10/23/2022
I'm from Baltimore, Maryland, and despite it's difficulties, I'll always love it as my hometown. I'm homesick a lot! An unanticipated short visit home rewarded me with perfect fall weather, sunny and crisp, that seemed to sharpen colors wherever I looked. I was so happy to be there.
Recently, a restaurant ad popped up in my Newsfeed that piqued my interest.. I've been desperate for some true Baltimore immersion so, spur of the moment, I trekked from far north of town through the city at rush hour to find myself some true Baltimore food. I persisted with my drive all the way down to one of the oldest of Baltimore's neighborhoods, Locust Point. It shares a peninsula in the Patapsco River with Fort McHenry on one side -- Francis Scott Key's view and inspiration for the National Anthem -- and with Sparrow's Point -- location since the 1870's of the Bethlehem Steel mill that at one time was the largest steel manufacturing facility in the world.
It's been decades since I've been to Locust Point. Back then, the neighborhood was really struggling and quite poor. I was stunned by a fantastic turnaround. Sadly, Bethlehem Steel went bankrupt in 2003, the massive mills and support buildings abandoned, and the two piers gone that once harbored the Liberty and Victory ships manufactured there for World War II. Suddenly, all of the noise and commotion and steam once fueled by a peak of 30,000 workers, went silent.
What could have been (and was feared to be) disastrous has turned out to bring a whole new life to Locust Point. New construction where mills once stood has attracted significant corporate operations. As such events can be, it was only a matter of time that organic growth kicked off throughout the neighborhood. New homeowners who've restored old homes, new local businesses, and new housing construction. Its not an exaggeration to say you can feel Locust Point buzzing with life. It's so nice to see.
My destination was Barracuda's Locust Point Tavern, way down on Fort Avenue. It's in a very old 2-storey, very narrow brick building that I'm sure started life as a house. I learned that it had only recently reopened after a fire did a lot of damage. Barracuda's owner is a born and bred Baltimorean, and the warmest, friendliest proprietor one could ever imagine. He personally greets everyone coming through the door, and chats with everyone there as friends, which indeed they are. I immediately felt more at home at Barracuda's than I have at any kind of dining establishment in a very, very long time.
On to the menu. Make no mistake.... Barracuda's is a BALTIMORE place. Its customers are all locals. Really local. So, it can be a risk to expect a kind of run-of- the-mill it's-a-Baltimore-bar sort of menu. Don't fall into that trap! The menu heavily reflects traditional dishes that Baltimoreans have loved for generations, but updated and slightly reworked into truly newsworthy offerings.
I was surprised and happy to see coddies among the appetizer selections. Traditionally, I knew coddies as kind of a snack. A mixture of cod, potato and a little onion all mixed up together, shaped into a modest-sized ball, fried, and eaten with mustard between saltine crackers. At Barracuda's, you can order one or more coddies as a starter, but they are much larger than those from my memory. I ordered only one, which was plenty! Extra mustard a 'yes', saltines a 'no' since I also ordered a main course.
That night, the owner came by to say that soft shell crab sandwiches were an addition to the menu. I have yet to eat a soft shell, and although I weighed it as an option to try (I'm sure this would have been a good place to do it), I was worried those claws peeking out from the bun wouldnt be to my liking. The crabs were good sized. 🤔
Instead I opted for the blackened crab cake po' boy with remoulade on a hoagie roll. Fries on the side, although potato chips is standard. The 'blackened' refers to extra-extra Old Bay seasoning coating on the outside of the cakes. Perfection! No filler in the crab cakes, and cooked just the right amount of time for them to come out moist and light on a very fresh roll. I could only consume a few fries, as you can see below, the sandwich was substantial!
On other visits to come, I will try the crab cake and shrimp salad sandwich. Rumor has it the shrimp salad is to die for. I also made note of a jerk chicken pasta. But theres SO much more, not to mention weekly specials. It's a really creative menu, but oh-so-Baltimore, too.
A word about beverages..... Crushes! The only word you need to know and it's at the very top of the left side of the menu. Choices that night were orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit (I think) and..... apple. Orange seemed most popular so I went with that. It's made with nearly the entire orange except the seeds and some rind liquified in a blender then mixed with vodka. Oh my word! Delicious isn't nearly descriptive enough.
Thanks to the guy sitting next to me who blazed the trail and ordered an apple crush (the seasonal crush, I suppose), I too, gave it a try instead of dessert. Again, the entire apple went into the blender, peel and all. All I can say is imagine liquid apple pie and you'll get the idea. 😋
The Barracuda slogan is 'Jeet Yet?'. If you're from Baltimore you'll know.😉 Go hungry.
Barracuda's Locust Point Tavern is at:
1230 East Fort Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21230
barracudaslocustpoint.com
