As you read a few days ago, Nelli is Moving, and I hope you're ready for a whole buncha-lotta photos!
Not to mention, I still need to catch you all up on Europe.... I'm going to have alot to do after I get settled.
First Stop: BALTIMORE
Many, if not all, of my stops are based on my having a friend living in a particular city.
My first stop contained one of my favorite ex-coworkers and her boyfriend. I haven't seen her in almost a year, but it feels like yesterday. She and her boyfriend were so beyond hospitable I was regretting leaving.
I arrived in the evening and after a long chat they took me to Brewer's Art for a cold beer, and also because they knew I would love the space. The building itself was very cool! It is an old house that has been converted into a restaurant and bar. The restaurant is on the main level, while the bar is in the cellar and boasts arched ceiling, brickwork, and funky art. The beers were great and we shared duck fat fries, which were superb (and I don't even like fries!). The next morning they took me to the local farmers market and we got biscuit breakfast sandwiches from Blacksauce Kitchen's stand, and WOW. I had the buttermilk biscuit with grilled peaches, arugula, and artisan cheddar cheese, the flavors worked so well together and the biscuit melted in my mouth. After that the 3 of us walked around picking up her fruits and veggies for the week, grabbed a bison beef stick, and some $1 iced coffees before we headed for a walk to the inner harbor. They showed me around the harbor, which is a combination of touristy, historic, and busy (like most of these style places). I've studied Baltimore's harbor so I was excited to see what all the hub-ub was about. It is definitely picturesque and for the most part I think the designers did a decent job merging history with the disney-fied tourist attractions. Our next stop was a wine bar in Fell's Point called V-No Wine. What I liked about this place was that they also are a wine store, so if you want to sit outside and enjoy their harbor view you can come in, purchase a bottle and they will open + serve it for you. It was also great to be able to sit outside and enjoy the wonderful weather they were having.
After our bottle of wine, we walked over to Fork & Wrench, which is her favorite restaurant in Baltimore and I can understand why. The food was superb! We shared the lemon kale salad, the chicken wings, and short ribs. None of which I would typically order, but all of which were great. The salad had just the right amount of dressing and croutons to keep the flavor profile unique, the chicken wings were just the right amount of crispy and they had this wonderful dipping sauce, and the ribs came with fingerling potatoes and a beer syrup that was to die for!
After we rolled out of dinner, we of course had to try ice cream from the place that makes fresh waffle cones, Kilwins! We shared a Baltimore Mud waffle cone, which was gigantic and more than enough for the 2 of us.
Upon returning to the apartment, we enjoyed a homemade beer on there roofdeck with a view of Baltimore, which was a lovely way to end the evening.
The next morning I was off to my next location: Charlottesville Virginia, but not before I grabbed a Cortado + a Muffin at Dooby's Coffee Shop. Not only was it delicious, but this was one of the most unique muffin's I've had in years! It was a blackberry muffin with a passion fruit glaze that added just the right amount of sweet. As an added bonus: the store sells 'day old pastries' for 50% off so I saved a few bucks and had an equally delectable pastry.
Cheers!
-Nelli
