Washington, D.C. - September 22, 2008

Getting Crabby

Maryland Food Road Trip

No road trip is complete without a few good rest stop meals. Head into Maryland for a journey dedicated to the state’s best eats.

Frank’s Seafood, a no-frills market in Jessup, has had steamed crabs at unbeatable prices for half a century. Pick a bushel or splurge on a party platter for a picnic at Patapsco Valley State Park or a local winery.

Don’t settle for a breakfast of packaged cakes when you can go for home-baked donuts at Clinton’s Miller Farms (10140 Piscataway Road; 301-297-9372). The fresh apple cider and wickedly good cake varieties are perfect with your morning coffee.

Baltimore’s Dangerously Delicious Pies has become a cult destination, but you no longer need to ruin your appetite before dinner now that owner Rodney Henry has opened Savory House. The homey Hampden restaurant serves quiches, meat pies, and plenty of sweet ones from breakfast to dinner.

The days of chasing after the ice cream man may be behind you, but the time for chasing a cupcake lady is now. Catherine Hamilton parks her tiny mobile in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor to operate Perfect Cupcakes. She sells delicious buttercream-topped treats in flavors like Snow Bunny and Pink Velvet from a spot adjacent to Pier 5 Hotel.

You’ve retired the backyard grill for the year, but you can still get smoky ribs from Bowie’s KBQ. The cozy operation serves tender pulled pork with sides like shrimp potato salad and jalapeno cheddar cornbread.

Crabs are king in the Chesapeake, but don’t fall prey to the tourist traps of Fell’s Point. Over in Essex, Mr. Bill’s Terrace Inn Crabhouse (200 Eastern Boulevard; 410-687-5994) is a retro sports bar where crustaceans rule alongside ’50s-era bites like clams casino.

If you’ve forgotten that ice cream comes from a cow and not Ben or Maggie Moo, take a trip to Kilby Cream in Rising Sun. The working farm makes its own cold treat, which you can eat looking out over rural fields. Try pumpkin, minty moo, or the luscious Holstein cream alone, in a sundae, or as a mooshake.

Now go stuff it.

  Foodies, Takeout