Eastern Shore Restaurant Buzz | February 2009
By Brent Lewis
(Right) A plate of rockfish stuffed with shrimp mouse with a sherry shrimp cream sauce and haricot vert from the Tilghman Island Inn.
(Lower Right) Blue Crab Coffee Company in St. Michaels resides in a building once purchased for $350 by a group of blackmen only two years after the end of the Civil War.
Start February with a Valentine’s Day-themed “Almond the Mood” latte or “Hearts Afire Cinnamon” latte at Blue Crab Coffee Company in St. Michaels. Beginning its second decade in operation, Blue Crab Coffee is an Eastern Shore trendsetter. Owners Mary Dabroski and Jane McComas deal strictly in quality brews—fair- and direct-trade coffees, loose teas, and a full-service espresso bar—while also offering breakfast sandwiches, full lunches, and baked goods homemade by Mary’s parents. Blue Crab Coffee is housed in what was originally the Freedom’s Friend Lodge. Now a property of the Maryland Historical Trust, this 1883-built, two-story frame structure holds particular significance to the African American community. Two years after the Civil War ended, a group of black men chartered Lodge 1024 of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows and bought 102 Fremont Street for $350. The lot was improved at transfer before members replaced the original building with the one that stands today, which the owners have lovingly restored.
After a short winter break, Executive Chef and proprietor David McCallum, along with his staff (including partner Jack Redmon, Chef de Cuisine William Dickey, Daryl the Saturday night piano player, cockatoo Blanche de Boid, cat Spot, poodle Jasmine, and the koi pond fish), are back to work at the Tilghman Island Inn with an Italian Wine Weekend on February 6. Featuring a Friday reception, cooking demo, wine tasting, and wine dinner on Saturday, and a Sunday brunch, the full weekend may be re-created in March and April, something to keep in mind if a scheduling conflict keeps you from attending. Call (410) 866-2141 and ask about their romantic Valentine’s Weekend and Mardi Gras Les Bon Temps Roulette (Let the Good Times Roll) getaway. Seating is available in two dining rooms: Isabel’s, named for a certain “once-in-a-hundred-years visitor,” and Baywatch, which provides Talbot County’s only dining option with a Chesapeake Bay view. Wine Spectator’s prestigious Award of Excellence for Best Wine List has gone to the Tilghman Island Inn for the past 12 years, and seasonal menus feature game dishes, sweetbreads, and delicious Choptank Sweets oysters. Tilghman Island Inn boasts 20 guest rooms, massage and aromatherapy spa services, and a pet-friendly policy. Chris Smith, keyboardist for Jefferson Starship, was a recent guest and graciously entertained fellow diners on the house piano.
With the changing of the calendar year, Chestertown’s Brooks Tavern in the Radcliffe Mill raised the price of their Wednesday night three-course, prix fixe menu from $20.08 to $20.09, and it’s the best extra penny you’ll ever spend. Two past options included a beet salad, followed by chicken crepes and an apple crisp dessert; and a fresh mozzarella appetizer, braised pork shoulder entrée, and cream caramel for dessert. Leaning towards upscale comfort food, the regular menu changes frequently. The restored space is both “rustic and hip”; and the service is charmingly professional. One of the most popular spots in this area of the Shore, Brooks Tavern recently helped a favorite local patron celebrate her 102nd birthday. Not to give out any of her secrets, but one of the tricks of longevity seems to be a modest pour of bourbon and OJ.
Hunter’s Crab and Seafood Market, a great place for hot, steamed crabs and other seafood specialties all year, has introduced take-home platters. Everything’s cooked fresh and must be ordered ahead, with choices including fish, soft crabs, crab cakes, fried oysters, and fried or steamed shrimp. Make no mistake, take-out can be romantic.
Romance is in the air, and 208 Talbot’s Wine Bar & Eatery offers a cozy spot for an evening rendezvous or intimate nightcap. The menu’s a mix of creative and familiar, with everything from mixed olives and fried garbanzos to gravlax (salmon cured in sugar, salt, and dill, served with roquette, red onion, lemon, and olive oil), fried oysters with chili mayo, and New York strip steak. Service at this famed local eatery is of the highest quality, and the wine bar is no exception. 208 Talbot offers 200 wines from around the world and has won Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence and been named one of “America’s Top Restaurants” by Wine Enthusiast. If you’re more of a hops and barley enthusiast, the bar also serves up 200 of the globe’s best bottled beers. Look for the second-course “Fresh from the Farm Plate” on 208’s Saturday night prix fixe menu, the ingredients of which are personally escorted to St. Michaels by Chef Brendan Keegan from Millington’s organic Homestead Farm earlier in the day. Homestead Farm is a frontrunner in the trend towards community-minded operations, with a mission to support local farming initiatives and provide healthy, natural foods grown with love.
Blue Crab Coffee House
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