonderful. Old Bay Seasoned shrimp are atop a bed of onions and red potatoes.
Cafe Hon is the essence of comfort food. They have a great meatloaf and mashed potato meal. The meatloaf is simple. The peppers and onions are visible throughout the slice. Dessert lovers there are so many options and so little time. All the cakes are like grandma use to make. They are homemade and grand in size. The slices are more than generous so two can easily share a slice. The frosting tastes homemade. On the menu are devil's food cake with cream cheese frosting, yellow cake with chocolate frosting, carrot cake, and the town tradition of coconut cake.
Wait did you think the dessert list was over? Try the bread pudding with a butterscotch sauce, a chocolate fudge Sunday complete with chunks of melted chocolate and then there the pies which include blueberry, apple, and cherry blueberry crumb pie. The vanilla shake is delightful as well. Cafe is a landmark restaurant is the Hamden area. Visit their website and find out more.
For more info: 1002 W. 36th Street Baltimore 410.243.1230
Named for a Curtis Mayfield song, this restaurant will have taste buds singing a happy tune. Darker Than Blue has a sophisticated vibe of a Blues establishment mixed with fine dining experience on Greenmount Ave. Baltimoreans would scratch their head about the location, location, location but if you love southern cuisine and want experience not only to perfection but with class then Darker Than Blue is the place for you.
The chef took our taste-buds from the south to Spain. Wine is not sold at the establishment so we have the sweet peach tea. On this night the flavor of peach is overpowered by the sugar. Note, the beverage will be my only complaint. When it comes to the food, everything is perfection from the most moist cornbread served with a sweet potato butter. Sweet potato lovers, meditate on that. Chicken poppers filled with crab meat are served next with two complimenting sauces including an orange marmalade vinaigrette and
and what my companion described as a basic cocktail sauce. However, the cocktail sauce works in the classic tradition of pairing it with seafood and in an unconventional way because of the prominence of the chicken. The meat of the chicken is tender while the coating is crunchy. There are three tiers of texture working together nicely. For our next appetizer, stuffed shrimp takes the stage filled with crab meat. The shrimp seems to be broiled. It is simple and classic in taste. Moving across the waters to Spanish Cuisine is the paella. It has a spicy flare not in a hot pepper sense but a more subtle kick. The dishes is filled with chicken, sausage, shrimp, peppers, and mussels along with the classic saffron rice. Part owner and Chef Casey Jenkins also serves a marvelous fish and grits dinner entree. The outstanding tender catfish is placed upon garlic sauteed spinach upon a bed of grits complimented with garlic butter sauce surrounding the mound.
The local Baltimore Magazine named Darker than Blue among the top 50 restaurants in the city. People come for good mac & cheese, fried chicken and the pairing of chicken and waffles too. Run, don't walk to this restaurant in Baltimore. Check the website for information about jazz performances and the Sunday Brunch.
For more info: Darker Than Blue 3034 Greenmount Ave. Baltimore 443-872-4468
See part two of the East Coast pit stop series.
Photo:Chef Casey Jenkins of Darker Than Blue
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