Monday, February 27, 2012

An Ode to the Berger Cookie


If you thought Maryland was known only for its crab cake you clearly haven’t stumbled onto the Berger cookie yet.  I’d been in Baltimore about a year before I made this diet busting yummy discovery, and I still can’t believe it took me that long to try it.  

Simple in its design, unexpected in its deliciousness, the Berger cookie has been a Baltimore favorite for over a hundred years. The vanilla wafer dipped in rich chocolate fudge seemed perfect enough. How could anyone improve on this?

Can you believe it? Someone did. Dangerously Delicious Pies has opened in Canton and introduced its Baltimore Bomb pie.

This pie should come with a warning.

“Beware. This truly is Dangerously Delicious and we will single handedly expand the waistline of all Berger loving Baltimorians with this pie. Handle with Care.”

Dangerously Delicious’s owner Rodney Henry, has created this incredible new crack….I’m sorry…pie packed full of Berger Cookies, melted and swirled into an amazingly sweet and creamy vanilla chess filling. I’m telling you I gained 10 pounds just looking at this pie.



And I don’t care! It was amazing. A small slice will do you but you have to do it. Try it warm. Try it cold. But try it!

My ass might hate you, Henry, but your ode to Berger is worth every calorie.

This pie has made Christmas easy. Baltimore Bomb for everyone! My mother will curse me while she licks the pie plate clean.

And hey, when you’re dropping in for your bomb, stick around and enjoy the music. Dangerously Delicious doesn’t just pay homage to Berger. It’s a pretty rockin place, showcasing some great bands. Check out their Facebook page for more information....and Weight Watchers help me, you can follow their pie truck on Twitter.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Back to Bmore

Picture courtesy of the Guardian, UK
Friday night Baltimore will once again find itself the center of a national tv audience's attention. Although this time, instead of grit, grime and crime, kitsch will play when Cafe Hon is showcased on Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.

Even though the episode promises to be cringe-worthy (there's some doubt the show is in Cafe Hon's owner Denise Whiting's best interest) I'm looking forward to seeing how the show's producers portray the kitschy awesomeness that is Hampden and Cafe Hon.

Baltimore is a city of contradictions. From the bustle of the tourist friendly Inner Harbor, through the neighboring communities and surrounding suburbs to the crime laden streets The Wire showed the world, Charm City has a story to tell. In every nook and cranny neighborhood, Bmore unapologetically, without guile and with its own unique style, proudly lays itself out for people to see and explore.

Where else in the world could you find a city where neighborhoods play a football game every year to determine the owner of a waste treatment plant situated on their border? Perhaps in the same city that will host a Grand Prix in August? The same city that entertains Broadway shows, a thriving arts culture and nightlife alongside a hugely successful shipping and crabbing industry? Of course!

I truly love this city, and I hope you come along for the ride as I explore it and learn to love it as much as I do.