Kuethes in the District: Day Trip

Kathryn at Faidley's Seafood

I had a day off last week, and Kathryn and I decided to make the most of it by spending the afternoon and evening in Baltimore. We went up with exactly two objectives: (1) get some tasty Baltimore regional foods and (2) check out the zoo.

Our first stop was historic Lexington Market. The bustling market is filled with stalls peddling seafood, fried chicken, meats, ice cream, snacks, produce, and baked goods. It's the perfect place to grab a fun lunch or to have your kids tail Stringer Bell (provided you're Jimmy McNulty in the Wire, Season 2).
At Lexington Market, we had lunch at the famous Faidley's Seafood. We split a bowl of clam chowder, and Kathryn tried a world famous crab cake. Both very, very delicious. I had the lake trout sandwich, which deserves it's own bullet point.
The lake trout sandwich is distinctively Baltimore, but it's (1) not a sandwich and (2) not lake trout. The "lake trout" is actually Atlantic whiting. If you're keeping tabs, that's neither trout nor from a lake. The fried fish is served with the bones in, resting on a slice of white bread. Thus, you have to eat it with a fork. I thought it was outstanding. Kathryn thought it was OK.
Faidley's sells muskrat and raccoon when in season. Who's with me?
We picked up another famous Baltimore treat on the way out, a small box of chocolate covered vanilla wafers called Berger cookies. I'm saving the review for a future post. You can start getting excited now.
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore (official name). We got to see a few animals we don't have at the National Zoo, like African elephants, rhinos, polar bears, and giraffes. The zoo was very spread out, but a lot of exhibits let you get pretty close to the animals. Check out the pictures to see what I mean...