ohstate

Ballreichs

The chip of my childhood. Dad still always has them in the house. I get the 5 lb box whenever we are back in Ohio. Too bad the Yoder's dips don't transport as well.

http://www.ballreich.com/

The Ram's Head in Annapolis has a $10 all you can drink Bloody Mary bar on Sundays. I didn't have the time to try them though.

http://www.ramsheadtavern.com/annapolis/brunchmenu.html

That would be a bit outside my area of experience. We rarely venture outside Pax River/Solomons area on our little run about.
South of Deale is North Beach/Chesapeake beach. I know there are some marinas along the way, but I've never visited any of them. I've -heard- some people say good things about he Westlawn Inn in North Beach, but I have no idea if you can get there by water.

List of Calvert county marinas

Chesapeake Beach looks like your best bet for finding something to eat along the way.

Here is a forum for discussing restaurants in SoMD, although mostly about St. Mary's county, and sometimes seems to focus on who is serving large quantities of fried seafood for the least amount of money.

ps. I'm assuming you mean between Deale and Solomons, as there are lots of places to dock up to on the Island.

Just an update - there have been lots of changes in the dining scene since this post. Many chefs have changed and the restaurants, to date, just haven't been as consistentl. Sometimes they can be good, but I wouldnt' call any of them great these days. In particular, the CD Cafe lost 2 long-time employees. While they can still produce good food, I have found it to be very inconsistent. My husband hasn't had a fish special there that he's thought was even good since last fall.

They are in the permitting stage to rebuild the lighthouse. The plans look good, so we'll see what happens with that. They used to do a half-price appetizer happy hour at their waterfront (outside) bar that was a lot of fun.

Vincenzo's (website) has been around for a while, but seems to have improved a bit lately. They are a mediterranean/italian place on the water with a great view. They've been hosting some wine dinners and have live music occasionally. I don't think it would be considered great, but solid if you're in the area. 

Anyway, summer is just around the corner, so I thought I'd update this for the tourist crowd. There are a few new places that I haven't tried yet, but hope to soon.

Just to update this thread a bit, I have a place in Lusby near Solomons, so I thought I'd add my thoughts.

The CD Cafe is my favorite by far. If you are there for dinner, you should try one of the specials. They usually have three different entree specials, usually all fish. My husband has not ordered off the regular menu in years. The specials are creative and consistently well prepared. Whenever he orders fish elsewhere, he always compares it to CD's, and the comparison is almost never favorable. I've been on a kick where I crave the shrimp saute, which is served over risotto. The desserts are house made and fabulous. I don't often eat dessert, but if they have a fruit pie on the menu, it is certain to be great. They don't take reservations, but they have a lounge/bar next door (The Backdoor Lounge) that has a separate menu of heavy appetizers. They also serve the full dessert menu, so many people make a meal in the Lounge. The scallops BBT are great. The waits on the weekend can be 45 minutes to an hour for the main restaurant (especially since the Lighthouse burned down).
Since we're only down south on the weekends, this is our main winter haunt. In the summer, we'll generally pick restaurants
that we can boat to and enjoy water front dining.

Dry Dock Cafe at Zanhisers Marina is great. (Although we haven't been since October and some changes have reported been made, so I can't feel completely up to date on it). They have an outside deck overlooking the marina that we love. They don't take reservations for the deck, but you can wait at the bar or make reservations for inside if you call. They have a menu that changes daily, but there are usually the same kinds of choices - a crabcake/steak, a steak, a pork, a chicken, several fish/seafood options, and a veggie option. The menu is pretty creative and the only thing I avoid is their crabcake, because there are much better crab cakes to be had in the area.

We also like Clark's Landing in St. Mary's County (Hollywood, MD, I think). They have an outside deck (make reservations in the summer if you can) that overlooks the bridge over the Pax River. They have my favorite crab cakes (outside the ones my husband makes at home, that is). It is mostly a southern Maryland kind of place - lots of fried seafood and the like. They also make a decent burger. They have a smallish beer and wine selection, but you can find something drinkable other than bud.

We also boat up to Stoney's on Broome's Island. The crabcakes are as big as a baseball, and just as round. Since I favor my crabcakes a bit crispier than what you can acheive with that shape and size, so I get the fried shrimp basket or the mini crab cake. The crabs can be quite good, although we don't usually order crabs out when we can make them (and catch them) at home. The bar makes some mean drinks. That Stoney's is owned by the same people who own/run 2 restaurants on Solomons - The Pier and Stoney's Kingfisher. The menu is identical at the two Stoney's, and the Pier has more of a raw bar/bar oriented menu (although you can still get the crab cake). The Pier has the best outdoor bar by a long shot. You can watch the sun set under the bridge from their dock over the Pax River.

FYI, the Tiki Bar is alive and well. The grand opening is April 20 if you want to brave the massive crowds of drunks. It usually begins on Friday afternoon and runs all through the weekend. We like to drop in during the afternoon, but head to dinner before the redneck mardi gras gets into full swing.

Let me know if you have any questions - I'd be happy to point the way. I'm off to CD's tonight for that shrimp saute!

I'd also like everyone to notice the highly literate motif of 15-minute increments in the preceding paragraph, thus placing the reader in the middle of the action, experiencing the process in an almost "24-like" fashion alongside the author. Barf barf barf.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Thanks. We are usually early people anyway, so this may work for us. The band doesn't start until 9, so we should have time even if we get stuck in a jam.

So am I crazy to think I can try this place tomorrow night? We want to see a band in the area and this sounds just right for a light meal and a few drinks beforehand. The website says to call ahead 30 minutes in advance, but I see someone made reservations? I don't get out in DC very often, so I'd like to not mess this up too much. TY!

I love tater tots, and even the school cafeteria couldn't ruin them for me. We still keep a bag in the freezer for those days we just can't decide what starch to make with dinner. What I miss however, was the tater tots with onion. I have not been able to find them in any local grocery in several years.

Tater tots were always welcome on my plate when I was a kid. Certainly was an improvement over my mother's instant whipped potatoes from a box.

I'm always in for a crispy, nicely browned tater tot. I think they are a perfect DVD-watching snack. I have, however, been traumatized by my Aunt's "Tater Tot Casserole" which is basically a bag of tots tossed with loads of cheese, cream, frozen peas and and topped with ketchup. It tasted like baked vomit. This happened over 12 years ago and I still feel the need to brush my teeth every time I think about it.

Clearly your aunt missed the correct execution of "tater tot casserole". The tater tots go on -top- of the casserole to provide a crunchy topping. You never mix the tater tots into the casserole.

Not a restaurant, but the Cat's Eye Pub for music. Now non-smoking. That will be strange. I think Bertha's is probably an institution (in that everyone knows about it, not necessarily great food). We found the Peter Inn last trip up and plan to return. Our friends want to visit their old haunts from his Hopkins days, so I'm sure I'll get an education in Baltimore's institutions in April.

http://www.petersinn.com/

There's a rumor that the original owner of Jerry's in Lanham has opened a new place near Prince Frederick, MD.

The rumor is in a southern Maryland forums thread discussing the opening of a new Green Turtle there.

"Jerry's Place is great. Good friend of my dad...he did the electric work. He doesn't have his liquor license yet but it's in the works. Jerry used to own a very successful restaurant in Lanham, Jerry's Seafood, but sold that to his nephew years ago when he moved down this way. He has limited hours right now. Give him a try and let me know what you think."

He's picked a location in a mini-strip mall next to a Mr. Tire that has had at least 3 failed restaurants there since about 1998. I may have to give it a try sometime on my way home.

No Pimms Cup? Much better than Hurricanes, IMO.

http://www.napoleonhouse.com/pimmscup.html

Depends on if you are in the mood for happy hour and a few small plates or a three course meal. I'm a big fan of the happy hour here and haven't had any problems finding seats at the bar in the past. I suppose the Caps game could cause you problems, but I think you'd be ok at 5:30.

True. We almost never eat 3 courses, and right before a Caps game might really be pushing it. Happy hour in the lounge it is. Thanks.

I see that they have extended the RW menu here for a while. If we go before a Caps game, should we just hit the lounge w/ that menu, or should we do the RW menu. The earliest we could get there is 5:30. How full would the lounge be at that time?

Thanks! I've never been, but these posts have inspired me to try it.

Homemade is very easy. My husbands usually follows Alton Brown's recipe.

My husband also uses Alton's recipe. In the name of making tools multitask, we use a splatter screen as our pizza paddle. Works perfectly fine for us. Although we usually have parchment paper under the rolled out dough too.

Nope - The lady and I watched the Redskins v. Seahawks game there and we ate a quesadilla and the spinach & artichoke dip and we felt so disgusting and ill afterwards that we just went home and passed out...and not in a good way. It was truly awful.

I'm headed there next week for a happy hour event, but it sounds like I should just have a beer and then grab a bite at the Caps game.

Ernies appears to be open. We walked by last night, the open sign was lit, two workers were sitting inside, but no customers. I think they have a little yard in the back w/ picnic tables for when the weather gets nicer (as seen from the Hilton driveway when I was picking up a cup of starbucks on my way to work).

I read somewhere that a Bookbinders is opening this month in the old Portner's space. Does anyone know the details?

http://www.bookbinders.biz/

It has been too long since I've been to Bermuda to recommend any particular place to eat, but a fun side trip is the Swizzle Inn for the original Rum Swizzle. It was a divey little place out towards the airport back then. I hope it hasn't become something else by now.

Glad you had fun despite the outcome. Geaux Tigers!!!

Maybe we'll see you next year in Miami! Go Bucks!

Just back from NOLA. We had a pretty good time there. Our dining choices were limited because of our late booking

during a large event, but the fabulous concierge at the W was able to find us decent choices at the last minute. Less worry about finding non-smoking places than I first imagined. If a place serves food, it has to be non-smoking. Bars are as smokey as ever, though. We did a Garden District walking tour, saw a lot of the French Quarter (but not Bourbon Street), and found the Fauburg-Marigny area (Frenchman Street, mostly). Our friend, a local, gave us a driving tour of the 9th district to see the horrific damage.

Mothers - Lunch, had the Ferdi Special - ham, roast beef, gravy, debris, dressed. Kind of bland and soggy. I was not impressed. My husband thought his oyster po'boy was fine, but not the best he has had. (See Johnny's Po-Boy, below).

Dante's Kitchen - Cute little place uptown (across from Brigstens). Loved the atmosphere, great service, good food. They start you out with some tasty spoon bread. I had the trois mignons - three little filets, each with a different sauce - red wine sauce, debris, and blue cheese on carmelized onion mashers. Quite tasty, but they were slightly overdone. Might be because my friend ordered the same dish, but ordered it medium-well. My husband loved his fish special, Olive Oil Poached Grouper over gulf shrimp, wild green onions, and roasted Creole tomatoes; garnished with fluer de sel and aged balsamic vinegar. (C/P from the menu) Reasonable bill, although we limited ourselves to glasses of wine and my one friend doesn't drink at all. http://www.danteskitchen.com/

Coop's- small little bar/restaurant on Decatur. Very good burger. My husband had the "taste plater", which was very large portions of just about everything - A cup of Seafood Gumbo, Shrimp Creole, Cajun Fried Chicken, Red Beans & Rice with Sausage, and Rabbit & Sausage Jambalaya. He ate it all! The server (just one that I could see) was extemely busy, and the cooks were delivering the food. They were grilling in a backyard courtyard. I'm not certain where they hid the rest of the kitchen equipment, because this place was tiny, and half of it was given up to a pool table. http://www.coopsplace.net/

Marigny Brasserie - On Frenchman Street - great atmosphere, very good food. Probably the best dish I had was the fried green tomatoes here. The tomatoes were perfectly done in every way - crispy, not greasy, flavorful. It was served with a crab salad topping - and there was a ton of crab and very little salad. Large lump crab. It was almost a meal in itself. I ordered the lobster risotto, which was not very good. Probably just a poor choice on my part, considering the other choices on the menu. It was bland and the lobster was not tasty. My husband had the fish special - bronzed drum - which had about 3 sauces on it - one too many for him - he should have asked to have them skip the bernaise sauce (he hates all creamy sauces). He said it was great however. Service was very good. My friend raved about her chicken dish - Roasted Amish Free-Range Chicken Breast- on Louisiana Long Grain Rice, Spring Vegetables and a Cognac-Dijon Demi Glace. Here daughter just had the ensalata capresse. I don't usually order tomatoes at this time of year, but she liked it. http://www.cafemarigny.com/

Johnny's PoBoys - better than Mothers, IMO. I had the shrimp po'boy, the husband had the oyster po'boy. Of course, they were huge portions (New Orleans seems to favor that). The shrimp were crispy and not overdone. The line was out the door and the little dining area was packed. The line moved quickly and the service was very friendly (unlike Mothers, where they seemed rather cranky).

Cafe du Monde- had to have a cafe au lait and some beignets.

Then we had hotdogs/sausages from the vendor at the Superdome. Enough about that.

Frenchman Street - Blue Nile and Cafe Negril - Great street for music - and great people all around. They seemed so happy to have tourists around (spending $). We saw Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ swingers, Chief Al Doucette and Smokey Greenwell and the Blues Gnus. Great time.

Also had a few beers at the Ernst Cafe (near Harrah's). Great little bar that worked hard last weekend treating the Buckeye crowd well.

All in all, I'm sure we could have done better if we had more time to plan, but everything was great and the people were the best. Thanks New Orleans!

I just booked a trip to New Orleans for Jan 5-8. We'll be a bit busy on Monday night, but need to make dinner/play plans for Saturday and Sunday. It will be packed there for this event, so my choices may be limited. Any new recommendations, maybe for places away from the hoards? Casual, great food, we don't do multi-courses for the most part (who can eat that much without falling asleep?), real NOLA experiences are our preferences. TIA.

Of course, music and places to see music advice would also be appreciated. It has been 10 years since we last

visited.

Pork and sauerkraut for us. Usually pork roast and roasted kraut (drained, mixed with mustard, brown sugar and a liquid of your choice. Mom used apple juice. I've been experimenting myself. Easy to roast some root veggies at the same time. Very traditional in German families. I grew up on a street nicknamed "sauerkraut hill" in Ohio.

I'm using my mother's vintage stand mixer (Sunbeam mixmaster). She got it sometime around 1970. Still runs like a charm. It's a lovely harvest gold color. I'd like one with a beater paddle, but I make do without. I'll replace it when it dies.

I cursed myself. It kicked the bucket in the middle of my Christmas cookies. We'll see how they turn out without a mixer.

I've never been, but have heard that the Montgomery Inn is good for ribs. Not exactly fine dining, however.

West End bistro, Dino and Al A lucia.

The last order we had at A La Lucia was disappointing. Bland, not crispy. I prefer the calamari at FireFlies (Del Ray). They serve it with a sweet spicy sauce.

One sauce that is good w/ fried calamari is Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce.

http://www.amazon.com/Ploy-Sweet-Chili-Sau...s/dp/B00016UX0K

I'd swear it is what some restaurants are using.