Maryland Food

Phew!  I’ve been waiting for several years to make a trip back to Maryland in the summertime.  There’s a lot I love about Texas and will probably never move back to Maryland …. BUT … I sure do miss my Maryland crabs.  I was so excited when the opportunity arose for a quick trip and started making plans with family and friends (all centered around my favorite foods of course!). 

My cousins and other extended family took me to a great little pub/restaurant in Baltimore’s Federal Hill district called “Corks”.  Lots of wine, cheese, and DELICIOUS food.  Yum!

I got the pan seared salmon with ratatouille…

The lighting was dim in this amazing restaurant so the pictures didn’t turn out as I remember these beautiful dishes.  The ratatouille made my top ten list of side dishes I’ve ever eaten.  It was so delicious, I didn’t want it to end!

Next, my uncle ordered the grilled portabello mushroom served atop a large piece of grilled, gourmet cheese with fresh greens and truffle oil.  It was too pretty to go without a shot.  My uncle was kind enough to let me take a picture before he even had a bite.  I’m sure the rest of the table thought I was a nut taking pictures of our dinners. 

My cousin ordered the pot du chocolate for dessert.  It’s served with whipped cream and chocolate hazelnut biscotti.

After a great meal and lots of laughs with family I’ve missed so much, we headed back to the car.  We parked on the top level of the parking garage downtown.  It made for a great skyline shot of Baltimore at night. 

This next plate is from dinner with Natalie and her sweet little girl, Lyla.  I told Natalie it was mandatory for us to eat at Bertucci’s.  Thankfully she’s one of the nicest people I know and obliged. 

When I lived in Maryland, I had no idea how spoiled I was to be able to live so close to brick oven pizza.  I’ve tried to make it here in Texas but there’s just something about heating my oven like a kiln that is very unnerving to me.  So, this was a much appreciated slice of pizza!  This is actually my second slice because once the first slice was in front of me, there was no foolin’ with a camera.  Oh, it was divine!  This is the chicken margherita pizza with fresh mozzarella and basil.

Here we are after dinner.  She’s one of my truest, sweetest friends. Always smiling, always a cheerful spirit!  We met way back in elementary school as backyard neighbors. 

And last, but not least…

Oh my, it was so good.  And, I even remembered my crab picking techniques from years ago.  We all gathered at my aunt and uncle’s house for her birthday.  They dumped these beauties out from bushel baskets onto the lined picnic tables and it wasn’t long before all you heard was hammering and cracking.  What a nice trip filled with great fun, family, friends, and yummy food!