Monday, November 12, 2012

The Baltimore Dip

The Baltimore Dip

Every sports stadium seems to have their own signature food item.  Camden Yards has Boog's; Boston has Fenway Sausages; Pittsburgh has Primanti Bros.  Up until this year, I hadn't found a signature food item at M&T Bank Stadium.  I mean, who needs to buy food inside when you can just tailgate outside for cheaper?

That's the way I thought until one day I ventured out to the Club Level concourse to see what they had.  In my searching I found The Baltimore Dip.  Upon first seeing the name, I assumed it was a normal "dip" sandwich - meaning beef and au jus made for dipping.  Oh, how I was mistaken.

The Baltimore Dip goes beyond a normal "French" dip.  Here's how it's constructed.  The bun is ready to go as soon as you get there.  The server then takes a large portion of brisket (yes, brisket) and dips it in the au jus for a few seconds.  The beef is then placed on the bun.  Next, the server grabs a big spoonful of crab dip and puts it on top of the beef.  That's right...crab dip.  This is then followed by a few teaspoons of hot peppers and horseradish sauce (not required if you don't enjoy them).  The sandwich is accompanied by kettle chips and a pickle.  For an added bonus, ask the server to dip the ENTIRE bun in the au jus.  This is not a normal thing to do, but it's marvelous.  My cousin, who took me to the game, said that the idea came from a server that learned it in Chicago.  He's been doing it ever since.  This makes the sandwich a little harder and messier to eat; but hey, it's a football game.  You're watching sports and you've been drinking all day.  That makes this the perfect sandwich.  And at $10.50, it's not overpriced based on what you're getting.

The station I went to is located in the concourse of Section 250.  I don't know if there are other stations that serve it, but I certainly hope that there are.  Next time you're in M&T Bank Stadium, make sure you search it out.  Within the next couple years, this will be talked about as the staple sandwich of the Baltimore Ravens.

No comments:

Post a Comment