Return to story

This little piggy went to market in Maryland

February 23, 2008 12:16 am

BALTIMORE--My fiance's earliest memories of visits to Faidley's seafood in Baltimore aren't especially fond.

Strapped into a stroller at knee level, he couldn't see the trays full of crab cakes and oysters changing hands overhead.

He didn't understand what the big deal was.

As an adult, his appreciation for the place has grown considerably.

At Faidley's, life begins when you're tall enough to see over the counter.

My fiance, Kirk, is a fourth-generation diner at the seafood mecca and the surrounding Lexington Market, a sprawling collection of delis, bakeries, meat and produce stands covering a two-block stretch in what we've dubbed Baltimore's "Wig Packing District," owing to the record number of wig shops nearby.

If it's edible, it's generally available at Lexington Market, a gastronomical marvel since 1782.

In those days, farmers would come by wagon to trade and sell grain, hay, butter, eggs and livestock on pastureland donated by Revolutionary War Gen. John Eager Howard.

Nowadays, we usually make the 90-mile trip in our Honda, and the environs--about a mile from Baltimore's Inner Harbor--are decidedly more urban.

TO MARKET, TO MARKET

The market, like Baltimore itself, doesn't lack for character. A stage in the first-floor arcade area hosts everything from live R&B bands to fashion shows.

Hunger-inducing aromas permeate the place. In one corner it's grilled meat. In another, it's fried dough.

The clientele is eclectic: government workers with ID badges around their necks, sucking down oysters on their lunch breaks; families grocery shopping, negotiating the market's crowded aisles with strollers and toddlers in tow; neighborhood regulars who seem to know everyone in the joint; high school boys in baggy pants and elderly women with plastic rain bonnets wrap-ped round their heads.

Since reaching adulthood, Kirk has made regular pilgrimages to Lexington Market, along with his siblings and parents.

In the early days, the purpose was to enjoy a few plates of fresh, raw oysters and a beer at the well-worn counter of Faidley's.

Every now and then, they'd venture over to another booth and try something different: some fried chicken, a Polish sausage, a plate of Korean barbecue.

Exceptionally tasty items would be awarded a spot on The List, which meant no family trip to Lexington Market would be complete without a sample.

One could wander aimlessly for hours throughout the market, randomly tasting whatever looks good. Indeed, this is probably what I would have done had I happened upon the place alone.

But a few months after we started dating, I was invited to tag along with Kirk and his brother, Max.

And when you go with seasoned veterans, you follow a strict ritual, honed over generations.

Since my initiation, we've returned a number of times--with Kirk's mother, his father, his kids--and we've never strayed from the circuit.

To deviate would be to tempt fate, something you ought not do when your GI tract is at stake.

TRIED AND TRUE RITUAL

First on the tour is the traditional stop at Faidley's for oysters with horseradish, lemon juice and cocktail sauce.

I'm not a fan of oysters, but I usually splurge on one of their famous lump crab cakes. They say money can't buy you happiness, but $12.95 and a plastic fork will get you pretty darn close with one of these delicacies.

They also offer plenty of other prepared dishes--catfish, lake trout, fried calamari--as well as fresh catches you can take home and prepare yourself, everything from rockfish to muskrat.

Stop No. 2 for us is Krause's Lite Fare, home of the decidedly un-lite Thanksgiving Sandwich, which for $5.35 comes bathed in its own heavenly glow.

Picture this: slices of freshly carved turkey, a layer of stuffing slathered with gravy and a dollop of cranberry sauce mashed between two slices of soft white bread, then wrapped ever so delicately in wax paper.

It's like something you'd see on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, only better.

After the Thanksgiving Sandwich, we usually spring for a palate cleanser. A generous helping of crispy wings from Park's Fried Chicken generally does the trick.

The last official stop is Polock Johnny's, where if we're not too full--and really, how could we be?--we can walk away with a 7-inch polish sausage topped with The Works, a special sauce created by the joint's founder during the first half of the 20th century.

If you're a glutton for punishment, you can add a number of other toppings: homemade chili, onions, mustard, ketchup, relish, fried onions, cheese, fried green peppers, kraut or gravy.

Before leaving Lexington Market, we drop by Berger's Bakery for a Half Pie--half of a coconut custard pie--and sometimes a bag of chocolate-frosted Berger cookies to go. These taste especially good around 11 p.m., when our appetites return.

DON'T FORGET DESSERT

A lightweight might think about turning around now and heading for home.

We stay the course.

About a mile and a half to the east is Baltimore's Little Italy, where Vaccaro's Italian Pastry Shop has stood since 1956.

This is where we cap off our day's eats with a double macchiato and a sfogliatelle, an unbelievable pastry with a crispy, flaky crust and a ricotta center that offers a hint of orange flavor.

We're also fans of the pignoli cookies, treats made of almond paste and pine nuts.

The extra-long pastry case at Vaccaro's serves up the full complement of desserts: cannoli, cheesecake, tiramisu, napoleons and eclairs. The gelato tubs, brimming with flavors including chocolate, hazelnut and pistachio, also are impressive.

WHAT ABOUT TOMORROW?

Before succumbing to the inevitable post-gorge coma, we travel a few blocks north to Attman's Deli, on what has been called Corned Beef Row in Baltimore's old Jewish neighborhood.

The deli, a fixture since 1915, serves kosher hot dogs wrapped in bologna in its famed Kibitz Room, as well as a host of other Jewish specialities: whitefish salad, brisket, chopped liver, Reubens and matzo-ball soup.

Here we stay long enough to stock up on the essentials: corned beef, pastrami and hot dogs in their natural casings.

Because who knows? We might be hungry again tomorrow.

Edie Gross: 540/374-5428
Email: egross@freelancestar.com