Some reviews (minor spoilers): Chaps Pit Beef, The Revenant, & The Martian

[Ranger Dan]

First, the Mrs. and I went to Chap's Pit Beef in Baltimore yesterday. It was a little bit out of the way on our trip to Annapolis, but it was 100% worth it. I've had pit beef before and enjoy it very much when done well. Chap's is as good as I've ever had. My wife had a simple medium rare pit beef sandwich and it was out of this world. I ordered a combo sub with cheese, MR beef, ham, and corned beef. The American cheese didn't melt at all and certainly didn't add anything to the experience. Also the three meats together weren't as great as they were individually. Bonus: the beach fries were legit. Of course sharing a parking lot with a gentlemens club may come in handy as well...

My FIL and I saw The Revenant on Saturday. It was everything I was hoping for, but I'm really into the mountain man subject matter (not an expert, just a fan). The violence was extremely realistic and brutal, especially the bear mauling. The movie does a great job of putting you in the place and time, and even feeling Glass' pain, heartache, and desire for revenge. As Dem pointed out, the two shot flintlock pistols were an obvious flaw. I wouldn't have noticed the squaw's castration issue that Tom made issue of, and I don't think this was nearly as glaring (despite how accurate it may be). In the end, I don't think this sort of artistic license means much to the Academy. I could see Leonardo winning best actor for this role, as it's really a showcase for him. I'm not sure about best picture, however.

Speaking of best picture, my wife and I caught The Martian via on demand Saturday night. It was fantastic. The story was compelling and believable. It was suspenseful at times, heartbreaking at others, and ultimately uplifting. There were just enough comedic moments to keep you balanced. Honestly, as much as I loved The Revenant movie, I think that The Martian was even better. I haven't seen all of the nominees (I never seem to), and some of the other movies may be more serious contenders, but I'd give this movie an edge over The Revenant.

 

[sluggo72]

So what did you do in Annapolis ???

 

[ClarkstonMark]

So what did you do in Annapolis ???

doubt he made it; clearly the wife and Dan went to the strip club after their pit beef

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

I went to Chaps when I was in B-more in November, and thought it was terrible.

Next time you're near State College, try Curt's in Mill Hall. Get the brisket sandwich. It's far, far better. Not even in the same league. If Chap's is the best you've ever had, I feel bad for you.

 

[BBrown]

First, the Mrs. and I went to Chap's Pit Beef in Baltimore yesterday. It was a little bit out of the way on our trip to Annapolis, but it was 100% worth it. I've had pit beef before and enjoy it very much when done well. Chap's is as good as I've ever had. My wife had a simple medium rare pit beef sandwich and it was out of this world. I ordered a combo sub with cheese, MR beef, ham, and corned beef. The American cheese didn't melt at all and certainly didn't add anything to the experience. Also the three meats together weren't as great as they were individually. Bonus: the beach fries were legit. Of course sharing a parking lot with a gentlemens club may come in handy as well...

My FIL and I saw The Revenant on Saturday. It was everything I was hoping for, but I'm really into the mountain man subject matter (not an expert, just a fan). The violence was extremely realistic and brutal, especially the bear mauling. The movie does a great job of putting you in the place and time, and even feeling Glass' pain, heartache, and desire for revenge. As Dem pointed out, the two shot flintlock pistols were an obvious flaw. I wouldn't have noticed the squaw's castration issue that Tom made issue of, and I don't think this was nearly as glaring (despite how accurate it may be). In the end, I don't think this sort of artistic license means much to the Academy. I could see Leonardo winning best actor for this role, as it's really a showcase for him. I'm not sure about best picture, however.

Speaking of best picture, my wife and I caught The Martian via on demand Saturday night. It was fantastic. The story was compelling and believable. It was suspenseful at times, heartbreaking at others, and ultimately uplifting. There were just enough comedic moments to keep you balanced. Honestly, as much as I loved The Revenant movie, I think that The Martian was even better. I haven't seen all of the nominees (I never seem to), and some of the other movies may be more serious contenders, but I'd give this movie an edge over The Revenant.

Chaps is pretty much the best pit beef place in Balto. and thats saying something because there are a lot of good pit beef places around here.
The area though, is well... skeezy would be the word I would use and the views are pretty bad. Parking lots, rt. 40, the gold club and an adult book store on the other side of 40. LOL.
Supposedly the owners are looking to open up another location but I don't know if they've pulled the trigger yet or not.

 

[BBrown]

I went to Chaps when I was in B-more in November, and thought it was terrible.

Next time you're near State College, try Curt's in Mill Hall. Get the brisket sandwich. It's far, far better. Not even in the same league. If Chap's is the best you've ever had, I feel bad for you.

Wow you must have been there on an off day.
I've been there a lot and its always been top notch and I dont think I've ever heard anyone I know say
they've had a sub par food. Pit Beef is pretty much a Baltimore thing. The Tiger sauce is awesome, well
its awesome if you like a lot of Horseradish. LOL.

 

[Ranger Dan]

I went to Chaps when I was in B-more in November, and thought it was terrible.

Next time you're near State College, try Curt's in Mill Hall. Get the brisket sandwich. It's far, far better. Not even in the same league. If Chap's is the best you've ever had, I feel bad for you.

No offense, but no need to feel sorry for me. I'm probably the biggest "foodie" on this board, although more comfort food than gourmet. I certainly know good food when I taste it. Maybe you ordered the wrong thing, or arrived at a bad time. It doesn't change my opinion or the opinion of so many other people (best of Baltimore, multiple food TV stops).

Thanks for the recommendation for Curt's in Mill Hall. I'll try to stop by there sometime.

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

Wow you must have been there on an off day.
I've been there a lot and its always been top notch and I dont think I've ever heard anyone I know say
they've had a sub par food. Pit Beef is pretty much a Baltimore thing. The Tiger sauce is awesome, well
its awesome if you like a lot of Horseradish. LOL.

The Tiger Sauce was very tasty as was the mac & cheese.

I had a beef/turkey combo, and was very disappointed.

 

[Ranger Dan]

its awesome if you like a lot of Horseradish

I actually added some extra horseradish to my tiger sauce... I love the stuff!

 

[Little J]

Saw the Revenant too this weekend. Agree that it really puts you back in place and time and leaves you no choice but to respect and marvel at the resilience of the people who were able to live as they did under less than comfortable conditions. No doubt as a people they were acclimated and extremely hardy. Loved the scenes where Glass is sitting around with the Pawnee in the snow around the fire. I guess I am just soft, but I sit for a couple of hours hunting and I get very cold very fast.

The rub for me however is that even though these folk were hardy and a few had a strong will to survive I find some of the Glass' tribulations too much to fathom. Swimming down a raging river with a waterlogged skin and not drowning, only to get to shore and somehow not die of hypothermia. BTW how does he get his fur and clothes dry and get enough food to not only bring him back to life, but to stave off the elements? I mean the guy is so beat up he can barely move yet he finds firewood in the most auspicious places. We are led to believe that this is how he beats the cold, no matter gathering wood and getting a fire going are no easy tasks. How too can you get any sleep when you are nearly frozen? Mind over matter I guess.

In my opinion Glass is a Revenant many times over and I had a hard time believing he could survive no matter how driven and hardy he was. Guess I have to accept that he really was not human, but an enduring spirit looking to enact revenge on he who wronged him.

 

[Ranger Dan]

I had a beef/turkey combo

My three meat combo sub wasn't horrible, but not nearly as great as my wife's simple pit beef. Stop by there again and try just a simple pit beef and I'll get you will change your tune. Then again pit beef is about the tenderness and jucyness of the beef, not like the smokiness of briscuit.

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

No offense, but no need to feel sorry for me. I'm probably the biggest "foodie" on this board, although more comfort food than gourmet. I certainly know good food when I taste it. Maybe you ordered the wrong thing, or arrived at a bad time. It doesn't change my opinion or the opinion of so many other people (best of Baltimore, multiple food TV stops).

Thanks for the recommendation for Curt's in Mill Hall. I'll try to stop by there sometime.

Our group did a bit of a DDD tour in Baltimore (great city, by the way) and also hit up Johnny Rad's. That was spectacular--some of the best pizza I've had anywhere.

We went to Chap's on our way into town, around 2-3pm on a weekday. It wasn't crowded at all. I had high expectations, and it didn't come close to meeting them.The meat wasn't as tender as I expected, but it was juicy. The beef was far better than the turkey, though.

If you or anyone ever goes to Curt's, the brisket is the star of the show. The pulled rib meat and ribs are also fantastic, but the brisket is other worldly. They also make their own BBQ sauce using peppers from their garden/farm. It's just a little shack with 4-5 tables, not all that much unlike Chap's, and they smoke on premises using a combination of woods including oak. They also make great pizza, oddly enough.

 

[Ranger Dan]

I had a hard time believing he could survive no matter how driven and hardy he was

Hollywood certainly was guilty of taking multiple liberties with the story, especially with the hypothermia issue. Also, the story I remember was that Fitzgerald joined the Army to avoid retribution by Glass. But... it's not like Glass wrote his own memoirs. His story, I believe, was just handed down to other mountain men and some of them put it to paper.

 

[Ranger Dan]

So what did you do in Annapolis ???

Nothing too exciting... my wife likes to get away somewhere for day trips now and then. Usually the targets include an inviting downtown with cute little shops. We've been before and toured the Naval Academy. This time we just walked around a little and shopped.

 

[sluggo72]

Nothing too exciting... my wife likes to get away somewhere for day trips now and then. Usually the targets include an inviting downtown with cute little shops. We've been before and toured the Naval Academy. This time we just walked around a little and shopped.

well if you are foodies, have you ever stopped at Cantler's or Mike's (crab houses?? either or both worth the trip.

 

[Ranger Dan]

well if you are foodies, have you ever stopped at Cantler's or Mike's (crab houses?? either or both worth the trip.

No, I don't think we've never eaten at either of those places. I was in Annapolis 15 years ago, and could have then, but not recently with my wife anyway. If they are in B-more then I'm sure that I haven't . I'll try to remember them, but one issue is that my wife doesn't eat seafood of any kind. So, I can't sell her on the great local seafood angle. Usually non-seafood meals at seafood restaurants are not great. I basically have to ask her to take one for the team and order chicken strips or a hamburger while I'm enjoying the great seafood.

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

well if you are foodies, have you ever stopped at Cantler's or Mike's (crab houses?? either or both worth the trip.

How about Johnny Rad's? Anyone else ever been there?

There's an awesome looking candle-pin bowling alley right across the street too. It's a neat neighborhood.

 

[Glen]

One of my favorite crab places in Baltimore was Gunnings (original Brooklyn location), but they are now closed. Any recommendations for another place?

 

[BBrown]

How about Johnny Rad's? Anyone else ever been there?

There's an awesome looking candle-pin bowling alley right across the street too. It's a neat neighborhood.

Johnny Rad's is probably my favorite place for Pizza in Bmore its the closest I've found to NY style pizza.
Their crust and sauce are awesome.
Mathews is very good as well and they have an excellent crab pizza.

 

[BBrown]

One of my favorite crab places in Baltimore was Gunnings (original Brooklyn location), but they are now closed. Any recommendations for another place?

Hmmm. I like Costa's Inn on Northpoint BLVD. and it usually gets a best of Baltimore shout out in the Baltimore Magazine.
BO Brooks is pretty decent.
Just stay away from Phillips, JMO but its a tourist trap. You can trip and fall into 10 better Seafood/crab places in Baltimore.

 

[ThePennsyOracle]

Johnny Rad's is probably my favorite place for Pizza in Bmore its the closest I've found to NY style pizza.
Their crust and sauce are awesome.
Mathews is very good as well and they have an excellent crab pizza.

Shellfish allergy here, so no crab for me. I had to be very careful about where we all went in Bmore. We stuck to Johnny Rad's, Chaps, and Fogo for the most part.

We ordered two pizzas for the table--El Gato with Prosciutto and a pepperoni. All loved it.