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‘The Places That Shaped My Taste’ is TQE’s take on a city guide. Yes, we’re interested in the new restaurant that’s surprisingly worth the hype – but we’re also asking local tastemakers to dish on the decades-old strip mall joint they’ve frequented since high school, the crystal shop that got them through their rough patch, and the barber who defined their style.
Last month, we were offered a look at New Orleans through Ash Hotels’ Creative Director Xavier Donnelly’s eyes. Because we’re such big fans of Hotel Peter & Paul, we had high hopes for Donnelly’s spots – and still, somehow, he overdelivered.
This month, we’re tapping Ash co-founder and CEO Ari S. Heckman to walk us through the best of Baltimore. The hotelier behind Baltimore’s Hotel Ulysses – in addition to Neptune (Providence, RI), The Siren (Detroit, MI), and Hotel Peter & Paul (New Orleans) – is known for his ability to reinvigorate historic properties into immersive, one-of-a-kind stays.
Needless to say: if you’re seeking a little Charm City inspiration, Heckman is the person to ask. Below, the 10 Baltimore spots that shaped his taste.
We like
We don't like
Part II: The Places
Le Comptoir du Vin
“Tiny, romantic, deeply confident French food. It’s the restaurant I send almost everyone to first. Baltimore has a way of producing places that feel accidentally perfect, and this is one of them.”
The Walters Art Museum
“One of the great underappreciated museums in America. It still feels possible to wander here quietly and discover something personal. The intimacy of the collection is part of the magic.”
Peter's Inn
“A little eccentric, deeply beloved, and impossible to replicate elsewhere. It has the feeling of an old Baltimore secret that somehow survived intact.”
Carpet Company
“A very cool Baltimore skate shop and clothing brand with huge energy and great collabs.”
Bar Dali
“A new Ash-designed Spanish tapas and vermouth bar adjacent to Hotel Ulysses, operated by the James Beard winning chef Spike Gjerde.”
Clavel
“My friend Lane Harlan’s perfect Oaxacan mezcaleria with a great list and really amazing authentic Oaxacan food.”
The Wren
“Feels more like someone’s impossibly stylish dinner party than a restaurant. Small chalkboard menu, incredible natural wine, and a sense that everyone in the room somehow knows something you don’t.”
Greenmount Cemetery
“Baltimore’s gothic grandeur at its best. Beautiful, cinematic, slightly melancholic. Walking here reminds me how much the city embraces age, patina, and history rather than sanding them away.”
The Compound
“A multifaceted venue with exhibitions and raves, the best of Baltimore’s raw urban energy.”
Mount Vernon
“More than a neighborhood, really the emotional center of how I experience Baltimore. Grand old apartment buildings, slightly faded elegance, bookstores, bars, artists, students — it’s the version of urban life I’m always chasing”
Like what you see? Follow @ash.world and @ashcognito for more of where it came from.
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