elburr

I'll be in Baltimore Aug 25-Sept 1 and am staying at the Marriott Waterfront. I've seen recommendations for Vaccaro's for dessert and Amicci's for Italian.

Does anyone have other lunch and/or dinner suggestions? We're open to any cuisine. Lunches in the $5-$15 range and dinner in the $10-$20 range. We'd like to keep lunch and dinner fairly reasonable with a splurge or two. We will have a car.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Budman

Right around the corner from your hotel (which is a very nice hotel) is an Irish Pub called James Joyce. Great for a pub lunch and a couple of beers during afternoon happy hour.

In Fells Point, Bertha's for mussels. If you take the water taxi, last year they had a coupon for a free beer with an order of mussels.

A locals place for dinner in the Canton area is Mama's on the Half Shell. You can walk to Amicci's (great place -- try their pane rotunda - sour dough bread with a garlic cream sauce w/shrimp. Great dish for 2 people). I would take a taxi to Mama's. Shouldn't be more than a few bucks or so, or you could take the water taxi to a nearby landing and walk a couple of blocks. There's also a water taxi stop by the Marriott.

basingstoke2

One of the buildings on the Harborplace promenade has a better than average food court that can be fun. It also has several restaurants.

marginal_margiela

I used to live in Baltimore and my secretary is a native of Pikesville. I agree that the James Joyce is really wonderful. Try getting in on the day of the St. Patrick's Day Parade!!!

Blue Agave has great food.

I used to like to take my mother to lunch at McCormick/Schmick's on the Patapsco because you can sit outside and really enjoy the sunshine. Only order seafood here, however, as that is much better than the beef dishes.

DO NOT EAT at the Rusty Scupper or Phillps' Seafood. Positively DREADFUL.

basingstoke2

If you want to wander away from the waterfront and see some real Baltimore, go over to the Lexington Market. There you will find two Baltimore food institutions - Polock Johnny's for the best polish and other sausage you ever had (IMO) and Faidley's Seafood where many say you can get THE definitive crabcake. In Baltimore, the question of who has the best crabcake is something that can start a war. Faidley's is also a seafood market and they will cook most anything you pick out at a nominal extra price. If you want to pig out on steamed shrimp and prawns without breaking the bank, Faidley's is the place.

About Vaccaro's, go to the original in Little Italy - don't be seduced by the food court branch, "it ain't the same." You can go to their website and see the menu.

jasmine3

My faves in Baltimore:

McCormick and Schmick's
Slainte
Maggie Moore's
James Joyce

elburr

Thanks for all of your suggestions, just what I was looking for.

elburr

Thank you again for all your suggestions.

We had drinks/appetizers one night and lunch a different day at the James Joyce pub (yummy veggie sandwich with a balsamic marinated portobello mushroom - others enjoyed the shephard pie and cabbage rolls).

Enjoyed a great lunch at Amicci's and dessert at Vaccaro's - both in Little Italy.

I didn't make it to Bertha's but another couple did and they really enjoyed the mussels and the free beer (the coupon is still available from the water taxi ride).

We were also able to walk to the new Whole Foods on most days to have breakfast or a quick lunch.

For our splurge one night we needed somewhere near the hotel and had the crab cakes at Oceanaire. We all really enjoyed them.

I hope to go back sometime to try all the other places suggested. We decided that if you starve to death in Baltimore it's your own fault!