Baltimore doesn’t hugely depend on tourists, which makes for an authentic and unpretentious city break abundant with elegant brownstones and a lively food and drinks scene.
Baltimore, Maryland, is not a city that’s gussied up for tourists. That doesn’t mean it’s not a handsome place – from the Inner Harbor to elegant brownstones, and its museums, galleries, monuments and green spaces, it really is – but there’s a lack of phoniness that you often find in other East Coast cities.
Its eccentric spirit is perhaps best embodied by filmmaker John Waters, who made Hairspray and Pink Flamingos in his beloved hometown and the annual HonFest, a two-day festival each June in the Hampden neighbourhood, which takes its name from “hon” the local term of endearment and celebrates all things “Bawlmer”. If you’re timing your trip to coincide with it, make sure to practise your beehive before you go, plus pack any cat’s-eye sunglasses, Spandex and leopard print you can lay your hands on. The more outrageous, the better.
All year ’round, 36th street in Hampden, otherwise known as “the avenue”, is where Waters fans flock to see his film sets in real life – and to visit Cafe Hon – but it’s also ideal for a bimble around antiques, vintage clothing and indie homeware shops, such as Trohv and Brightside Boutique, with stops at its many restaurants and bars.
Top of your must-go list should be Clavel on W 23rd Street, a 100-seat mezcaleria and taqueria that has customers queuing around the block. We arrive before its 5pm opening and join the queue outside where expectations are high. Just five minutes later we’re inside and seated on simple wood furniture in the sparse, white-washed space, with just leafy planters and woven baskets to soften the bare, H-shaped room. On the menu are tostadas ($8), tacos ($5), full plate ceviche (from $12) and a tangy, house-made ale called Himno Viejo.
We order a beer and a margarita, both of which are excellent (sour and salty respectively), shrimp mango tacos, tuna ceviche and the house special: tender pork in bitter oranges and achiote. Bubbling hot cheese that’s crisped around the edges and eaten with corn chips, finishes the meal. We’re in and out within the hour and at a loose end.
Just down the street, at 400 W 23rd Street, WC Harlan is also owned by the folks behind Clavel. It’s a self-described speakeasy that’s listed on Google Maps. As such, it’s fairly easy to find and doesn’t feel all that hidden, though the chalk signal on the otherwise inconspicuous door is a nice touch.
Inside it’s all shadows and air con – pure bliss in high summer. Bartender Trevor Wray Dixon shakes us up two Joan of Arcs, made with bourbon, blackberry liqueur, raw honey and mint that perk us right up. It’s tempting to perch here for the day and hide from the sun, like many others who are here, but we press on.
As Baltimore is a city of more than 200 neighbourhoods, we head to Woodberry while we’re near it, and the city’s first James Beard award-winning restaurant, Woodberry Kitchen, a double-height space in an old foundry with an open kitchen, a destination in itself. It’s too hot to sit outside on our daytime visit, but in the evening, dining under festoon lighting by a roaring fire pit is a midsummer night’s dream.
Inside, chef-de-cuisine Lou Sumpter has created a broad menu with a focus on local sourcing that takes in everything from rabbit and ricotta dumplings to fried soft shell crabs, flatbreads and malt ice cream.
Over at the bar, manager Hannah Baker serves us up an Old Fashioned made with cherry cordial, honey syrup with a sprig of rosemary, and a creamy Lost Weekend of rhubarb honey, brandy, curaçao, fennel liquor and maple syrup. We also tuck into a summer-on-a-plate courgette tart in a creamy thyme custard, an unbelievably succulent, cast-iron-cooked pork chop, and follow it all with a blueberry and strawberry custard tart, with cherry ice cream rolled in honeycomb.
Stuffed and smiling, we leave just as hungry hikers arrive off the 18-kilometre Jones Falls Trail (starting at the Baltimore Visitor Center at the Inner Harbor) and groups of diners file into Woodberry Kitchen to settle in for the evening. As we’re in the car and heading back to the waterfront, it seems like the most opportune time to whizz by sights of The Wire TV series.
I say whizz for three reasons: in summer, the streets can be unbearably hot with little shade; secondly, the driving tours found online are so called because there can be a fair bit of distance between locations and, lastly, if you are unfamiliar with the city you may feel safer in a car, as the routes found online take you to areas that fewer tourists venture to, making you quite visible.
It is said city officials were not exactly pleased with The Wire’s depiction of Baltimore, but driving through some parts of the city 15 years later, there are telltale signs that many neighbourhoods are still struggling, and as a result, most visitors tend to hang out and ramble around Inner Harbor.
We end our drive at 400 West Lexington Street’s Lexington Market, where many tours begin, and join the standing counter at Faidley’s Seafood to chat and chew on local cherry stone clams. There are scarred communities here for sure, but like any city, it can’t be summed up neatly or labelled into one box.
BALTIMORE ESSENTIALS
ON TAP Max’s Taphouse, found in the docklands area, has an impressive 106 kegs on draft. The menu is one-sided and we’re told it changes “at least once a day, if not twice”. On the day of our visit, beers were listed in alphabetical order, with per cent and style listed beside them, and 21 beers on tap coming from Maryland. We try a Bell’s Sparkleberry, which tastes of cured meat and blackberries, and also some pretty decent wings and fries. (737 S Broadway, +1 410 675 6297)
RELAXED Across the wonky redbrick paths outside Max’s Taphouse, Ekiben is a casual sit-in place that was originally a food stand at Fell’s Point Farmers Market, but it’s been open here since 2016, with owners Ephrem Abebe and Steve Chu now at the helm. On the walls is black corrugated iron, while behind the stainless steel counters are fluffy white buns waiting in condensation-soaked steamers.
We try the light tempura broccoli with red onion and vinegar, and Taiwanese curry fried chicken steamed buns with samba mayo and pickles, and wash it all down with tobacco-tanged Thai tea. It’s no frills, but one of the best meals we eat in Baltimore. (1622 Eastern Ave, Baltimore, +1 410 558 1914)
CRAFTY Of Love & Regret is a tin-ceiling tavern that craft beer fans might know from Stillwater’s Artisanal Ales led by Brian Strumke, who brought out Action Bronson 7000 and the swiftly recalled I Miss the Old Kanye. Now owned by Leigh Philipkosky, highlights of its extensive menu on our visit are Elgood’s Coolship Dark with balsamic sour notes, and the bone dry Anxo cider made with Sauv Blanc yeast and fermented with gold rush apples. Bar nibbles, like brie rolled in crushed pecans, are available too, as is bottomless brunch. (1028 S Conkling St, +1 410 327 0760)
DON'T MISS
SPORTING Friday is a good night for a ball game as the Orioles baseball team hosts guest performers and fireworks over summer, and their stadium is a big part of the attraction. Redeveloped into a 340-metre-long red brick warehouse of the 1899 B&O building, Camden Yards was unique when it was built in 1992 because it was designed solely to accommodate a baseball diamond. As such, there are no bad seats in the house. However, sit over by the scoreboard and on either side of the elevated viewing plaza (the redbrick side) and you will be facing into the late-afternoon sun, so book seats on the opposite side if you can.
People really make a night of it and it’s a very family-friendly affair (under nines go free) so allow plenty of time: go early, use the playground and tuck into a Boog open-air barbecue bun box ($10), doused in mustard and chipotle citrus, and pop your beer in a koozie before settling into your seat.
PHOTOGRAPHY Al Higgins
PUBLISHED Aer Lingus inflight magazine CARA, February/March 2019