What a great article. I eat shad roe once or twice a spring, and it's like Maryland soul food. In my childhood in the '70s my family - parents, maternal grandparents, and brother - sat down to many meals of shad roe in the springtime, and it being cheap then probably had a lot to do with it. I'm teary when I eat it now because almost all of those people (all except my brother) are dead. My husband chokes it down for my sake, and our son can't figure out why anyone would ever taste it in the first place. I think one has to have eaten it from childhood to ever want to eat it again.

Shad roe, sweetbreads, tongue, soup bones...all foods of my youth. Most of this is depression food, not particularly Baltimore food. It is food my parents were raised on and they in turn served it to us. I can pass on the tongue, its a visual thing not a taste thing. I love sweetbreads, especially in a cream sauce over toast points. I grew up on chicken fricasse with chicken feet which I now get at my favorite dim sum palaces.

Coddies, fries with gravy, chocolate snowballs with marshmallow topping...that is old Baltimore food. Let us not forget but long gone Harley Burgers.

I had forgotten about DiNittis's being the only place to get pizza pie. I can remember the thrill of going there on occasion. I lived in Pikesville and it was so exciting to eat there.

Chocolate snowballs with marshmallow...wow, that takes me back to being a kid playing in the alley when the snowball truck (Mr. Joe) came by. Chocolate snowballs with marshmallow was the most expensive one, it might have been like 25 cents. So we didn't get them every time, it was a special treat.
Most times it was either spearmint or sky blue - whatever that was.

Seems to me that the old Baltimore food classics say a lot about who we are and where we came from. We wear our working class heritage with great pride, and the tongue and tripe and coddies and shad roe cry out, "Hey, don't let that go to waste!" Fries with gravy -- the cook knows I can't afford a burger tonight. Snowballs -- who can afford real ice cream in this economy?

We used to eat shad roe a couple of times each spring -- cooked with bacon, if you please -- but haven't in a while since it all seems more rubbery than it used to. Of course, that's probably because it's now flown in from some foreign stream and sits in plastic or Styrofoam boxes for days at a time. We had the best shad in decades from Whole Foods a couple of weeks ago, though -- expertly deboned and delicious.

I am intrigued by Mr. Kelly's mention of his grandmothers homemade ketchup. My grandmother's family also has an old family recipe for homemade ketchup which has been made (and handed down through) generations. Does anyone know if this is an old Baltimore tradition, making ketchup?

First of all, let me say that I love Jacques Kelly's columns. If any management types at the Sun read this blog, I just want them to know that I'm 34 years old and I enjoy reading about old Baltimore. Please don't get any ideas about pushing Mr. Kelly's essays to the side so the paper can make room for some 29 year old twit waxing nostalgic over how popular the Backstreet Boys were "back in the day" at Bel Air Middle School in the 1990s's or some "in depth analysis" of the makings of a douchebag.

Ok rants over, and sorry about the use of quote marks.

I think we talked a little bit about shad roe this time last year and the problem with finding it area restaurants. The only place around that I know serves it is Shamrocks up in Thurmont.

Next month up in Lambertville, NJ, which is across the river from New Hope, PA, the town is hosting its annual Shad Fest. They'll have various shad products for sale, as well as shad cooking demonstrations.

RoCK, I thought the last time this came up it was established that shad roe was available at the Peppermill in Lutherville.

MD Canon, I haven't noticed any falling off in the quality of shad roe (but of course we only have it two or three times each season). The key is not to overcook it. It should be gently braised in butter and served with crisp bacon and parsley potatoes. Yum!

RoCK -- re your first paragraph: Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Shad Roe, I believe, is available for a short period of time every year at Captain Harveys. I keep making a note to get there and give it a try but haven't yet.

My father remembers getting pizza in (what I guess was the late 40's) in LI at a place called Bonnies (sp?)

Shad Fest? That sounds like fun! I'd like to try shad row.

If you can deal with the demographic, the Peppermill in Lutherville almost always has shad roe this time of year.

I'd like to nominate RoCK's first paragraph above for Comment of the Week consideration.

Well put. I enjoy Jacques Kelly's columns also, never missed them when I got the print editions. I still read them online when I can find them. I think lots of us, while too young to remember the old Baltimore, certainly enjoy reading his accounts of life back then.

I know the Peppermill has an older demographic, but there is something sincere about that place. It is a retro restaurant without the sense of irony one would find at the retro restaurants in Hampden.

I found myself at a similar Lutherville restaurant last week, the Schezuan House. We've talked in the past about the demise of dine-in Chinese restaurants, but the Schezuan House is one of last remaining places you can sit down to a plate of fried rice or Peking Duck. What's neat about this place is that if you don't want the American-Chinese fair, there is a country menu with things like tripe, snails and head-on shrimp.

Intereresting point RoCK. But "retro" implies a point of reference in the present. blechh. Nostalgia implies a point of reference in an invented past. ghluggughht... Places like the Peppermill are blithefully unaware of their own mortality – even after death. It's an example of Zombie Time and who doesn't love zombies?

What are you doing?

what?

What are you doing?

this is what I do.

Well shut up already. We've had enough.

You shut up.

Here here for RoCK's 1st paragraph!!

Have shad row at Dogwood Restaurant the other night, perfectly cooked. It did not resemble in any way the rubbery atrocity that was served to me at the Peppermill a couple of years ago, which was like eating in a particularly downscale nursing home.

I believe Shad Row was a street name in one or more Loony Toons from the 30s.

Dahlink ... Thanks for your comment. I had it in mind as I slipped into my traditional Sunday afternoon nap, and awakened with two words in my brain: cast iron! I'm probably overcooking it, trying to get a nice bacon-induced crust in a non-stick pan. I know better than that! (See Romans 7:15)

Owl, have you actually been to the Peppermill?

Probably near Cannery Row, Doc.

RiE -- there is a Shad Row in Ocean City, which runs north from 15th Street near the bay side.

Jacques' article and this blog item make me very nostalgic for the late great Danny's Restaurant, at the northeast corner of Charles and Biddle streets, where the cryptic sign, "The Run Is On" would appear for a week or two over the front door during the fleeting shad roe season. My favourite Danny's pleasures were the dime left on the table to repay you for your reservation call, the popovers, and the Caesar salad - Danny himself came to the table to prepare it. Funny to think Danny's was once the high point of Baltimore's culinary scene. Sure miss it, along with Haussner's, Pimlico Hotel (the original), and Marconi's.

I couldn't find a Shad Row in Kooney Tunes, but did find an episode called Canary Row – a Sylvester/Tweeety one set in SF. Is there something wrong with me that I rooted for the cat when I was a id?

... urhh, kid.

I always wanted the Coyote to get that damned Roadrunner!

Owlie, you were an id when you were little? Doesn't surprise me, somehow.

Joyce, me, too. The Roadrunner was one annoying bird!

Used to make my little brother cry by rooting for the Wicked Witch of the West, too. She was so much more interesting than that prig Dorothy.

Shad Row - - - What, do they all line up?

Maybe they're having an argument?

I love reading Jacques Kelly's articles, but I kinda felt sorry for him on Saturday. My two favorite Spring meals are broiled shad roe and grilled herbed lamb chops, both accompanied by fresh asparagus. My men don't like shad or lamb, so I cook something else for them while I guiltlessly savor my goodies. Thanks for the reminder that it's shad roe season.

Does anyone know where the recipes can be found for some of the wonderful dishes we had at The Brentwwo, like the stuffed Lobster, or the Pimlico's Chocolate Moose Cake, or the Coffey Salad?