If you’ve been looking to level up your dining experience, look no further than the culinary wonders of food towers. From seafood spectacles to towering taco feasts that cater to every craving, these edible marvels are making waves around town. Join me as I embark on a gastronomic adventure to uncover the most epic food towers that promise to elevate your dining escapades to dizzying heights as we dine for the skies, one scrumptious layer at a time!
Thames Street Oyster House
Embark on a shellfish adventure at Thames Street Oyster House with its grandiose shellfish tower! A seafood lover’s delight, it features six mid-Atlantic oysters, six New England oysters, six clams, four shrimp cocktail, two lobster claws and a lobster tail – a true bounty from the ocean complemented by an assortment of tantalizing house-made sauces. At one of my favorite downtown restaurants (no secrets there!), this tower is a must-try masterpiece that promises to elevate your dining experience to new heights of shellfish grandeur!
Frank’s Pizza & Pasta
Indulge in the ultimate Italian culinary experience at Frank’s with its iconic pasta tower. This three-tiered masterpiece, which would make even da Vinci proud, includes a choose-your-own pasta adventure, offering delectable sauces from meat, creamy pesto and vodka to bolognese, arrabbiata and puttanesca. As if that’s not enough, every tower is accompanied by a mouthwatering assortment of fried lasagna balls, burrata with fried eggplant, spicy meatballs and calamari. But wait, there’s more! Served alongside this smorgasbord are three incredible subs to savor: chicken parm, Italian cold cut and meatball parm. Just be sure to bring a friend or two.
The Oregon Grille
Attention, all seafood enthusiasts: Prepare for a tidal wave of flavor and opulence at The Oregon Grille! The seafood tower is a monument of maritime delights, featuring oysters, king crab cocktail, shrimp cocktail, lobster cocktail and kampachi crudo oysters – making it a seafood extravaganza that everyone can enjoy! While there are three sizes to choose from – petit, grande and royal – there’s no room for half measures when it comes to indulgence. So be bold, dive into the royal tower, and let the seafood feast of a lifetime begin!
La Food Marketa
Get ready to taco ’bout a tower of taste bud-teasing fun at La Food Marketa! Three levels of pure taco-liciousness await you on the taco tower. You can embark on a choose-your-own taco adventure. My personal favorites are the BBQ chicken quesadilla, birria and turkey – they’re all fuego! But hold on, it’s not just tacos! Feast on buffalo chicken taquitos, chips and queso, pan de queso, street corn and a mouthwatering layered taco dip served with La Food Marketa’s very own hot sauce. If you’re up for a taco party, mosey on down to La Food Marketa and let the fiesta begin!
Costas Inn
Dive into seafood ecstasy with the crab tower, designed by yours truly, at Costas Inn! Three tiers of oceanic bliss await, featuring Costas’ famous steamed and fried soft shell crabs along with crab balls, crab dip, crab imperial-stuffed shrimp, crab-stuffed mushroom caps and jalapeño crab poppers – all fit for crab royalty! But the marine magic doesn’t stop there. In addition to this crustacean feast, you can indulge in one pound of steamed shrimp, six BBQ shrimp and oysters Rockefeller. Don’t miss this underwater extravagance – just crab a reservation and be sure to put your tower order in in advance.
Loch Bar
Get your sea legs ready, because Loch Bar is serving up a seafood tower that’s a true sailor’s dream! Brace yourself for an oceanic feast featuring 18 oysters, 12 clams, 12 mussels, two lobster tails, eight shrimp cocktail, two orders of scallop ceviche, two orders of yellowfin tuna poke and one king crab leg. It’s a tidal wave of deliciousness! And the best part? You get to enjoy this maritime marvel on the amazing patio, with harbor views that’ll make you feel like you’re dining on the high seas.
Chris Franzoni is a Baltimore native, resident, food fanatic and “Eater-in-Chief” of @EatMoreBeMore, which he started eight years ago with two goals – eating his way through the city and shining a positive light on the Baltimore-area restaurant and hospitality scene.
