Maryland Official Visitors Guide - 2020 Maryland Official Visitors Guide
Culinary
Lydia Woolever 2019-12-19 04:53:00
Land of Pleasant Eating
From classic crab feasts and award-winning fine dining to robust craft beer, wine and spirits scenes, Maryland is a mecca for foodies on the East Coast.
Maryland has long been synonymous with heaps of steamed crabs and ice-cold cans of National Bohemian beer—that’s Natty Boh to locals. Both still reign supreme, but in recent years, from the shores of the Atlantic to the mountains, inventive chefs, brewers, distillers and vintners have been igniting a culinary renaissance, enticing discerning palates for both iconic and inspired tastes.
THE BAY’S BOUNTY
Along the nation’s largest estuary, it’s no surprise that seafood is the star of the show. It is said that the name Chesapeake comes from the Native American word for “great water.” Then, as now, working the water was a way of life for waterfront communities, and today, you can still visit any town along the estuary and find fishing boats bobbing in the harbor or bringing in the daily catch.
In every corner of Maryland, crab remains king, arriving in endless iterations, from steamed hard shells and colossal crabcakes to prized soft shells and luscious lumps of meat served every way imaginable—in creamy dips, as the star ingredient in soups, in crispy fritters and atop soft, salty pretzels. Of course, few things are more “Maryland” than a classic crab feast outside in the summer and fall air.
Roadside stands allow you to take an Old Bay-covered bushel home to your own picnic table, while a wealth of crab houses across the state also offer an all-day pick without the cleanup, such as the James Beard Award-winning Schultz’s in Essex or the al fresco Harris Crab House on the Eastern Shore. For something less messy, crabcakes can be found at nearly every restaurant around, with the some of most famous mounds hailing from Jimmy’s Famous Seafood on Holabird Avenue in Baltimore, Faidley Seafood inside the city’s century-old Lexington Market and Dutch’s Daughter in Frederick. Just be sure not to miss out on another mouthwatering delicacy of seasonal soft shell crabs, which are served as sandwiches and entrees, broiled or fried, and found at the likes of Cantler’s Riverside Inn in Annapolis.
But the Chesapeake Bay has much more to dig your teeth into than just its iconic blue crustacean. Striped bass, aka rockfish, makes an appearance on many regional menus, and oysters, both wild and farmed, can be found in a number of new oyster houses across the state.
GOOD SPIRITS
When it comes to drinks, Maryland has a long and storied history, with the making of local beer, wine and spirits dating back to the Colonial period. In the last decade, craft brewers, distillers and vintners have been working to revive that hooch heritage by crafting an array of alcoholic beverages celebrating the past while carving out their own entrepreneurial legacy for the future. Fun fact: Maryland is known as “The Free State” because it openly defied anti-liquor laws during Prohibition!
Breweries, in particular, are experiencing a boom, with nearly every county now touting its own taproom. Sure, Natty Boh is still the beloved cheap beer of choice, but small-batch brewers, such as RAR Brewing in Cambridge, Burley Oak in Berlin and Diamondback in Baltimore are upping the ante with stellar suds. Also home to Flying Dog, one of the largest craft breweries in the country and the Guinness Open Gate Brewery, the first in the U.S since 1954, Maryland offers those with a hankering for hops nearly 100 craft breweries and festivals throughout the state. Many options can be found in cans at local liquor stores or on draft at area bars and restaurants.
Maryland wines are ripe for the tasting with new and old vineyards pushing the vino boundaries. With an eye on innovation and sustainability, both Black Ankle Vineyards in Mount Airy and Old Westminster Winery in New Windsor craft every bottle by hand. Both feature tastings and tours plus live music throughout the summer. Crow Vineyard in Kennedyville and Boordy Vineyards in Hydes also remain popular among wine lovers for their family-friendly, idyllic settings.
A growing group of distilleries are making waves for their ambitious array of craft spirits that cater to the mixology movement. There’s something for everyone, with local offerings that include vodka (Gray Wolf Craft Distilling), gin (Baltimore Spirits Company), rum (Lyon Distilling Co.), the state’s once-famous rye whiskey (Sagamore Spirit) and much more, available in their own on-site tasting rooms.
EDIBLE INSPIRATION
With its location just below the Mason-Dixon Line, Maryland’s food roots draw from both the refined tastes of the North and the downhome charms of the South. Today, local chefs are finding newfound inspiration from the region’s rich food history, evolving the dining scene through innovative takes on time-honored traditions.
Baltimore City might be the state’s great culinary epicenter, with renowned restaurants turning out some of the top eats on the East Coast. A decade in, James Beard Award-winner Spike Gjerde continues to impress with his pioneering farm-to-table fare at Woodberry Kitchen, and lauded chef Cindy Wolf remains the grand dame of the mid-Atlantic for her Low-Country-meets-classic-French cuisine at Charleston in Harbor East. At the same time, more informal dining experiences are also catching national buzz, like the modern soul food of Ida B’s Table and the hip Chesapeake dishes at Dylan’s Oyster Cellar, while cheap, chic establishments have become common go-tos for locals, like taqueria Clavel, Asian street-food shop Ekiben and the worldly R. House food hall.
Across the state, celebrity chefs have also been wooed by the Chesapeake’s abundance, like New York City’s Michelin-starred Andrew Carmellini, who is now serving creative riffs on Southern cooking at Rye Street Tavern along the Patapsco River in Baltimore. Just outside of Washington, D.C., prolific restaurateur José Andrés has also expanded his empire to the National Harbor with the seafood-themed Fish in Oxon Hill. Even Maryland’s own Top Chef finalist Bryan Voltaggio carries on in Frederick with his celebrated spots, the downhome Family Meal and world-renowned Volt.
Off the beaten path, diners can discover hidden gems with rave reviews as well, such as the James Beard-nominated Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana outside of Gaithersburg and the whimsical Flamant in Annapolis.
TAKEAWAY TREATS
Fresh seafood and frothy beers aren’t the easiest to travel with, but luckily, there are a host of Maryland-made food souvenirs fit for the road. By the beach, families stockpile old favorites, such as Fisher’s Popcorn and Dolle’s salt water taffy, while in the city of Baltimore, sweet tooths crave fudge-covered Berger Cookies, crispy Otterbein’s cookies, and confections like Cow Tales and Mouth Party Caramels. Whether you’re looking for a tasty souvenir to share with someone back home, or just need a snack to hold you over on the way to your next Maryland adventure, these delicious delicacies travel well.
Get the Digital Inspiration Guide at VisitMaryland.org/things-to-do/dining-restaurants
Shell Game
To savor the state treasure of Chesapeake seafood, make your way around the Maryland Crab & Oyster Trail, with dozens of destinations located up and down the estuary. On the Eastern Shore and in Southern Maryland, old-school crab houses speckle the peninsulas where traditional watermen still troll the local waterways. Oyster farms provide fresh-caught fodder for upscale raw bars and seafood houses. In the mountains in Western Maryland, fresh bay flavors can be found at fish markets, grills and taverns.
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Culinary
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