Clipper City's Winter Storm--It will help remind him of the swirling defensive players that will be crashing into Donovan McNabb.

Sides? Crackers and mustard

Beer: Natty Boh is the obvious choice, but if he wanted something more upscale he could grab one of the Clipper City beers. I've never had a bad one from them, but my favorite is the Loose Cannon. I'm seldom without a sixpack or two in the fridge.

Philly food vs. Baltimore food. I think that could end in a tie, which conveniently is something Donovan McNabb is an expert on.

Actually, if it is traditional Baltimore food like crab cakes against traditional Philly food like cheese steaks, Baltimore wins.

Now if it is Philly restaurants against Baltimore restaurants, it's a rout. There is no way Baltimore can compete with the likes of Le Bec Fin or Morimoto's.

Natty's the obvious beer choice, and it's what I preferred for Terps tailgating, but I've got a soft spot for a growler from DuClaw's. They don't offer bottles (as far as I know) but DuClaw's has some great stuff on tap.

Crab cakes and Backfin Beer. Brewed locally and very compatable with all things crab! crab dip for an appetizer of course!

For the Philly fans' desert, how about humble pie? As for beer, there's Harp which is what Donovan McNabb will be hearing after he's sacked. Which brings to mind another quaff -- sherry. As in Dry Sack. Back to beer and the recognition that when they're soundly beaten, the Eagles will be sadder budweiser.

I have always enjoyed grilled asparagus and mashed potatoes with my crab cakes. Also, the best Maryland beer in bottles is whatever you can get from the bottled line from Brewers Art. Other than that, Raven Beer is fitting

traditional Philly food like cheese steaks

Oh RoCKy, you disappoint me. Only tourists think that's Philly food.

If you're going to drink Baltimore beer while the Iggles (sic) are playing the Ravens, why not drink it from a brewery that can be seen from the stadium (sort of), Dog Pub. You can buy it at the pub itself or at plenty of local liquor stores: http://www.pubdog.net/liquor_stores.html

As for drinking the Natty Boh, I can not argue that it is the beer of Baltimore (and pleasant living). However, it hasn't been brewed in Maryland in over 30 years:

"But Natty Boh hasn't been brewed in Charm City since 1978, when the then-National Brewing Co. moved production to its facility in Halethorpe. After a series of mergers and sales, Illinois-based Pabst Brewing Co. acquired the Natty Boh brand in 1999, and the beer is now produced in a number of states, but not Maryland, according to Sanjiv Gajiwala, marketing manager for Pabst."
--"Natty Boh Still Draws Beer Fans In Baltimore"
By Anne Riley, Associated Press 08 SEPT 2008

Clipper City is a good beer to go with as others have suggested.

Michael A. Gray is on a roll this morning. I laughed right out loud.

Jon Parker, how awesome is Loose Cannon. I don't like beer most of the time, but that one is a kick in the pants. It has amazing hops.

I've got a great idea for him. While Philly has the cheesteak, Baltimore has Charcoal Pit Beef.

- Take 4 lb. bottom round, rubbed generously with salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.

- Fire up a Weber Charcoal grill (charcoal only--no gas).

- Spread the coals when they're are ready, put the grate in place, and put the beef in the center.

- For medium rare, let it cook for about 40-45 minutes with the lid on, turning over every 10 minutes or so.

- Let it sit for about 10 minutes before slicing. (NOTE: f you get towards the midle while slicing and it's not cooked enough for you, just throw it back on the grill for another 5 minutes. Slice some more, and repeat if necessary. but it should be done the whole way through the 1st time).

- The meat should be slices as thin as possible and served on "good" freshly baked kaiser rolls or a good fresh rye bread. (in a pinch, Martin's Potato Rolls are acceptable ).

Condiments should include horseradish (a MUST), "thin" sliced vadalia onion (another MUST), maybe some mayo (I prefer it but others just stick to the horseradish & onion). Some folks even add a little barbecue sauce or ketchup (not too much though).

And there you have an authentic Baltimore style Pit Beef "sammich".

I'll put that up against the Philly cheesteak any day of the week.

LOL! These are all great suggestions, fans, thanks.

But remember...I'm up here in Central NJ - any Baltimore beers that have wider distribution range? I'm all for local, but not sure where I'll find Cannon, Clipper City, etc.. Maybe something I can find up here?

Black Label? .They brewed it down here for years. Same with Colt 45.

Not sure where in Central Jersey you are, Mark, but Clipper City has a distributer at the following:

L. A. Piccirillo
10-12 Richards Street
Newark, NJ, 07105
See map: Google Maps
Email: lapbeer@aol.com
Phone: 973-589-8080

Pit beef should be the way to go on this one, much better fall food than crab cakes. Given the weather, he could serve it up with roasted sweet potato wedges and some homemade baked beans.

Maybe instead of beer he could serve a Maryland wine, like Linganore.

For dessert- SNOWBALLS.

I'm certainly no expert on food, the Ravens or crab cakes, but would Utz crab chips be appropriate?

dcdiva--

No way in H-E-double hockey sticks should Baltimore pit beef be eaten with wine. UUGGHH!

Pit Beef is a beer food.

And Mark, don't worry about trying to find a Baltimore beer to go with it, because most people in Baltimore would probably drink an ice cold Bud to wash it down.

Maryland beer that you can find easily in Central NJ. I was in Lawrenceville last weekend and found some.

1. Fordham. (Degroens Marzen is bmore tradition, and I found it in Philly)
2. Clipper City. (Baltomarzhon) is my favorite.
3. Wild Goose. (Brewed in Frederick)

Lissa - good suggestion. Utz crab chips are always a welcome snack in this Balmer household!

Mmmm, Donny B--I don't even watch football. but that sounds good!

I laughed at Michael A. Gray's post, but have to confess that I dislike the word "quaff" as much as some others hate "foodie." I don't know why--it just rubs me the wrong way for some reason. "Frock" is another one--or "beverage" when you mean "drink."

Anytime I hear about Natty Boh, I can hear in my head that song "National Beer, National Beer, you love the taste of National Beer, it's from the land of pleasant living, we bring you National Beer!" I almost expect to hear bats cracking and Chuck Thompson (the voice of YOUR Baltimore ORIOLES!)...
The thing that really makes me nostalgic though is that it's freakin freezing out there and baseball is far far away!!! (tear in eye)

being from philadelphia but currently living in baltimore i think i can add a few more philly foods that may not be obvious:
- roast pork sandwich (overlooked but easily better than cheesesteaks)
- soft pretzels
- water ice
- scrapple
- pork rolls
- tastycake

rhetorical question:
why are hoagies/italian sandwiches in maryland served on soft rolls? that's a damn crime.

Soft pretzels used to be ubiquitous in Baltimore, but don't seem to be anymore.

Scrapple is just as available here as in Philly.

Taylor Pork Roll used to be readily available here, but I haven't looked for it lately and don't know the current availability.

Tastycakes are not a Philly-specific food. They've been common around here since I was a child. As an adult, I'm not a fan, although I liked them when I was younger. Although now that I think about it, I don't know if they're still common around here. I don't look for those kind of things anymore.

The roast pork sandwich, on the other hand, is not known here. Definitely a Philly thing (or at least not a Baltimore thing).

For completeness, I don't know anything about water ice.

Joyce,

Ain't the beer cold!

and

Go to war Miss Agnes!

RIP,
Chuck Thompson

Taylor Pork Roll and Tastycakes are both carried by Wegman's so I would say they are widely available. Tastycakes are also in 7-11's so I would say they are ubiquitous, still.

i'm not trying to start a war, i'm just naming food that is synonymous with philly. just because you can get things here does not mean they are part of the culture. the foods i named are truly part of the philly experience. i have noticed that baltimore wins the chicken bones all of the sidewalk and street award though.

folks,
its Tastykakes!!

I'd love some butterscotch krimpets or peanut butter tandykakes, but they aren't available down here.

Perhaps when I'm up at Christmastime...

Tastykake snacks are made in Philadelphia by the Tasty Baking Company, and are widely available at supermarkets in the Baltimore area. "Water ice" is what is sold at the many Rita's locations around here, and is another name for "Italian ice" (which is also sold at local supermarkets).

Thanks Fl Rob for the wonderful Chuck Thompson memories!

And for correctly spelling Tastykake!

Ah...Chuck Thompson

"Ain't the beer cold?"

We also have capital letters in Baltimore.

Glad I went with crab cakes for the game, but us Eagles fans sure are crabby after this one.

Well played, Baltimore.

Food was good though.

Mark -- thanks for being such a gracious good sport. (Lord knows we Ravens fans have had our share of bad karma in the recent past -- see last week's Giants game, for example.) Glad you enjoyed the crab cakes -- and please come back to the Sandbox soon!

Toug loss Mark, but you definitely should give the pit beef a try one of these days.

The good thing about it is that it works year round and goes great with oysters on the half shell.

Mr Mark, since you provided us with such a very good (dare I say, nice) picture of your Baltimore meal, the one thing we neglected to tell you was the proper way to cook those crabcakes. There are two major schools of thought on the subject: fried (as you do) or broiled. Broiled is, of course, the better way, I just don't like the taste and mouth feel of fried crab meat, unless its a softshell. (Let the fight begin.)

There's a restaurant in OC MD (Island Cafe I think) owned by a former waitress of Browmwell's (bar) that has a Pork Roll sammy on the menu - and it rocks!!!

RtSO, broiled might be the preferable way to get crab cakes in a restaurant, but for home cooking I preferred pan-sauteed.

RtSO,
I am with you on the broiled vs. fried. Broiled, to me, is the superior choice and the only way I order them. Broiling lets the taste of the crab cake itself shine through.

Mark did get his recipe from Faidley's, perhaps he was just being faithful to the recipe.

I neither broil my crab cakes, nor do I deep-fry them. Instead I sautee them.

I take a little vegatable oil and a little butter, heat them both in a skillet until hot, and then sautee the crab cakes for about 5 minutes on each side. They turn out PERFECT!

Now the real debate: Tarter sauce or yellow mustard. (Cocktil sauce--or ANY kechup related substance--is strictly FORBIDDEN).

Nothing: no mustard or tarter sauce. Pure as the white jumbo lump from which they are made. Although you are correct about the red substances.

I used to do mustard on crab cakes, but then I discovered I really like the taste of the crab itself.

Now, if I have to eat an inferior crab cake, one with lots of filling, or (gasp!) fried, I may use some mustard to make it more palatable.

But Donny, I have had sauteed crab cakes, and they are quite good. That seems to be the method used down here by the better restaurants.

I've had crabcakes with remoulade sauce that were delicous. I've had them fried, sauteed, deep fried, broiled and grilled. They're all good as long as the recipe is good and it's more crab than filler. I have to agree though, that I like broiled the best. And I usually don't eat my crab cake on a sandwich - I like to eat it as is right on the plate with my sides (slaw and baked potato 99% of the time).

I actually only broiled mine for a few minutes, but wasn't happy with the color I was getting. So I then lightly sauteed them in some vegetable oil to brown them up some more, but they were still soft on the inside. I rather liked how they came out.

Next time, though, I think I'll try to make a tartar-sauce aioli to go with them. And, I have to say, my "autumn slaw" side was a hit.

Good luck the rest of the way, Baltimore. I'll hang on to our World Series win to get me through a cold winter.

Mark,
Congrats on the World Series win. I admit, I was kinda rooting for the Rays, since they are in the O's division and in my new home state.

Joyce,
Yes! The remoulade that I have had with crab cakes both down here and up there (the Shark in West OC) is outstanding with crab cakes.

By the way, anyone here been to the newest incarnation of the Shark? Its in West OC these days and has some fine food. Its rather upscale for OC in price but the food is quite good. In the off-season, they have wine pairings that really show off the kitchen's ability.
My cousin is friends with both the owner and manager so I visit there a lot.

I think Mark from Philly has obliquely hit on the major problem with broiling crab cakes at home. Most home broilers aren't hot enough, so it's difficult to get the outside browned nicely before drying out the inside. I think pan sauteeing works much better.

We tried remoulade sauce for crabcakes recently. When I looked at the recipe for the remoulade sauce it occured to me that it was kind of a zippy tartar sauce, really. We liked it.

A horseradish sauce works well, also, as long as you don't go too heavy on the horseradish.

A little late on the stream of comments, but the Emerald Tavern on Harford Road has Taylor Pork Roll on special now and then. This was a couple of years ago but perhaps they still do.

Their steamed shrimp is great and keeps me coming back.

I've been remiss in saying, Mark from Philly, you're a good sport! I hope we can behave as nicely when a very close local team devastates our Ravens (which I'm sure none of them will anymore, cause we're going to the Superbowl...and I'm winning the lottery, and the Orioles are going to the World Series).

And, Fl Rob - I KNOW!!! the Shark in West OC!!! I want to eat every meal there the whole time I'm downy ocean.