EAT AND RUN
Whether in season or off, athletes gotta eat. Luckily, the Baltimore area is filled with go-to spots where Ravens and Orioles players flock to relax and refuel. Among them, restaurants like Spoons Cafe, the Abbey Burger Bistro and The Food Market have become known for their athlete clientele.
Chef Chad Gauss, owner of The Food Market, which Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco reveres for its tuna, says he considers many of the players as family. The Hampden restaurant has offered personal cooking classes and catering services for players in their homes, he said.
The contemporary American cuisine is surely a draw, but it’s also about the convenient location and “come as you are” ambience, Gauss said.
“It’s a simple but significant experience for them,” he said. “They can come in and be themselves, and not worry about the pressures that might come with a sports bar.”
Mama’s on the Half Shell in Canton seems to have a similar appeal, attracting athletes like Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and Ravens kicker Justin Tucker.
“We’re a funky couple of restaurants,” said Jackie McCusker, co-owner of Mama’s on the Half Shell and Nacho Mama’s.
“We are all things Baltimore. That’s why I think it feels so special when someone comes in and chooses us.”
Baseball players in particular have few days off during the season, so dining out can be rare — especially for players with young families. “The majority of the time we just stay at home because we’re on the road all the time,” Orioles pitcher
Zach Britton said.
When players do make it out, Baltimore restaurateurs say they make it a point not to give them star treatment. David Dopkin, a partner in Miss Shirley’s Cafe, said that’s part of the reason athletes return to his restaurants in the Inner Harbor, Roland Park and Annapolis.
“Baltimore athletes just seem to be, in general, just blue-collar, down-to-earth guys,” Dopkin said. “They come in the door like anybody else, and usually we’re really excited, but we try to play it cool.”
Abbey Burger co-owner Marigot Miller said her staff takes a similar approach. “They just treat them like anybody else, which I think is why they keep coming back,” Miller said.
But don’t take the restaurants’ word for it. Here are some Ravens and Orioles players divulging their favorite eats from the Baltimore area, and a few of their post- and pregame food rituals.
Ravens
THE FOOD MARKET: “The Amish soft pretzels with beer cheese fondue are amazing. I like their scallops. I like their wagyu steak frites.”
RYLEIGH’S OYSTER: “One of the first places I went to when I was living in Fed Hill my rookie year was Ryleigh‘s Oyster. [Owner] Brian McComas has become a friend and he’s always super accommodating … I’m a fan of their fish and chips.”
MAMA’S ON THE HALF SHELL: “It’s home to my favorite steak in Baltimore. I’ll get a bacon-wrapped filet with crab imperial on top and a bearnaise sauce; that with mashed potatoes and asparagus. To start it all off, you gotta get the beer mussels, and then wash it all down with a [Heavy Seas] Loose Cannon IPA.”
FOOD RITUAL: Tucker gave a shout-out to chefs Manny Tejeda and Waldemar “Shorty” Martinez at the Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills for creating one of his favorite morning foods: egg whites with spinach and cheese, and a Belgian waffle topped with peanut butter and syrup. “Marshal [Yanda] inspired me to do that with the waffles . ... It’s a total game changer.”
SEASIDE RESTAURANT: “Great crab cakes, great crab legs, great spot. Bread pudding to die for; literally, it will ruin you for other people’s bread pudding.”
PIZZA FAVE: “Genova’s, but I would really say any pizza place, because I love pizza that much.”
Williams says he makes the best PB&J. “I like the ratio of peanut butter and jelly to be more jelly than peanut butter, because you can’t keep getting it stuck to the roof of your mouth. So the jelly kind of counters that and makes it more flavorful, and a lot more jelly-like.”
POSTGAME FOOD RITUAL: “After almost every home game, I go to Seaside.”
MILLER’S DELI: “The ‘signature [combo]’ sandwich with pastrami, corned beef and brisket. It was so good, and they have an Oreo brownie that’s bomb, too.”
MISS SHIRLEY’S: “The white chocolate chip pancakes, and the banana split parfait.”
POSTGAME FOOD RITUAL: “I smash Genova’s To Go: Joung Kak, Mama’s on the Half Shell: Seaside Restaurant: Spoons Cafe: like a gallon of ice cream. I’ll go get three different kinds and eat like three different bowls of it. I really like ice cream. I try to sacrifice all week so then I can just eat my face off.”
FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVORS: Cookies and cream, birthday cake, rainbow sherbet, Reese’s peanut butter cup, rocky road, Haagen-Dazs’ strawberry, anything involving caramel “They
JIMMY’S FAMOUS SEAFOOD: have the best crab cakes in town.”
THE FOOD MARKET: “I actually eat [there] a lot. Breakfast and brunch . ... It’s pretty good and it’s just a nice little area. I would say try everything there, to be honest.”
POSTGAME FOOD RITUAL: “Gummi worms . ... I’d probably eat a whole big pack a day if I can.”
Orioles
FOR BREAKFAST: Simply Marie’s, where “anything there for breakfast is money,” or Atwater’s. “I get huevos rancheros, that’s always one of my favorites, and also they have a bacon, [egg and cheese] biscuit sandwich.”
ABBEY BURGER BISTRO: Jones has his own burger on the menu, the Simply AJ10: Kobe beef on an English muffin with pepper jack cheese, avocado, jalapenos, bacon, chili pepper mayo, lettuce and tomato.
THE FOOD MARKET: “I really like the steak frites and the sea bass.”
PREGAME FOOD: “Watermelon, something to get me going.” just
SPOONS CAFE: “They have a breakfast burrito that’s really good.”
ABBEY BURGER BISTRO: “I like to try everything on the menu at Abbey Burger because they always have new meats . ... They had kangaroo one time, and I tried that. It was really gamy. I normally stick with like Jonesy’s burger.”
ON BREAKFAST: “A lot of us are big breakfast guys . ... It’s usually family time, too, so I think that’s a little more important.”
MISS SHIRLEY’S CAFE: “I’m kind of just a regular eggs guy in the morning. Eggs, bacon and maybe some chocolate chip pancakes if they have ’em. And peanut butter on the pancakes is a must.”
PREGAME FOOD: Clubhouse chef Jenny Perez’s shakes.
FOOD RITUALS: “He feels like he’s having at least one Korean food per day, postgame or before the game,” translator Danny Lee said.
WHERE TO FIND THE BEST KOREAN FOOD IN BALTIMORE: Joung Kak
HIS FAVORITE DISH THERE: Korean pancakes made with seafood, kimchi and scallions.