So, what do we like to do most when we are on vacation? Why, go out to eat, of course! (which partially explains the aforementioned 5 new pounds on the scale, eh?) We did plenty of that this year, from San Francisco (Kevin anyway) to Elkton. We spent some food time in towns as divergent as Washington D.C. and Smyrna, Centreville and Mt. Airy. We included a couple Chestertown spots as well, not to mention the "real" vacation on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I dread to see the results on our Credit Card, but hey, that's life as we restaurant owners know it, isn't it?
Our dining out adventures began fairly locally, at a relatively new place in Middletown called "Elements", previously known as Maynard's Piano Bar. When our neighbors suggested we try it out with them, we were all for it. It was a very pleasant evening - service was fine, despite our being pretty demanding; their version of the Wedge was quite tasty; the calamari was disappointing, mostly in the portion size, quite frankly (we were sharing two orders and when it was delivered to the table, all of us immediately thought they must have just sent out one order split!). The pork steak with a Gorgonzola sauce, ordered by the chef at the table, was perfectly cooked and deemed excellent. Overall, seated in the cozy fireplace pit, a good time was had by all.
Another excellent meal, enjoyed by yours truly, was with a couple of friends at the Front Room in the Imperial Hotel in Chestertown. We shared a plate of smoked duck breast, followed by the Oyster Caesar for two of us and the spinach salad for the third. Everyone was very happy; the fried oysters on my Caesar were deliciously crunchy and a fine complement to the greens.
The drive down to Nags Head starts with lunch on the road, of course. This year we stopped pretty close to home, at Doc's Riverside Grille in Centreville. We've been to this cheery outpost several times and my only complaint is usually the size of the portion - way huge! We like to sit in the bar dining room, at one of their tall tops. (I don't know why that room appeals more to me - but it is true that in most of our stops for food during our entire time off, most of our meals were eaten at the restaurant du jour's bar.) The spinach salad I had at Doc's was par for the course, with probably a dozen healthy sized shrimp on top. It was delicious, and I ate pretty much the whole thing. Kevin, meanwhile, chomped his way through the Bam Bam Chicken Sandwich, with it's "special" sauce, bacon and cheese. No problems with that combination! We began with some of the spring rolls, which weren't my favorite - a filling with nothing but ground pork left something to be desired - but overall Doc's lived up to our expectations, sending us back on the road with full bellies and friendly good byes.
The drive down to vacation-land is interrupted by a night spent in Norfolk - we can only manage to get in 4 or 5 hours before it's time to stop, ha ha! We have most recently been staying on the Waterfront in downtown Norfolk, where we have found a remarkably varied selection of restaurants within very walkable distance. We began the night's tour at the Vintage Kitchen, conveniently located in the high rise next door to the hotel, where the parking garage for our car was also conveniently located! We sat at their (empty) bar on the first Saturday night of our North Carolina vacation and cleverly ordered the best thing on the menu - as far as the waiter was concerned anyway! Indeed, the Dates with Bacon were among the top 10 dishes of our entire vacation. The secret seemed to be the Benton's Bacon from Tennessee. Very, very good bacon. From that auspicious beginning, we hiked over to the Granby Street neighborhood, where several other satisfying small plates awaited us. First stop - the Empire Little Bar Bistro. A small plate menu is all that is offered, with upgrades available. The bartender at Vintage told us the Mac&Cheese was a smart choice - and she was right. They make it with a combination of Irish Cheddar and Fontina cheeses, which made it nice and cheesy/creamy but not too crazy rich. The pork potstickers we were not so thrilled with. We expected them to be pan fried or steamed, but they arrived deep fried and not so tasty. Our next stop, around the corner, was for some fried oysters at The Big Easy Grill and Oyster Bar. A very pleasant downstairs bar greeted us, and while we checked over the menu selections we noticed the "raw bar" set up behind the counter. Don't think we'll be having any raw seafood here - the oysters were displayed in cans that shucked oysters often are packed in, sitting in a low sink on ice. But, picture the cans of oyster piled full - it seemed to us that only the ones on the bottom of the cans would actually be kept cold on the bed of ice! Whoa, not my idea of a good time - spread them out on that ice, please! We opted for their "crispy oyster" appetizer, which arrived in a sort of intertwined pile, and once deconstructed was as good as any fried oyster we've had. We also enjoyed listening to the saxophone player crooning in a nearby alcove, and the buzz of Saturday night business helped us realize we were on the right side of the bar, for a change! Our last snack for the night was at a sister restaurant of the Easy, around the corner again, to Byrd & Baldwin Brothers Steakhouse on Granby. This time we went with oysters Rockefeller, which we found to be very good, and left us with a satisfying end to our night in Norfolk.
We've been to the Outer Banks many, many times and pretty much have the restaurant scene in the towns from Duck to Nags Head pretty well covered. That will be the topic for tomorrow's vacation report. In the meantime, we've got plenty of inspiration going; we look forward to getting back to the business of making good food and serving it happily.
Our dining out adventures began fairly locally, at a relatively new place in Middletown called "Elements", previously known as Maynard's Piano Bar. When our neighbors suggested we try it out with them, we were all for it. It was a very pleasant evening - service was fine, despite our being pretty demanding; their version of the Wedge was quite tasty; the calamari was disappointing, mostly in the portion size, quite frankly (we were sharing two orders and when it was delivered to the table, all of us immediately thought they must have just sent out one order split!). The pork steak with a Gorgonzola sauce, ordered by the chef at the table, was perfectly cooked and deemed excellent. Overall, seated in the cozy fireplace pit, a good time was had by all.
Another excellent meal, enjoyed by yours truly, was with a couple of friends at the Front Room in the Imperial Hotel in Chestertown. We shared a plate of smoked duck breast, followed by the Oyster Caesar for two of us and the spinach salad for the third. Everyone was very happy; the fried oysters on my Caesar were deliciously crunchy and a fine complement to the greens.
The drive down to Nags Head starts with lunch on the road, of course. This year we stopped pretty close to home, at Doc's Riverside Grille in Centreville. We've been to this cheery outpost several times and my only complaint is usually the size of the portion - way huge! We like to sit in the bar dining room, at one of their tall tops. (I don't know why that room appeals more to me - but it is true that in most of our stops for food during our entire time off, most of our meals were eaten at the restaurant du jour's bar.) The spinach salad I had at Doc's was par for the course, with probably a dozen healthy sized shrimp on top. It was delicious, and I ate pretty much the whole thing. Kevin, meanwhile, chomped his way through the Bam Bam Chicken Sandwich, with it's "special" sauce, bacon and cheese. No problems with that combination! We began with some of the spring rolls, which weren't my favorite - a filling with nothing but ground pork left something to be desired - but overall Doc's lived up to our expectations, sending us back on the road with full bellies and friendly good byes.
The drive down to vacation-land is interrupted by a night spent in Norfolk - we can only manage to get in 4 or 5 hours before it's time to stop, ha ha! We have most recently been staying on the Waterfront in downtown Norfolk, where we have found a remarkably varied selection of restaurants within very walkable distance. We began the night's tour at the Vintage Kitchen, conveniently located in the high rise next door to the hotel, where the parking garage for our car was also conveniently located! We sat at their (empty) bar on the first Saturday night of our North Carolina vacation and cleverly ordered the best thing on the menu - as far as the waiter was concerned anyway! Indeed, the Dates with Bacon were among the top 10 dishes of our entire vacation. The secret seemed to be the Benton's Bacon from Tennessee. Very, very good bacon. From that auspicious beginning, we hiked over to the Granby Street neighborhood, where several other satisfying small plates awaited us. First stop - the Empire Little Bar Bistro. A small plate menu is all that is offered, with upgrades available. The bartender at Vintage told us the Mac&Cheese was a smart choice - and she was right. They make it with a combination of Irish Cheddar and Fontina cheeses, which made it nice and cheesy/creamy but not too crazy rich. The pork potstickers we were not so thrilled with. We expected them to be pan fried or steamed, but they arrived deep fried and not so tasty. Our next stop, around the corner, was for some fried oysters at The Big Easy Grill and Oyster Bar. A very pleasant downstairs bar greeted us, and while we checked over the menu selections we noticed the "raw bar" set up behind the counter. Don't think we'll be having any raw seafood here - the oysters were displayed in cans that shucked oysters often are packed in, sitting in a low sink on ice. But, picture the cans of oyster piled full - it seemed to us that only the ones on the bottom of the cans would actually be kept cold on the bed of ice! Whoa, not my idea of a good time - spread them out on that ice, please! We opted for their "crispy oyster" appetizer, which arrived in a sort of intertwined pile, and once deconstructed was as good as any fried oyster we've had. We also enjoyed listening to the saxophone player crooning in a nearby alcove, and the buzz of Saturday night business helped us realize we were on the right side of the bar, for a change! Our last snack for the night was at a sister restaurant of the Easy, around the corner again, to Byrd & Baldwin Brothers Steakhouse on Granby. This time we went with oysters Rockefeller, which we found to be very good, and left us with a satisfying end to our night in Norfolk.
We've been to the Outer Banks many, many times and pretty much have the restaurant scene in the towns from Duck to Nags Head pretty well covered. That will be the topic for tomorrow's vacation report. In the meantime, we've got plenty of inspiration going; we look forward to getting back to the business of making good food and serving it happily.
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