Baltimore pit beef barbecue
Baltimore, of all places, has its own barbecue tradition, called "pit beef." Imagine slow cooking directed toward the end of a perfect thinly-sliced roast beef sandwich. It is an artisanal version of Roy Rogers, with excellent french fries to boot. It is best served rare with [sic] horseradish. ("Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.") Chaps is one place to try; Big Al’s is another. Both are first-rate for people-watching. Did I mention that the entire tradition appears to have started on a dilapidated industrial highway, set among whorehouses and sex shops? The style can be traced by to 1987, and it has spread to Camden Yards as well.