Baltimore is an eccentric city. You’ve probably figured that much out by reading my blog. “Hon” culture is hard to describe and can be best summarized as a quirky and extremely diverse melting pot of culture from any and everywhere. So, living here, you’d think you’d be immune to the oddities… until you walk into the Blue Moon Café and see a bat hanging off the ceiling and a huge plate of Captain Crunch French toast in front of you. The bat is fake, the French toast is definitely not. It’s definitely the oddest and one of the most delicious food’s I have ever heard of. In fact, if you watch “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” on Food Network, you’d probably seen this dish. Yes, it is that good and yes it is very famous.
The Blue Moon was opened by Sarah Simington and her mother Sherri in Fells Point in 1996. Sherri’s diner experience paired with Sarah’s mission to put culture back into food made the café an instant success. Sarah’s rock’n’roll, quirky, bright style is present in the restaurant immediately upon wlking in. Bright blue Christmas lights line the walls, mini statues of Elvis, decorative pint glasses, a Halloween skeleton and yes, a fake bat, make you feel like you’re walking into someone’s kitchen instead of a busy rowhouse diner. Sherri’s traditional diner cooking is present in the smells and style of food that includes diner breakfast classics like hotcakes and hash browns. The two come together in dishes like Captain Crunch French toast or, in a brlliant culinary salute to Baltimore, crab meat benedict. Everything is fresh and beautifully presented, as if every customer is a food writer (or blogger). The food doesn’t come out very fast, but this is not surprising. My cousin annie and I grabbed the last open table at 8:45 AM and fifteen minutes later there was a waiting list 12 people deep. Good things come to those who wait, though, and the food is obviously prepared fresh with lots of love. 
The Baltimore culture is obvious here: from the eclectic décor, the Baltimore delecacies that appear on the menu, to the location in a row house in Fells Point the plce just screams “HON!” The food is also pretty inexpensive considering the quality and amount; annie and I both had huge scrambled ommelettes with half a plate of fresh hash browns, fruit, English muffins and salsa for under $22.00.
Walking out of the Blue Moon I was pleasantly surprised to find Liquid Earth, the vegan/vegetarian deli and juice bar that also happens to make an appearance on my blog. Opening in 1998, the restaurants goal is to provide access to delicious, healthy eating. Using local ingredients, specific preparation techniques and a modern niche for healthy and organic eating in a suddenly young, hip and revitalized city, Liquid Earth has been widely successful. Consider the neighborhood of Fells Point: founded in 1729 by William Fell, a british ship builder, the neighborhood is obviously a historic district complete with some original cobbled streets that have stood the test of time. The neighborhood has also involved to be one of the hippest neighborhoods in the state, complete with boutique shopping, restaurants and over 120 bars and pubs. The demographic is definitely the young, professional crowd; exactly the type to frequent Liquid Earth. I skipped the vegan food but i did get a delicious green apple and ginger fruit juice to take to work... healthy never tasted so good.
All I can say is, next time I’m in Canton, I am definitely looking forward to visiting a few of those 120 bars and picking up some Captain Crunch French toast afterwards… Blue Moon is open 24 hours on weekends so hopefully the line is a lot shorter.
References:
http://bluemoonbaltimore.com/the-story/
http://www.liquidearth.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fells_Point,_Baltimore
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