I fail as a Baltimore foodie!

After I heard the sad news that venerable Baltimore Sun food critic Elizabeth Large is retiring, I realized it has been a while since I read her blog. I stumbled across a post where she asked her readers to come up with a list of 100 Things every Baltimore Foodie Must Do. Having lived my entire life here, I figured I would ace it. I have a lot of work to do.

1. Have a jumbo lump crab cake from Faidley's on a Saltine.
   
2. Pick steamed hard shells at Mr. Bill's Terrace Inn in Essex.
   
   1. I give myself credit for Whitey and Dot's
      
3. Eat Bertha's mussels.
   
4. Drink a Natty Boh.
   
5. Snack on a Berger's cookie.
   
6. Put marshmallow on your snowball.
   
   1. This really should be an Egg Custard snowball with marshmallow to count. Either way, I'm good.
      
7. Split Maryland beaten biscuits and put some thin slices of ham in them.
   
8. Serve sauerkraut with your turkey.
   
9. Get a chicken box (fried wings, western fries, dinner roll) from a Baltimore City public market.
   
   1. or Royal Farm Store
      
10. Maybe the chicken box should be from Tyrone's?
    
11. Lake trout. And for those of us who watched "The Wire," have a grape soda with it.
    
12. Breakfast at Blue Moon Cafe down in Fells Point.
    
    1. Personally, I think breakfast at the Paper Moon in Remington should count.
       
13. Corned beef on rye at Attman's.
    
    1. I am giving myself credit for roast beef because corned beef violates my rule of never eating anything that was intentionally rotted before I ate it.
       
14. Chiapparelli's house salad.
    
    1. I think that's all I ate my junior year of high school.
       
15. Knock back a goblet of Resurrection Ale at Brewer's Art.
    
16. Take a Sunday morning stroll through the JFX Farmer's Market.
    
17. Thrasher's french fries from the boardwalk in Ocean City.
    
18. Have a Black Eyed Susan at the Preakness.
    
    1. I have issues with horse racing so I will never go to Preakness but I have had a Black Eyed Susan at a bar while the Preakness is on TV
       
    2. I also give myself credit for this because I can't hear "Black Eyed Susan" without thinking of Kirk McEwen asking for a Black Guy, Susan
       
19. Chow down on a pit beef sandwich at Boog's during an O's game.
    
20. Shop for shoes and chocolate at Ma Petit Shoe in Hampden.
    
    1. I assume any store called Petite Show doesn't carry shoes to fir my size 11W gunboats so I have never gone in
       
21. Have a soft crab sandwich on white bread.
    
    1. I am a lifelong hometown girl and soft shell crabs still creep me out
       
22. Eat a box of Rheb's buttercreams. Not at one sitting, of course ... on the other hand, why not?
    
    1. Why would I eat a box of Rheb's butter creams when I could eat a box of Rheb's assorted caramels?
       
23. Order a Tio Pepe sangria (red). It contains fruit, so it counts as food!
    
24. Polish sausage from one of the two Ostrowski shops.
    
    1. Does buying Ostrowski sausage regularly from Mars Supermarket count?
       
25. German sausage from Binkert's
    
26. Fisher's popcorn downy ocean, hon!
    
    1. I am deeply insulted by this one because we are a Dolle's family but I am giving myself credit anyway
       
27. Sunday brunch on the terrace at Ambassador Dining Room, an atypical setting for an Indian restaurant.
    
    1. I should get double credit for this one because I used to eat Sunday Dinner at the Ambassador Dining Room when it still WAS the Ambassador Dining Room. It's a much better restaurant now.
       
28. Get peach cake from Woodlea Bakery.
    
29. Eat the pumpkin appetizer at the Helmand.
    
30. Eat a Wockenfuss caramel apple! Mmmmm.
    
31. Thin crust pizza! Iggies and Joe Squared.
    
32. Savory muffins at Red Canoe in Lauraville.
    
33. Try some of the special flavors from Taharka Bros. (formerly Sylvan Beach) ice cream and Pitango Gelato.
    
34. Make fun of the hipsters at Golden West and Rocket to Venus in Hampden.
    
35. Have a special occasion dinner at Charleston. Ask Chef Cindy Wolf to fix what she thinks is best that night.
    
36. Change your mind about vegan/vegetarian food at Liquid Earth.
    
    1. I have no idea where Liquid Earth is but I had the same revelation at Great Sage in Clarksville. It counts.
       
37. Try the charcuterie at Clementine.
    
38. Macaroni and cheese with bittersweet chocolate from Jack's Bistro.
    
39. Throw in a shrimp salad from Kibby's and/or Mary Mervis.
    
40. Smith Island Cake, but only from Sugarbakers.
    
41. Gorge yourself on the Monday night all-you-can-eat at Vaccaro's.
    
42. Discuss a bottle of wine with Tony Foreman at Cinghiale.
    
43. Eat roasted vegetables at Donna's ... wearing black.
    
44. Veal Chop at Da Mimmo.
    
45. Bookmaker salad at Sabatino's.
    
46. Get a crab cake and a lemon/peppermint stick at the Flower Mart. Isn't a fabulous crab cake, but even an average crab cake in Baltimore is better than anywhere else!
    
47. Order any sandwich at Trinacria. But no calling ahead to order like I do. You must wait in line for the full effect.
    
48. Order the popcorn and deviled eggs at Woodberry Kitchen. Before your appetizers, not in lieu of.
    
49. Have lunch on the patio at Sanders Corner overlooking the Loch Raven Reservoir.
    
50. Head to Carroll County for the best cream of crab soup at Smokey's BBQ on Liberty Road.
    
51. Stop at DiPasquale's in Highlandtown for their Italian and meatball subs.
    
52. Fried chicken livers from the Lexington Market.
    
    1. Ewww. I watched my mother eat these for years. Not on a bet.
       
53. Bagel with lox and cream cheese or apricot spread from Greg's.
    
54. Sit at the bar at Cinghiale and order anything. Talk to Rob about wine when Tony isn't in town.
    
55. Tamales from the food truck on Broadway.
    
56. Coddies on a cracker from a rowhouse bar.
    
57. Wander aisles of exotic produce - lychees! jackfruit! Indian eggplant! - at H Mart or Lotte Plaza in Catonsville. Eat some yummy bi bim bap or udon soup at the food court and then pick up a beautiful fresh whole fish for dinner before you head home.
    
58. Go to a bull/oyster roast or crab/shrimp feast at any number of Baltimore venues as long as you go to at least one at a V.F.W. hall, American Legion, Steelworkers Hall, fire hall, state park, etc.
    
59. Prime rib at the Prime Rib.
    
60. Greenberg Potato Skins from Prime Rib.
    
61. How about the fried green pepper rings at Gunnings!
    
62. You have to get a Popular Mozzarella Pie from Matthew's Pizza!
    
63. A baloney-wrapped hot dog from Attman's.
    
64. Pit beef from anywhere without a door.
    
65. Late night dinner at the Bel-Loc Diner.
    
66. Eat a "Tour of Samos" at Samos in Greektown (Greek salad, tzatziki and pita, kalamari, spinach pie, chicken souvlaki, dolmades, lamb chops, garlic shrimp, gyro, roasted potatoes).
    
    1. I've eaten all of that many times over at Ikaros.
       
67. Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding at Ale Mary's
    
68. Eat anything on the menu at Andy Nelson's.
    
69. Gravy fries.
    
70. Chicken salad from Graul's Market!
    
71. Old-fashioned Maryland stuffed ham.
    
72. OTTERBEIN'S COOKIES!!!!!!!!!!!
    
73. Raw beef and onion sandwich with raw yellow onion and salt and pepper on fresh rye bread (or pumpernickel).
    
    1. This also falls in the "I can't believe my mother eats that" category.
       
74. Buy a crepe at Sofi's and enjoy it while watching a movie at the Charles.
    
75. Naron candy.
    
76. Polish dog with "the works" at Polock Johnny's.
    
    1. Not quite "the works"…
       
77. Italian cold cut sub at Pastore's in Towson.
    
78. WOCKENFUSS CANDIES!!!!!!!!!!
    
79. Order the chocolate-chili bread pudding at the Blue Agave.
    
80. Have a picnic at Fort McHenry.
    
81. Any sandwich from Eddie's in Roland Park.
    
82. String bean rolls at Cafe Zen.
    
83. Garlic fries at Brewer's Art.
    
84. Oysters and beer at Cross Street Market!
    
85. Coffee from Zeke's.
    
86. Smoked platter from Neopol at Belvedere.
    
87. Go to the Wine Market on a Monday night and enjoy a neighborhood discount (extended to all diners).
    
88. Have an ice cream that contains vegetables at Dominion Ice Cream. [Ed.'s note: Now relocated to Hampden.]
    
89. Have Old Bay on things other than seafood. For instance, corn on the cob, potato salad, coleslaw.
    
    1. I rolled goat cheese in Old Bay last night. I wouldn't make chicken salad without it.
       
90. Margarita in a hubcap from Nacho Mama's.
    
91. Take the Clipper City brewery tour.
    
92. Have a Black Eyed Susan cupcake at Charm City Cupcakes. It's one of my favorite things about Baltimore!
    
93. Get fruit and veggies from an a-rab.
    
94. Sip 'n Bite.
    
95. Sip a Bloody Mary with an Old Bay rimmer. I only see this done at Baltimore restaurants.
    
96. Enjoy a meal at Salt.
    
97. Eat the Berger cookie pie at Dangerously Delicious Pies in Federal Hill. A new tradition built on the old.
    
    1. I can't believe I never had this pie. I feel sad.
       
98. Mary Sue Easter Eggs.
    
99. Eat sushi in Towson.
    
100. Wiener schnitzel, red cabbage, and more at Eichenkranz in Highlandtown. The last traditional German food in the city.