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Eastern Home & Travel
ter. For the main course: a braised beef cheek with
chianti jus, fava bean and chanterelle ragu and purslane. We topped it all off with the limone dessert,
consisting of a meyer lemon, toasted marshmallow
and basil.
Next on our list was a visit to the popular
National Aquarium at the Inner Harbor. This facility
features a living collection of more than 17,000 fish,
birds, amphibians, reptiles and marine mammals. In
summer 2013, the aquarium opened Blacktip Reef, a
breathtaking exhibit replicating an Indo-Pacific reef
and featuring more than 700 animals, including a
school of sharks.
A highlight of our trip to Charm City was a visit
with Duff Goldman, owner of Charm City Cakes,
made famous by the Food Network show “Ace of
Cakes.” This Baltimore-based “Willy Wonka Wonder-
P HOTO G R A P H Y: c o u rtesy v i s i t balt i m o r e
One of the benefits of visiting Baltimore is
accessibility. Many great attractions are within
walking distance of each other or are easily accessible
via water taxi. The water taxi is a unique way of
getting around and seeing the city. Advertised as
the “coolest distance between two points,” an allday pass (only $12) allowed us to enjoy city views
while making stops at many major destinations,
including Fort McHenry and Fells Point.
Our first dinner was at Aggio Baltimore, the
Italian-inspired restaurant concept by James Beard
Foundation Award finalist Bryan Voltaggio. Aggio’s
décor is modern masculine, with an urban chic feel.
For starters, we were served a delicious parmesan funnel cake; we also tried beets in a yogurt
sauce, which tasted like a summer day, and tortelletti with gorgonzola dolco, pear and parsnip but-