Otakon 2009

I'm in Baltimore this weekend attending Otakon, the huge anime/manga/video game conference that attracts tens of thousands of cosplayers, fans, and otaku to Charm City every year around this time. Those guys in the picture below are dressed up as characters from the popular video game Team Fortress 2.

Unfortunately, there's not much in the way of food to write about at Otakon, unless you count crappy reheated chicken tenders for $9.00 a serving, or a 10-ounce bottle of Japanese Ramune soda pop for three bucks. So let's step outside the Baltimore Convention Center - right across the street, actually - to The Nest on Pratt Street for lunch, where we can get an ice-cold beer and a delicious sandwich and watch the world walk by our shady outdoor table.

Check out this BLT. They call it a "Brother Pudge" for good reason. Crispy lettuce, delicious locally-grown tomatoes, and about half a pound of perfectly cooked crispy bacon.

Yeah. Otakon is fun, but half a pound of bacon in a BLT? That's reason enough to come to Baltimore.