two meals in Baltimore

So here's the truth:  for the first few days in Baltimore, my dining was decidedly meh or worse.  Sorry.  Conferences don't always afford opportunities to dine well.  Often it's finger foods or what is convenient or group dinners where you have to dine according to the lowest common denominator.  I am a snob, I know.

But I did have a couple of noteworthy meals to blog about.  So let's enjoy them together.

Sunday night found me, with Ed and Andrew,

heading away from the librarians to Woodberry Kitchen. 

My gosh, it's been ages.  A place I've liked every time I've gone.  James Beard Award for the chef as well.  It boded well for a nice dinner.  The place has changed, for sure.  The pandemic saw it downsizing, turning its larger dining room into an event space and turning the bar into the tavern, a smaller dining space.  But it was cozy on a cold night.  And the menu, while perhaps simpler (I can't recall, but it seemed that way), had a lot of great choices.  I ordered a negroni (and then a glass of wine with dinner), and we shared the chef's board. 

Loved the lightly pickled carrots, and the smoked trout rillettes was a delight with the seed crackers.  A good choice to share.  For my meal, the oyster pie (and a side of turnips that were delicious). 

And that was it.  That's what came out on the plate.  It was all that was needed.  Really perfect - a beautiful crust, a terrific filling.  Ed had the mushroom version and liked it.  After all that, Andrew and I shared dessert, and quick negotiations led to a baked Alaska that was flambeed at the table. 

Honestly?  Visually the star of the evening, and it gave the oyster pie a run for the money.  Woodberry may have a menu of simply items, but according to what we had, they were executing those flawlessly.  So happy I made it back there.

And speaking of happy to make it back:  Charleston.  What started out as a dinner for me, Sara, and her husband Peter eventually grew to encompass most of the board, and from three we grew to eleven.  But that's the thing about Charleston.  I love the food, but from the first time I went there to now, the service has always impressed.  I arrived before everyone else, and I talked with the maitre d' (also named Peter) about the arrangements for the evening.  They had things in hand, and I left it to them, and they delivered.  Before the others arrived, I wandered into the bar,

chatted with the bartender, and ordered a Last Word.  Eventually all of us were there, and we had a fine meal.  Artichoke soup for me to start with,

then octopus (ah, that bean puree underneath),

then the duck (give me more of those onions!),

then a passion fruit creme brulee. 

I sat in the middle of the big group and had conversation all about the table.  I hope everyone else enjoyed it, but no matter.  I knew how the restaurant accommodated us on short notice, and they did a marvelous job of it.

I will give an honorable mention to lunch on the Sunday with a couple of colleagues.  The restaurant felt like a bit of a tourist place in the Baltimore inner harbour, but I loved that they had a version of loco moco on the menu. 

Spam!  It's good.  The sauce eventually overwhelmed the dish, but it was tasty enough, and for that I was grateful.

a bit of Baltimore

So far as I can recall, when last I was in Baltimore, it was for a conference in 2017.  I'd been at least a handful of times before (and clicking on the tag should bring up those entries), but it's been a while.  My recollections of the city are dim now, alas.  Worse still, the weather wasn't really conducive to exploring on foot.

But I did see a tiny glimpse of the city.  So let me present a few views here from around the area of the hotel, convention center, and inner harbor.  Friends, here is Baltimore as I got to see it this past week or so:

In truth, there is so much more to this historic city.  I don't know when I'll go back - another conference, perhaps.  One day.

Saturday at conference begins

Isn't that lovely?  If only I hadn't been lying awake for at least a couple of hours before that.  Oh, and a Starbucks run, which was welcome.

Ah well.  A new day at conference.  Bring it on!

it snowed here

Here being Baltimore.  I knew it was coming, and it did.  Not lots of it, but enough to cause difficulties for travelers into the area as well as forcing the conference to shut down an offsite activity that I was supposed to do this morning.  Ah well.  That gave me ample opportunity to catch up with friends, which was very welcome.

I was awake just before 7, which was unkind given my late night from being on Pacific Time.  Ah well.  I could tell that there had been snow, and snow was still falling. 

This continued on late into the morning and early afternoon. 

By now, though, it's stopped, and I can see the city south of me a little more clearly.  I don't think we're due for more snow on this trip, which is good since I want to avoid clomping around in boots if I can.

Wait, hold on, is that a glimpse of blue sky?

a few things

It's a mellow Friday night. Conrad got home about an hour and a half ago, we've had dinner (salmon), we're sipping wine and dealing with a few things related to finances and our upcoming Hawaiian vacation (YES!!!!). Some music playing. A good weekend ahead, according to our plans.

So let me get caught up.

I shan't worry about where I last left off and try to figure out everything I've done since. Instead, a few highlights:

A visit to TK.

And Michael, who doesn't care to be photographed. And Coney and Buster, my two favourite dogs in the world.

Go ahead, ask me how much dog hair I brought home on my clothes. Those dogs got some love from me! A quick weekend in Baltimore, but for a chance to see my best friend (and really, I can never say enough good things about Todd) and enjoy conversations while strolling around the lake? So worth it. Add in those banana desserts

at the Taste of the Town fundraiser event, and, well, we've got a memorable visit indeed.

Vancouver. An even shorter weekend there, but enough time to get in a good run around Stanley Park followed by breakfast and coffee at Safari Cafe.

Ah, Safari, we have missed you. Never close, Adam, please. Time spent with friends,

birthday cake,

and some new furniture.

Oh, and have I mentioned how freaking gorgeous that city is in the spring sunshine?

A return to Girl and the Goat. Eric was in town,

so we caught up over some small plates and (for me) drinks at the bar. I'm a fan, though I've only been there a few times. The shishito peppers once again were a star.

Breakfast with a library bigwig. Well, he might not think so, but Jeff lit up the library blogosphere last year. It was a real pleasure to sit down with him for a leisurely meal and discuss matters related to our profession and otherwise. And may I say that the man has some fine suits and shoes!

Small plates and cocktails at Erwin.

It's not that far south of Yoshi's, and yet it's mostly off our radar, sad to say. Conrad was out of town, but Michael

happily came along while I used up a Groupon. French fries, properly salty.

Yum!

So that's the world of Peter lately, and much food involved, of course. I will need to do some trimming down for a conference in Anaheim next month, but for now, I am content. And oh so happy to have Conrad home!

birthday surprise

No, not my birthday - that's months off, and given my advancing age, let's keep it there, thank you. No, it was a surprise for TK that took us to Baltimore last weekend.

Backing up a moment, I should assign credit. If I remember correctly (and never assume that I will), it started back in December when TK's partner, Michael, called to say that Mark and Maureen
were coming for the weekend in January. Did we want to come too? Mark and Maureen, by the way, are Todd's brother and sister-in-law, and their visit was to be a surprise, too. So it was that I spent about 5 weeks hiding the truth from the man whom, other than Conrad, I consider my best friend. It ultimately devolved into outright lies about me taking a trip downstate for work last Friday just so he wouldn't wonder why I wasn't showing up online at all through much of the day.

Oh, TK, I am so sorry.

Judging, however, by his reaction when he got to Roy's, I think I'm forgiven.

He was stunned, quite simply. Oh, in a good way. He was happy to see us. But it was a real surprise for him. Curiously, for all that I hate surprises done to me, I loved this one. Again, sorry TK.

It was a terrific weekend. Michael had done a great job of selecting some restaurants. Dinner at Roy's on the Friday night.
Brunch at Wit and Wisdom the next day (few photos from that, but the food was quite tasty). A party at Phillip's on Saturday night with much to nosh on.


A generous brunch at Langermann's on Sunday.


Oh, and gelato in Fell's Point on Saturday afternoon! Conrad and I left Baltimore with full bellies, I tell you.

But best of all was just getting this unexpected opportunity to see TK, see Michael, see Mark and Maureen. Get some quality time with two of my favourite dogs, Coney and Buster.
Belly rubs!!! I got a bit of a lakeside walk with TK just so we could talk a little together, enjoy that quiet and easy friendship. After the cheerful hubbub of the party the night before, it was a real pleasure to find a sunny, peaceful moment together on Sunday.

I very much hope it was a good birthday for TK, a fitting celebration for his landmark. Tomorrow night will be one more celebration, a dinner we'd planned for in Dallas well before this surprise weekend was thought up. No surprises this time, though. TK, I promise.