1 Full Day in Baltimore - Recs for 1st Timer?

[krisrishere]

My husband and I will arrive in Baltimore next Saturday night and leave first thing Monday morning - therefore we have 1 full day to enjoy Baltimore. Any can't miss places to visit? We love all types of food. I would like 1 nice restaurant for dinner on Sunday, maybe seafood? Any recs for a quick bite on Saturday night and during the day on Sunday would be appreciated. We will be staying at a condo located in the Inner Harbor.

[krisrishere]

Hey everyone! We just came back from a great (1) day in Baltimore. We wanted to try all of your recommendations, however there just wasn't time. By the time we got there on Saturday night we were exhausted and annoyed from the traffic so we grabbed a sandwich in the Inner Harbor, which sucked of course.

Sunday morning we overslept which put a kink in our original plans of hitting the JFX market. Instead we went directly to the water taxi and went to Fort McHenry, then Fell's Point where we so hungry we literally went to the first place we saw - Jimmy's Restaurant. I had the Greek Chicken Sandwich which was exactly what I needed and wanted..my husband had a patty melt that he loved. We then toured around the area and eventually made our way back to see the USS Constellation and USS Torsk. After freshening up for dinner we took the water taxi back to Fell's Point and had dinner at Black Olive.

Here's a link to my review of Black Olive on Yelp..honestly I was disappointed that we didn't have as good of an experience as you guys did.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/black-olive-b...

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Black Olive
814 S. Bond Street, Baltimore, MD 21231

[flavrmeistr]

Well, the main thing is that you hit Jimmy's for the true Baltimore experience. The ultimate Baltimore experience is shuffling into Jimmy's after a night of pub crawling in Fells Point and waking up in your car. Crispy scrapple and eggs, surly waitresses. Ah, the life!

[krisrishere]

I'm glad! The highlight of the trip was going into the Sound Garden in Fell's Point and seeing all of the pictures of the actors from "The Wire" up on the wall! I thought if I hung out there long enough one of them would come in :)

[krisrishere]

Ok guys, one more question before I leave :) I've made a reservation at Black Olive for our "nice" Sunday night dinner, but we decided we wanted a quick no-frills meal on Saturday night when we get there. I know Kooper's Tavern was mentioned already..any additional thoughts about that? I've also had recs for Brewer's Art and Max's Taphouse.

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Brewer's Art
1106 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201

Black Olive
814 S. Bond Street, Baltimore, MD 21231

Kooper's Tavern
1702 Thames St, Baltimore, MD 21231

[FoiGras]

Brewer's Art--don't even have a familiarity with Kooper's Tavern, etc. At least you will hear favorable reviews with regards to the Brewer's Art, despite the fact that I can't actually recommend it since I haven't dined there in other 5 or 6 years. I do recall that it was worthwhile. FoiGras

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Brewer's Art
1106 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201

Kooper's Tavern
1702 Thames St, Baltimore, MD 21231

[ronandaim]

IMO Max's is only good for beer. I'd pick Brewer's Art over Max's any day.

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Brewer's Art
1106 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201

[kukubura]

Brewer's Art is terrific. Check out the downstairs. Very nice.

Kooper's is very, very solid pub food but Brewer's is elevated pub food. Kooper's is in a more strollable neighborhood. Saturday around Brewer's used to get dicey but I think the underage BYOB club in the basement of the Belvedere is gone. Speaking of the Belvedere, if you want to see something cool, take a peek at the Owl Bar there. It's amazing looking.

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Brewer's Art
1106 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201

[tizinu]

If you're going to the Black Olive on Sunday night, you can go to Max's afterwards for their impressive selection of beer. It's a longish walk or a short cab ride. You can also go to Bird's of a Feather for scotch afterwards (the bartender there is really nice when there aren't obnoxious people in there and it's a great scotch bar, but there is no food.) And there is Vaccarro's (the one in Fells Point) for amazing cannolis. AMAZING, and every time I go there I meet different out of towner regulars (meaning they fly in from other places and ALWAYS make a trip to Vaccarro's.) All of these places are on the southeast side of the city and are longish walks or super short cab rides.

For Saturday night: I would go to Federal Hill or Mt. Vernon. They are different neighborhoods of Baltimore and you'll get a different vibe from them. Mt. Vernon: Brewer's Art for their garlic rosemary fries, Ressurection, and pub food. The downstairs is a great place to eat. There are plenty of bars around that area too, but the Brewer's Art is special and worth dining there.

Federal Hill: Bluegrass is really great and very casual-- their crawfish hush puppies though not filled with crawfish are tasty and they make almost everything there (ketchup, mustard, etc..). Once again, lots of different bars in the area to peek into afterwards, though I haven't gone there to drink in a long time. Matsuri is consistent in their sushi (fresh, not too creative, but affordable) and the Sobo is casual yuppie comfort food that is affordable too. (Although those places I have a bit of a bias for because we've been going to them for over a decade) And if you plan it right, you can stroll around the inner harbor to walk off your food coma. :)

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Brewer's Art
1106 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201

Black Olive
814 S. Bond Street, Baltimore, MD 21231

Sobo Cafe
6 W Cross St, Baltimore, MD 21230

Matsuri
1105 S Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21230

[Hal Laurent]

It's only 2 tenths of a mile from the Black Olive to Max's. Definitely no need for a cab.

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Black Olive
814 S. Bond Street, Baltimore, MD 21231

[theminx]

Definitely Brewer's Art.

[jvanderh]

I vote for Shepherd's Pie with cheese at James Joyce.

[krisrishere]

Wow, so many great recs! Thanks everyone!

We definitely want to check out JFX Market on Sunday morning. My husband just told me he wanted seafood for dinner on Sunday night, any thoughts on that? Price really isn't an issue. Also, what would be a good late dinner on Saturday? Like I said before, we are staying in a condo near Inner Harbor - apparently we can see both Inner Harbor and Camden Yards from the house; both within a short walking distance.

[kukubura]

BBBBBBBB&&&&&&&&OOOOOOOOO

[tizinu]

the Black Olive. The owner's have the fish shipped in every night and it's the best place that I've ever had Dover sole from. Tom Sietsema of the WashingtonPost loves it too.

They have an amazing fish stew that will just floor you.

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Black Olive
814 S. Bond Street, Baltimore, MD 21231

[krisrishere]

Wow, I didn't see the fish list link the first time I looked at their website - very impressive!

[Hue]

If you decide on the BLACK OLIVE and they have St. Peter's Fish, jump at the chance. Not always available and sells out quickly!!

[gregb]

tilapia?

[dining with doc]

st peters fish when in israel but aka tilapia in the usa.
saturday night: beer and burger or crab cake at The Owl Bar
Sunday morning: graze and eat at the Outdoor farmers market. great omelets, falafal pita sandwich, fried fish sandwich and much more. you will have a blast. bring a cooler
Sunday lunch- may not be needed because of the volume of food you eat at the market
Sunday dinner- Black Olive

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Black Olive
814 S. Bond Street, Baltimore, MD 21231

[elgringoviejo]

Greektown Grill on Eastern Avenue in Greektown serves excellent authentic Greek food for a reasonable price than do its Greektown competitors. I have very much enjoyed theri pastitsio and authentic gyro, made with real pork rather than processed meat.

[kukubura]

I could have sworn someone on here recommended B&O Brasserie. It's near your hotel and it's outstanding. The new chef is amazing and the bar chef is a national award winner for some of the most truly special cocktails you will ever have.

Fell's Point is a lovely neighborhood to stroll around during the day. Two places I often recommend there:
- Tortilleria Sinaloa, an awesome little storefront Mexican restaurant that I love love love
- Kooper's Tavern for totally rock-solid pub food elevated with really nice ingredients.

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Kooper's Tavern
1702 Thames St, Baltimore, MD 21231

[2000man]

I like Duda's better than Kooper's. Though, I have eaten many meals at Koopers and like most of them very well. I had some burgers there on burger night that were that great. What did I expect on dollar burger night? Once and while, Friends used have a couple of good things on the menu.

[Hal Laurent]

Friends is gone. That location now houses Sticky Rice.

[2000man]

:(

[theminx]

I've only ever had dried-out tough burgers and horrible service at Duda's - three separate occasions in three different years. Can't be coincidence.

[stephanieg]

The Black Olive would be a wonderful place for a nice dinner. We were there last weekend and enjoyed amazing seafood-- I especially recommend the Russ' scallop appetizer (perfectly grilled scallops) and the grilled shrimp appetizer (these are huge and delicious, but be warned, they are also expensive!!!). And if you like eggplant, the eggplant dip is a must! We all had delicious bronzini as our entree. The restaurant also has a fabulous wine list. After (or before) dinner, definitely stroll around the Fells Point area. It's a great place to walk around. And if you want something sweet, there is a fantastic gelato place in that neighborhood (Pitango Gelato).

There are many excellent "quick bite" places. Do you have a specific cuisine or atmosphere in mind? That would help narrow them down!

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Black Olive
814 S. Bond Street, Baltimore, MD 21231

[Hal Laurent]

The Black Olive is very, very, good. It's not cheap though, if that matters.

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Black Olive
814 S. Bond Street, Baltimore, MD 21231

[jvanderh]

I really, really like their taramosalata.

[2000man]

Pitango is great. Def, Chowhound type of ice cream place.

[2000man]

JFX Farmer's market on Sunday morning. There is a huge thread discussing this near the top of the board.

[kukubura]

This is absolutely the best thing you can do in Baltimore on a Sunday (or really any day.) This Farmers Market is easily one of the most impressive things in our city. There is a ton of good prepared food to eat. The fried fish guy is a personal favorite but there are lots.

Also, on market days the next-door Hollywood Diner (the diner from Diner) uses that day's fresh produce from the market in their specials. Really nice omlettes and things.

[baltoellen]

A hearty third for the JFX Market. It's a pretty incredible place. I do think, sadly, that the Hollywood Diner has closed.

[JonParker]

I saw it open last week I think. It does seem to come and go a lot though. And of course, I vote for the market too.

[JonParker]

It does appear that they are closed. There was no sign of life 10 minutes before their 8am opening time, and a peek through the window showed sections of booths stacked on the counter.

[tizinu]

I miss the JFX farmer's market-- it is comparable to those in California in terms of size. You'll love it.

I would also suggest a quick trip to Woodberry Kitchen if you have the chance, as well as Bluegrass, and the Black Olive-- all great recommendations. If you want to do something artsy, the Walters Art Gallery is free and the American Visionary Art Museum is just wickedly cool.

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Woodberry Kitchen
2010 Clipper Park Rd # 126, Baltimore, MD

Black Olive
814 S. Bond Street, Baltimore, MD 21231

[fedhillhound]

Bluegrass on Hanover Street is one of the best meals I've had recently. Also, Wine Market on Fort Avenue

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Wine Market
921 East Fort Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21230

[JonParker]

I may be geographically biased, but I think Blue Grass is one of the best places in town. It's a place that turns out consistently excellent food, and the charcuterie puts anyone else's to shame.

[shorty40cdm]

I third Bluegrass--very good service and great food!

[jvanderh]

I forth it! I may be a little biased too, though.

[woodleyparkhound]

Don't miss Lexington Market... Faidley's there is legendary for crab cakes. Oops! Nevermind... the market is closed on Sunday.

Did you mean you are leaving first thing MONDAY morning??

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Lexington Market
400 W Lexington St, Baltimore, MD 21201

[krisrishere]

Whoops! You're correct - getting there Saturday night, leaving Monday morning.

[Worldwide Diner]

If you're not from a city with great delis, you can go to Attman's on Sunday. I made a stop there in the midst of my roadtrip once and really enjoyed it. I don't know if Charleston is open on Sundays but that's one of the best restaurants in Baltimore, if not the best.

[Hal Laurent]

Charleston is closed on Sundays.

[flavrmeistr]

The Cross Street Market is open on Sundays. Large selection of raw oysters an clams, sushi, steamed and fried seafood accompanied by cold beer and cocktails. Great way to spend a Sunday, before or after you go up the hill to check out Ft. McHenry.

[JonParker]

To clarify that, Cross Street Market is indeed closed on Sunday. However, Nick's at the east end is open. I'm not a fan though. I think they've gone way downhill over the last few years. Nick's was one of the reasons I moved to Federal Hill. Now I never bother.

[flavrmeistr]

I still bother on occasion. It's a little expensive, but it's still fun. Not too many raw bars around anymore and Nick's has it all.

[JonParker]

For oysters I go across the street to Ryleighs, which has a far better selection and a $1 oyster happy hour. I once got an oyster sandwich at Nicks that was three small oysters on white bread for $10. It was pathetic, especially compared to Ryleighs oyster loaf.

I used to love Nicks before the last market remodel, when they hand breaded the fried shrimp and Bruce Lee Wings was tucked in the corner, but it just depresses me now.

[flavrmeistr]

$1 oyster happy hour sounds pretty good. Thanks for the tip, Jon. Would that be across Light Street?

[kukubura]

It's on the other side of the harbor. between Light st and S Charles

[JonParker]

On the other side of the harbor? It's right across Cross street from the market, about halfway down.

[kukubura]

I just meant to orient it from where they're staying. It's not by Harborplace. It's on the other side.