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Stoney River has always been known for its steaks -- they're even in the name! However, when the restaurant at the Annapolis Mall invited us in to try out their new and improved seafood menu, we jumped at the chance. Here's the official news:
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Stoney River has introduced new menu items to their already expansive selection. The Seafood Cele ation menu options offer new and lighter choices and will be available for a limited time. In addition to the popular Red Canoe Catches, which are available on a daily basis, the Seafood Cele ation will offer market fresh selections such as sea bass, redfish, trout and mahi-mahi. These dishes will be served with a variety of chef-inspired signature sauces - fresh herb butter, soy ginger, lemon caper butter or chimichurri. New savory toppings have also been added to the selection including horseradish encrusted and Oscar-style.
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So Amy and I headed over there, and I then discovered that Amy had just tried her first piece of fish (rockfish, naturally) in the past few months. What?! So this was quite the experience for her. On the appetizer menu, we tried the new crunchy ahi tuna roll, which was reminiscent of sushi, served with a soy-ginger sauce. It was delish, but we both agreed it might be better chilled. We also tried the Jack Daniel's Whiskey Shrimp on country toast points, and wow, did this impress us! The sauce, made with mustard, cream, and Jack Daniels, was to die for. Finally, we tried the four varieties of fresh fish they had in the restaurant that day -- mahi mahi, sea bass, grouper, and trout, all served with a variety of sauces such as chimichurri, lemon butter, and soy-ginger. I've always loved the rich, decadent sea bass, though Amy decided Grouper was her favorite. The trout had a nice flavor, but we were both bigger fans of the firmer, meatier fishes.
Overall, these sea-faring entrees are delicious alternatives to the restaurant's classic steakhouse entrees.
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At another end of Anne Arundel County, we also hopped over to Pasadena to try out Simple Sands Deli, owned by John Sparkman. He previously was a part-owner at Cheeseburger in Paradise. We didn't know what to expect, and were a bit surprised to find the deli attached to a gas station on Ritchie Highway. We were even more surprised to find that the menu, consisting of homemade sandwiches, soups, and salads, both green and deli, were hearty and delicious, filled with unexpected ingredients. Sparkman offered up samples of his chili and chicken salad, then ought out sandwiches for us to split. Each of the three we sampled -- the turkey club, the West Coast wrap (with avocado ranch dressing!), and the Brazilian Roasted Pork Sandwich -- was delicious in its own right, but I personally couldn't get enough of the pork sandwich, which was pressed like a panini. According to Sparkman's wife, Jessica, the pork is roasted right in the restaurant.
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The Turkey Club sandwich
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The duo really has a neighborhood hospitality and delicious food (Along with fresh eads and homemade croutons and cookies for sale), so you should stop by next time you're headed along Ritchie Highway. For now, you can find them on Facebook.
