Baltimore, Where Do You Get Your Brew?

It takes a lot to persuade me to spend over $2 on a cup of coffee that I just as easily could have brewed at home.  No, I don’t have an espresso machine.  Yes, I use the wrong grounds for my French press, and no I do not care.   I’m just not overly particular about my coffee, so spending large amounts of money on a cup of joe is hard to justify. 

Instagram makes my book and tea looks less like I'm procrastinating and more like I'm being artsy.

There are days, though, where I go stir crazy in my apartment.  Where if I sit on the sofa with the dog for one moment longer, I fear I’ll either lose my sanity.  At times like this, it’s helpful to have somewhere to go.  Sometimes, the best medicine for productivity is to be surrounded by other productive people.  The motivation and inspiration do wonders.

I live within decent proximity to a Starbucks, but that’s not what I look for in a coffee shop.  I want Macs littering the tabletops and fair trade coffee poured into mugs.  Most importantly, I want my coffee size options to be “Small,” “Medium,” and “Large.”

At this moment, I am in the corner at Charmingtons (Remington - N. Howard and 26th) , willing myself to catch up on blogging and some other work that I’ve been putting off for far too long.  The Wi Fi here is turned off each day from 11a-2p to accommodate for the lunch rush, which irritates some folks and warms the hearts of others.  I find it refreshing, being able to be surrounded by the efficiency of others without the temptation of Facebook or Wikipedia.  I’ve always been pleased with the coffee I’ve ordered here, and I hear wonders about their baked goods.  Charmington’s is a hop away from Sweet 27, the gluten-free bakery, so I sometimes allow myself the decadence of a rarely-had cupcake on my way over.

Other area favorites for me include Milk and Honey and Artifact.  Milk and Honey (Mount Vernon - Cathedral and W. Read St) is one of the few coffee shops in the heart of Mount Vernon, and I’m a big fan that they have a gluten-free baked good in house (yes, brownie, I’m talking about you).  I sampled some of their sandwiches before going gluten-free, and they were delicious.  The coffee isn’t much to write home about, but it provides the needed boost of caffeine in the right location.  Word on the street is that Mount Vernon will be gaining a new coffee shop in the spring.  Dooby’s Coffee is coming to 800 N. Charles St, referred to as a “coffee shop and then some” in this Baltimore Sun piece.  I don’t know much beyond that, but it does peak my interest each time I walk by.

I was actually introduced to Artifact by my brother who works in the coffee business.  We stopped in on our drive up to Philly while I was suffering from the Ultra-Flu, Part I.  I didn’t fully appreciate the atmosphere, as it was 8:00am and I was already delirious from a fever/DayQuil/cough drops.  I couldn’t speak to their coffee at the time, because I drank a very strong Earl Grey to stay awake for the drive.  I decided to give Artifact a second chance for the New Year, free of germs and meds.  Now, I live under a rock and unknowingly decided to go the night of the Ravens/Broncos game.  I was curious as to why the coffee shop was near empty, but the divey local corner bar across the street was bursting with yelling patrons in decked in purple.  Context clues are glorious.    As a result of the game being on, I had Artifact nearly to myself.  The staff was incredibly pleasant and the coffee blew me away.  I worked, distraction free, for hours, and was even allowed to choose which LPs would play for the rest of the evening, in order to cease bickering over Fleetwood Mac.  

There are other coffee shops in this city, to be sure.  There’s Spro on the Avenue in Hampden, LAMILL in Harbor East, of course Zeke’s, Peace & a Cup of Joe in Ridgley’s Delight, Red Emma’s in Mount Vernon (that I have shockingly yet to try) who will be moving to Station North soon, Carma’s in Charles Village, Patterson Perk by the park, and so many more.  The thing is, at the rate it takes me to try coffee shops, I’ll be 80 and have just finished the above-mentioned list.  Baltimore definitely has an array of coffee shops available; it’s just a matter of finding the right vibe in the right neighborhood for your liking.  

Baltimore Farmer's Market

Almost every Sunday, a dear friend of mine picks my lazy self up from my apartment and we head to the Farmer's Market under JFX.  This has become my happy place in this city.  For the brief, shameful, three weeks I tried my hand at online dating in Baltimore, the market was front and center on my profile.  "What do you do?"  Answer: I spend time at the market.  "Where are you on a typical Friday night?"  Answer: Thinking about the market.  

Perhaps it wasn't quite that bad, but nearly.  I mentioned it quite a bit and got many, "What do you like to cook??" messages.  Rolling in a little later than usual this morning, my kale guy was fresh out.  Devastated, he promised me he'd set a pound aside for me next week.  Still, I was able to walk out this week with zucchini, lesser kale from a different farmer, green beans, an eggplant, peaches, tomatoes, bell peppers, blueberries, my usual bag of kettle korn and a bouquet of flowers for under $25.  All fresh, all local.

To the right is a photo of Baltimore's most handsome basset hound mutt with my fresh flowers.  As you can tell, he just adores the forced glamor shots.

I can't give the market enough praise.  I love the omelet guy and the goodness you can buy from him for $7, I love that $3 will get me a bag of fresh kettle korn, I love the ginger cardamon lemonade when I'm sweating through my clothes, I love the man who plays his trashcan-turned-guitar, I love the children hula-hooping, the bike smoothie guy, the smoke from the pit beef, the man who's been giving me free samples of corn the past few trips, and just the energy of this city that pulsates throughout the bottom of the expressway between 8am and noon every Sunday.  

After the market today, I caught up with a friend at Charmington's,  hit up Wyman Park with little guy (little guy pictured above, and parks will be another post for another day) and then went to the BMA to check out the Sondheim exhibit for the finalists (and winner!) for this year's prize.  I ended my afternoon at the Whole Foods in Mt. Washington, where I realized that not only was my ten year-old Corolla to sketchy for the area, so was I.  I picked up another loaf of gluten-free bread, some goat's cheese, tofu, tamari for my asian kicks, and returned to downtown where my car and I fit in just fine.

For the first time in a long while, I was overwhelmed at my options come dinner time.  I settled on this frittata, regretting my lack of dill, and adding slices of my amazing tomatoes, plus an on-hand lemon to it.  Paired with a glass of sauvignon blanc and a cuddly dog, it was a lovely way to toast a relaxing weekend.  I'd say I'll eat my blueberries for dessert, but I've been snacking on them all day.

So, if you're new to Bmore, get yourself to the market!  Sundays 8am-noon, April through November.  I realize I have now made myself a resuable-bag-using, kale-purchasing, Whole Foods-patronizing, NYTimes Recipes For Health-making cliche, but I'm alright with that.  I also compost now, so I may as well just embrace my inner hippie and start making my own kombucha.  It's only a matter of time. (Sarcasm!  ...sort of)