"For an introduction to Baltimore’s food scene, there’s no better place to start than Clavel—the city’s buzziest (and most fun) restaurant and Maryland’s first mezcaleria. Tortillas are nixtamalized on site, with corn from small producers in Oaxaca and Puebla, and they’re best experienced by ordering the tamales loaded with elote and queso chihuahua, hongos con huitlacoche, and barbacoa de borrego tacos. Our favorite move is to come for Happy Hour (when it’s easier to get in) and have a few rounds of margaritas and queso fundido." - anne cruz