This Blueberry Filer traveled to Maryland with her new man to meet the family and to be a tourist in Baltimore. My restaurant request: Little Havana's, my bar request: One Eyed Mike's.
I wasn't that hungry, and my research failed to unearth that Little Havana's Sunday Brunch deal of $16.95 per person with unlimited Bloody Mary's and Mimosas until 3pm. But ordering a sandwich I didn't want seemed like a small price to pay to sit on the waterfront deck with friends in the 75˚ and sunny weather. We all had the Cuban sandwich and I ate half of it; more committed eaters cleaned their plates.
Little Havana is one of my favorite spots in town, just because of the waterfront deck, the warehouse feel, and the great draught beers and Mojitos. I have no idea if I'd feel this way if I lived in town - it's very close to Federal Hill, so judging from the brunch clientele (lots of madras shorts, neon Ray Bans, and some sleeveless shirts, ugh), it might be a bit scene-y or fratty for me. But at an off hour, it's a great spot to sip a cocktail, play some shuffleboard, and eat some fried plantains.
My friend Elizabeth of Strawberries in Paris (my blogspiration!) met us and spent the afternoon with us - we walked around Fort McHenry and then toured the neighborhood of Fells Point.
Of course, no visit of mine to B'more can be complete without a visit to One Eyed Mikes on Bond Street in Fells. Home of the World's Largest Grand Marnier club, or something like that (gross), I used to frequent this bar when I worked on tallships in the Inner Harbor. Many a happy hour were had here that turned into an "I didn't eat and it's 9pm" kind of night.
But to knock another to-do item off the list, Mike's serves Resurrection from Brewer's Art. While I used to find these beers strong, I learned they're only 7% (but I know that several of them on an empty stomach can turn it into That Kind of night). We enjoyed a mostly empty bar on this Sunday afternoon and watched the O's go to the millionth inning against the Red Sox (and eventually win!).
A great hometown visit (is that a Bachelor reference??) - so happy to see my friend and my family and to have my new fantastic beau by my side.