#39. Throw in a shrimp salad from Kibby's.

Is it bad that my first memory is in a restaurant?

Well, maybe not bad, but certainly expected of me. Interestingly enough though, that restaurant that my conscious life began in was Kibby’s Restaurant and Lounge on Wilkens Ave. in Baltimore.  I can remember clear as day, standing on the booth seat, looking out the window for Saint Agnes Hospital where my mom (and newly born sister) were; I was very confused as to why they weren’t there and I’m pretty sure I was annoying my grandfather by standing up on the table.

Kibby’s is located right across the street from where I was born, down the block from my grandfather’s house, Rheb’s candy, the Cardinal Gibbons High School (where my father and many other family members attended), Seton Keough High School (formerly Archbishop Keough, both schools the Alma Mater to many other female family members), a mile from my mom’s parents and just 3 miles from where I live now. In other words, it’s a familiar sight and someplace I take for granted driving past almost every day for many years. I don’t eat there very often, but my grandparents have always been regulars and my parents even had their rehearsal dinner there before their wedding, so they have fond memories as well.

Most people, though, know Kibby’s for their famous shrimp salad and hometown feel. Starting as a speak-easy during prohibition, Kibby’s Lucky Number 7 Night Club flourished as a neighborhood bar and restaurant off of Winchester Street in Edmonson. Later, Kibby’s started serving alcohol legally and opened as the Restaurant and Lounge in the current location on Wilkens Avenue in 1934. The shrimp salad, which has received several “Best of Baltimore” awards, is simply their house-steamed shrimp (vinegar and lots of Old Bay seasoning), peeled and tosses with Helman’s mayo and celery pieces. The salad needs no seasoning because the shrimp are steamed so perfectly. It is usually served on a soft, white Kaiser roll with a pickle spear on the side.

Using my grandfather as my primary informant, I asked him why Kibby’s was so popular and why the shrimp salad was so good. He told me, “They give you free cheese.” Although a little… abstract (and typical of my Pop)… this comment sums up Kibby’s perfectly. Let me explain. As my grandfather went on, he told me he always knew most of the wait staff and the bartender, and always ran into someone he knew at the restaurant. He likes the menu because it has familiar favorites, nothing too fancy but real Baltimore comfort food, like crab fluffs, hot roast beef and gravy, oyster sandwiches, steak and sour beef and dumplings. Although informal and very blue-collar, Kibby’s is a neighborhood joint with consistently delicious food and famous shrimp salad with a deceivingly simple recipe (see the Recipes section!). Oh, and they serve a (free) ball of port wine cheese and crackers on the table to munch on as soon as you arrive; unique, old school and delicious, just like the restaurant itself.



Locals playing "cornhole" in the dining room



Kibby’s is authentically Baltimore purely because it has been around so long; opened for almost eight decades (legally), it has become a Baltimore institution because of its well-made, familiar and home style dishes with local ingredients and cultural influences (Greek-style sour beef and dumplings, pasta dishes, kielbasa and sauerkraut…) that ensure there is something for everyone on the menu. The low prices and location make the restaurant accessible to almost everyone, especially the blue-collar and working-class residents of the surrounding neighborhoods. Last but certainly not least is the fact that Kibby’s is a big part of the local culture; holiday parties, Ravens Roost meetings and game-days, weekly specials and family dinners are frequent events. Regular customers are a huge part of Kibby’s business and locals are a constant presence, giving the restaurant that local, hole-in-the-wall flavor.

The outside of Kibby’s (and the inside, for that matter) are nothing special; in fact, the place is kind of a hole in the wall. But, like the shrimp salad, delicious things are sometimes the most simple, wrapped in tin foil and Styrofoam. My mom, who has been going to Kibby’s for years, picked up a few shrimp salad sandwiches (the small ones, the large can feed 3 people) while I was out running errands with dad. Walking out into the rain, she ran into an old friend and gave him a ride home down the street. Typical of Kibby’s, you can’t walk in without seeing someone you know and eating something familiar.

Terms:

primary informant: member of a culture or someone met in the field of study from whom the researcher gains firsthand knowledge of the culture/area from

References:

http://www.examiner.com/restaurant-in-baltimore/old-school-homemade-dinner-baltimore-at-kibby-s-across-from-st-agnes-hospital
http://www.kibbysrestaurant.net/index.htm
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kibbys-Restaurant-and-Lounge/54787631098

Recipes:

-steam shrimp salad with water, vinegar and liberal amounts of Old Bay until done
-peel, de-vein and cool
-add Helman's mayonnaise to taste and diced celery