We don't cover food that much on Midnight Sun (it's usually Dining@Large territory), but today, I'd like to make an exception.
Too often, I've ended up gorging myself on greasy Maria D's pizza post-bar. Or, I'll come home and make a bag of Pop Secret Homestyle and stuff my face until I look like a chipmunk.
Owl Meat, it seems, prefers hot bread pockets filled with rich, steamy meats. Now you got me all excited. Here's Owl Meat:
Your hollow leg is overflowing and it's time to skedaddle homeward. But now your belly has gone all Tasmanian devil, flailing about for grub. What to do?
Post-drinking food decisions are the worst. Anything will do.
Owl Meat Rule #82: The later a place is open, the worse the food is. I won't drop any names, but you know what I mean. This seems particularly true for Chinese food and pizza.
I live in Little Italy, which has a dearth of places to get food quickly and none that are open late. That changed a few weeks ago when Max's Empanadas opened on High Street near Sabatino's. (Reviewed here by Richard Gorelick.) ...
They have all sorts of tasty Argentine pastries, salads, and panini. There's coffee and Wi-Fi. They have beer and wine, but the reason this place has captured my attention and wallet is that it is open until 1:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
After having my fill of bourbon or beer on a weekend night, I can now feed my hungry belly beast. In this frigid season, the beast wants hot empanadas. Mmm... I pick up a couple and head home to scarf them down in my SpongeBob pajamas. There is something almost supernatural about how these meat grenades hold heat.
Going to a diner or ordering takeout or delivery is fine, but sometimes you just want to go home. Max's is convenient for me, but not that many other people. I suppose it would be a good quick stop on your way home or on your way to any of the harborhoods. I'm just in love with the idea of something nearby that's quick, delicious, and not Italian.
Enough about me. Where are your favorite late night nosheries? The kind of places where you don't regret the morning after. Okay, throw in the ones that you do regret too. The flesh is weak and when John Barleycorn is driving the bus, you may feast at the greasiest of spoons more than once.
My friend Kilo says, "Always end with a song". So here's, "Whiskey, You're the Devil" by the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. Sláinte! And ¡Olé!
(Baltimore Sun photo by Algerina Perna)