It seems as if we’ve been inundated recently with articles trumpeting Baltimore’s burgeoning foodie scene.
Right on cue, here’s another one: This time it’s by Esquire’s food and travel columnist John Mariani, and entitled “Baltimore’s Renaissance in Full Swing.”
As a travel writer, Mariani is writing with an audience of weekend visitors and tourists in mind; he spends a paragraph or two convincing readers that it’s worth their while to explore restaurants beyond the Inner Harbor, which is something that Baltimore residents figured out a long time ago.
Two of Mariani’s picks — Fleet Street Kitchen in Harbor East; Waterfront Kitchen in Fells Point — seem chosen in part for their proximity to downtown hotels; Waterfront Kitchen also cropped up in a recent USA Today feature on Baltimore restaurants. So these aren’t the most adventurous or off-the-beaten path picks. But Mariani also sends curious diners toward Parts and Labor, a Fishbowl favorite.
I’m not sure if these particular restaurant picks are the ones I’d choose to celebrate Baltimore’s so-called food renaissance–but I guess this is
Let’s not forget the seminal restaurants that started our current Renaissance, like Clementine; another neighborhood gem that is worth venturing to from the Harbor. The chef was doing “Locavore” before the rest of us even knew what it was. I revisited Clementine Wednesday night and found myself in Charcuterie Heaven again.