{"id":2431,"date":"2017-12-28T12:57:12","date_gmt":"2017-12-28T17:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.citywalkerapp.com\/?p=2018"},"modified":"2019-02-14T03:16:03","modified_gmt":"2019-02-14T03:16:03","slug":"spotlight-hershs-baltimore-maryland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/spotlight-hershs-baltimore-maryland\/","title":{"rendered":"Spotlight on Hersh&#8217;s in Baltimore Maryland"},"content":{"rendered":"<p dir=\"ltr\">Why I love <a href=\"https:\/\/discover.citywalkerapp.com\/place-details\/maryland\/baltimore\/hersh%27s+pizza+%26+drinks\">Hersh&#8217;s in Baltimore Maryland<\/a>. When I was much younger, Baltimore was a pizza wasteland. Sure, restaurants touting their nightmarish \u201cfresh dough\u201d pizza were all over the place, and yes, I ate my share of it, always hoping to find a slice that actually tasted good. The whole \u2018fresh\u201d dough thing was quite a misnomer; it was made in a factory somewhere and trucked into restaurants around town, so how fresh could it be? Well into the 1980s, Baltimore-area pizzas consisted of these flabby, flavorless crusts topped with bland red sauce and puddles of rubbery salt masquerading as cheese. Though cooked up in mom-and-pop establishments, they were awful enough to make Pizza Hut and Domino\u2019s seem like the good stuff.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block; text-align: center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5121948059520287\" data-ad-slot=\"1039155710\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2020\" src=\"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3027-632x632.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"632\" height=\"632\" \/><\/b><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">There were, of course, exceptions to the rule. <a href=\"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/category\/pizza\/\">My favorite pizza<\/a> came from a regional chain called Pappy\u2019s, where they served birch beer by the pitcher and gave styrofoam hats to kids. You know, the ones that are modeled after straw boaters and seen on the heads of barbershop quartets and election day candidate-hucksters. I was probably 10 when I had my last Pappy\u2019s pizza so can\u2019t be held accountable for my taste back then. There was also Matthew\u2019s Pizzaria in Highlandtown, Squire\u2019s in Dundalk, and Pizza John\u2019s in Essex, all of which are still in business lo these many decades later. The former has a strong fan base, but I\u2019ve always thought their pies were bland. Squire\u2019s pizzas are anything but, with a very herby and somewhat sweet tomato sauce and a crust that is crunchy rather than crispy. I\u2019ve never been to Pizza John\u2019s, but I hear that they serve thin NY-style pizza and they make their own dough, so I should probably get my ass out there, right? In any case, none of the pizzas of my Charm City youth could hold a candle to most dollar slices in New York. For a while there I decided I didn\u2019t really like the stuff. Fortunately, in the 00s, a bunch of pizza joints opened up in Baltimore, all serving thin-crust goodness with toppings like pesto and arugula. I realized I did like pizza, even craved it, though none of these newer establishments were what I\u2019d call a \u201choly grail.\u201d<b><\/b><\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\">Then I tried Hersh\u2019s.<b><\/b><\/h2>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Hersh\u2019s is on the very end of <a href=\"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/fells-point-inner-harbor-part-3\/\">Light Street<\/a>, a good mile\u2019s walk from the <a href=\"https:\/\/discover.citywalkerapp.com\/location\/baltimore\/maryland?lat=39.2858482&amp;lng=-76.6131105\">Inner Harbor<\/a>. Owned by siblings Josh and Stephanie Hershkovitz, Hersh\u2019s serves Neapolitan-style pizza and a whole lotta other yummy Italianate things. But first, the pizza. It\u2019s cooked in a wood-fired oven and is served uncut, like in Naples. The crust is thin with a perfectly blistered cornicione and some leopard-spots of char on the crust and upskirt. While the pizzas look so damn good you just want to pick it up and shove it into your pizza-pie-hole whole, cutting it into at least four slices is probably a better way to approach things. Less hot cheese in the lap. Also as in Naples, you can\u2019t just come in and expect to get a giant pie slathered in shredded cheese and slices of pepperoni perched on a 5-napkin oil slick. (Not that there\u2019s anything wrong with that.) If you\u2019re really into pepperoni, you can add some to a Margherita (otherwise topped with housemade mozz, grana padano, and fresh basil), but why not put a little more excitement in your life?\u00a0 My suggestion is to order the Tre Porcellini if it\u2019s on the menu. It\u2019s topped with three different pork products&#8211;sausage, braised pork, and guanciale&#8211;along with provolone, garlic and red pepper flakes, and it will take you to hog heaven. (Sorry, couldn\u2019t resist!) The Fumo e Fuoco is my fave, topped with smoked mozz, grana padana, and soft rounds of fried eggplant, all drizzled with a spark of chili oil. Excellent for dinner, even better when eaten cold for breakfast.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2389 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3055-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Awesome Food at hersh's in Baltimore Maryland\" width=\"980\" height=\"980\" srcset=\"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3055-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3055-160x160.jpg 160w, https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3055-555x555.jpg 555w, https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3055-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3055-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3055-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3055-500x500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3055.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">But enough about the pizza. While a pie and a beer, glass of vino, or a crafty cocktail can be a perfect meal for some, Hersh\u2019s kitchen magic is not limited to things on crusts. You see, Hersh\u2019s isn\u2019t a pizza parlor. It\u2019s an Italian restaurant. Yet, it\u2019s impossible for my husband and I to eat at Hersh\u2019s and not order pizza. However, we like to make it one course of a multi-course meal and share everything. So we might start off with one of the antipasti, most likely the wood-fired octopus or maybe the meatballs in tomato sauce over housemade ricotta, then move on to a salad. Right now there\u2019s a lovely Autumn Salad comprising escarole, apples, pecans, parm, and gorgonzola dolce in a dijon-apple cider vinaigrette that sounds perfect. And while the more protein-focused of Chef Josh\u2019s main dishes are going to be dynamite, we usually lean toward ordering a plate of his tender housemade pasta, like a classic spaghetti Carbonara, or maybe some roast pumpkin gnocchi with crispy braised pork and arugula-pumpkin seed pesto. (Yeah, I\u2019m drooling too.) Once we\u2019ve demolished those items, then we\u2019ll have pizza. And if we can\u2019t finish it, that\u2019s when it becomes breakfast the following morning. There\u2019s really no losing with this meal plan.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-2390 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3058-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"980\" height=\"980\" srcset=\"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3058-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3058-160x160.jpg 160w, https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3058-555x555.jpg 555w, https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3058-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3058-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3058-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3058-500x500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/IMG_3058.jpg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block; text-align: center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5121948059520287\" data-ad-slot=\"1039155710\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">So if you\u2019re in the mood for really great pizza and a plate of pillowy ricotta ravioli or maybe tagliolini with some sort of seafood on top, you definitely need to walk all the way down Light Street to Riverside to eat at Hersh\u2019s. (And if your feet are sore from all the other walking you\u2019ve been doing, jump on the bus. The Silver Line goes straight down Light and stops within a block of the restaurant.<\/p>\n<h2 dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.citywalkerapp.com\/location?lat=39.268576&amp;lng=-76.611750\">Explore around Hersh\u2019s<\/a><\/h2>\n<hr \/>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Minxeats Baltimore food blogger and Co-author of the new book,\u00a0<a class=\" NFClass\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1493017918\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1493017918&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=minxmonthlycriti&amp;linkId=2311db3202129434917aac2e112c5175\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Maryland\u2019s Chesapeake: How the Bay and its Bounty Shaped a Cuisine<\/a>, plus\u00a0<a class=\" NFClass\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0762781092\/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0762781092&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=minxmonthlycriti\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Food Lovers\u2019 Guide to Baltimore<\/a>, and\u00a0<a class=\" NFClass\" href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/1lpymtl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Baltimore Chef\u2019s Table<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Editors Note:\u00a0One thing we like to do when launching in a\u00a0city is to partner with local writers. This is a key part to the City Walker experience, we don\u2019t only want our app (<a class=\" NFClass\" href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/VbVcjZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">iOS<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a class=\" NFClass\" href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/7X79LQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Android<\/a>) to have a local prospective, we want our blog to have it too! This gives the authentic personal prospective that no one other than a local can offer. We are honored to have\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/category\/minxeats\/\">MINXEATS\u00a0be a guest writer<\/a>\u00a0for City Walker in Baltimore.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why I love Hersh&#8217;s in Baltimore Maryland. When I was much younger, Baltimore was a pizza wasteland. Sure, restaurants touting their nightmarish \u201cfresh dough\u201d pizza were all over the place, and yes, I ate my share of it, always hoping to find a slice that actually tasted good. The whole \u2018fresh\u201d dough thing was quite [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2387,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[166,250,243,245,168],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-baltimore","category-inner-harbor","category-local-pov","category-minxeats","category-pizza"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/P6041329.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9buia-Dd","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2431"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4914,"href":"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431\/revisions\/4914"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citywalkerapp.com\/cw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}