Taste of Baltimore: Enjoy Food, Music & Entertainment at Camden Yards

I have lived in Maryland over 10 years. Starting in 1996, an annual event called Taste of Baltimore was born. I have made it a tradition to attend each year.

WHAT IS IT?
The Taste of Baltimore brings together the elements of food, drink, music and entertainment all in one location. The event is held for one day (normally Saturday) during the month of September. In 2006, the Taste of Baltimore will be held Saturday, September 30.

Many local restaurants and establishments are present which is a great way to introduce event-goers to some great food and drink around town. During the Taste of Baltimore, everyone gets a chance to taste by purchasing food tickets at various stations for $.50 each. A portion of the proceeds benefits a charity. For 2006, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will benefit.

EARLY BEGINNINGS
My very first Taste of Baltimore was also the first one, held September 1996. All of the Taste of Baltimore annual events have been at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in downtown Baltimore. During the first year, the event was held in the Club Level of Camden Yards. The atmosphere was exciting and there were many people. In fact, there were so many people that I felt the Club Level was too small to accommodate. The organizers moved the event afterwards to the lower level inside Camden Yards, which allowed for an outside feel and more room to move around rather than being upstairs in an enclosed area.

WHAT TO EXPECT
The lines normally form outside of the entrance gates to Oriole Park at Camden Yards. When you arrive at Camden Yards, you will be able to follow the crowd to where the tickets are sold. The price of admission will be $8.00 this year. As a tip, if you happen to have an MVP Food Lion supermarket card, bring it with you for a $2.00 discount.

The event has everyone walking around the lower level of the park. Your first stop would be to purchase food tickets for food and/or beverage samples. Each vendor will have a sign or let you know how many tickets each sample will cost. The beer garden is usually a favorite. My favorite food sample is the Crab Pretzel from the Silver Spring Mining Company. The pretzel is covered in melted cheese and fresh crab and absolutely delicious. I know I will be getting one this year!

While you are walking around enjoying the samples, there will be live music and events for the kids. One year, there was a even a toilet bowl race where a person sat on top of covered toilet bowl and pushed by their partner. It was a funny moment to watch. There are also vendors that provide free samples (no tickets required) and giveaways. I recommend taking advantage of that.

The event starts at 11 a.m. and runs through 6 p.m. If you are not into crowds, then you may want to arrive early.

For this year's event, here is a listing taken from the Taste of Baltimore site (http://tasteofbaltimore.com/) of participating vendors:
2006 PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS
Alexandra's Restaurant
Aromi d' Italia
Beach Bum's Ice Cream
Berger Cookies
Bill Bateman's Bistro
Bouala's Thai Restaurant
Buono Ristorante Italiano
Butler's Bar B Que
California Tortilla
Camden Pub
Carvel Ice Cream, Hunt Valley
Chesapeake Crab Dawg
Cobblestone Coffee Roaster
Cold Stone Creamery
Copeland's Restaurant
Damon's Grill
Edelweiss Bakery
Eden's Lounge
Family Inn Funnel Cakes & More
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Forum Caterers
Fuddruckers
Gardel's
Greystone Grill
Hard Rock Cafe
Herman's Bakery
House of Audre
Kernel Gunther's Popcorn
La Tasca
Matsuri Japanese Restaurant
The Melting Pot
Mex Baltimore
Maui Wowi
Ostrowski's Polish Sausage
Phillips Seafood Harborplace
Qdoba Mexican Grill
Ray Lewis' Corner Stable of Canton
Rocky Run
Silver Spring Mining Co.
Tony Romas Restaurant
Tysons Tavern
Vin
Zack's Hotdogs

The website will provide you with event information and directions to Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

If you are planning to visit the Baltimore area and are free, don't miss this event.