I guess the “new” is first, and it isn’t really “new”.
The other day I was down by Great Mills and
on a whim thought I would stop at the newly opened Showtime Deli. I could be a little help to some of the loyal
readers who might have the same idea, and you should. My comments are only offered (as always) in
the spirit of improving the experience, not just carping. Which I do do sometimes.
First of all, I had a misconception about the place; they
HAVE NOT taken over the whole building that used to house the golden
arches on Great Mills Road. At least there is still the
“Sake” sign over the door that is on the “Subway/Popeye’s” side. Their entrance is on the street side in the
middle of the building. When I was
there, the path to that door was snowed in.
Maybe the best approach is to go into the parking lot by the Dollar
General store and the Mexican Restaurant (to which I have not visited) and work
your way over by the dry cleaners and find a spot. As mentioned, the entrance faces onto Great Mills
Road, and once inside the door you kind of have to wend your way through a couple of
halls to finally get to the dining area.
It is fairly small, with maybe six tables and several seats at the
counter in front of the kitchen.
On the day I was there, it was quite crowded, probably attesting
to its popularity, with most tables occupied as were all of the stools in front
of the kitchen. The stools afford the best position, as they
allow you to talk to and listen to Jack Gelrud, a must do. I was also surprised to see another county
icon, Capt. Jack Russell in the kitchen with an apron. You talk about a team! Worth it. Real county veterans.
The (current) Menu features their “overstuffed” sandwiches. All of the offerings have a theatrical twist,
like “Frankly Scarlet, I Don’t give a Ham; “Ike and Tina Tuna”; “Agatha Crispy BLT; and
so on. Some are a bit beyond me, like “A
street car named Pastrami” Huh? Coo Coo
Cluck is chicken salad. You get the
idea. Besides the single ingredient selections
there are combination choices, such as “The Cotton Club” a triple decker with
Ham, Turkey, Bacon, cheese and tomato.
With the exception of the Open Face Sandwiches everything is under 9
bucks, mostly less. There is also Fries,
soups and salads. They also do
breakfast, offering Lox (!!); Bagel sandwiches; (three egg) Omelets; plus
plated sides. I have a particular reader
who would be pleased if they offered Scrapple..
Anyway, I ordered the "Westerner Roast Beef" (on white, and
added on American Cheese for 75 cents on the base price of $6.99). I was quite pleased with the sandwich,
although the bread kind of dissolved and ended up being very thin. The Beef was plentiful and had good
flavor. Stop by to be entertained and
have another welcome option to local food.
Tried and True
Saturday, MFO and I went up to Annapolis and St. John’s
College for a program sponsored by the Maryland Association of Historic
District Commissions, given by John Englander about water rise. It was basically directed at Annapolis, but
covered broader topics. He said he advised the Annapolis people to
plan for three feet rise by the end of the century.
He was very adamant that it WOULD happen. It can’t be reversed, perhaps only moderated
by control of greenhouse gasses, but the damage has been done. There were lots of graphs and so on, looking at
ice age cycles going back millions of years, and how the current data supports
drastic rises. I am not going to argue
anything here, but it was quite dramatic.
Anyway, another reason we went up there was that the program
was scheduled to be over kind of right before dinner time. So, what do you do in Annapolis when it’s
dinner time and you’re by State Circle?
You go to Harry Browne’s of course. Long time readers will remember I have
extolled the merits of the place before, and I can’t change my opinion. I often yak about “just right” and Browne’s
is it, at least for us. It has the
perfect combination of relaxed, unpretentious service, good food, and a pleasant
room (with chandeliers from the USS Normandie), white tablecloths and quiet. We got what is now our favorite table, kind
of tucked in the back by the bar away and out of earshot of other diners. I don’t think we saw one table that was not
DFD.
With all that talk about water rise, I had a healthy thirst
by that time, and so (having sort of given up on my DMOTRWAT; I get tired of
correcting them, a weakness perhaps) I ordered a Martini. And, here, I have to make a little objection. I always inquire as to what Gins are
available before ordering. We eat at
fairly nice restaurants (he said) where I think they place a lot of emphasis on
your experience. Well, by and large I get
the same litany of Bombay, Tanqueray, (occasionally Beefeater), and
increasingly Hendrick’s. There are more
and more interesting “craft” Gin’s out there, as well as some long time varieties like
Plymouth (my current fav); Junipero, and local efforts like Smooth Ambler (from West Virginia). Here in town, International Beverage has a
very nice selection and an exception to the “restaurant” trend would be our
local Elements, Eatery, and Mixology which offers several choices.
Regardless, how can you beat this?
Stirred not shaken (Sorry James), a sidecar for just that
other sip, in a proper “up” glass. (MFO’s
standard Gimlet (Bombay Sapphire) in the background).
Having lowering the water levels in our
glasses we turned to the menu. It is a very nice menu, with lots of choices,
and as memory serves, maybe some more selections on the “appetizer” side, with
the current trend of small plates and sharing. I was bemused however at an entry in this salads
section
There is very little about the description that fits the
classic “wedge” salad. I would almost
have ordered it just to see what came out.
Making a “wedge” out of Bibb lettuce instead of Iceberg, Ranch Dressing? what??? Okay, blue cheese crumbles, tomatoes and crispy prosciutto are close. I guess maybe that is why there are quotes
around “Wedge”.
Shied off by that description I ordered the Caesar salad,
and MFO got the white wine poached pear salad.
Upon ordering the server cautioned me that “the salad is served with
Anchovies”. When I said “of course” he
said: “thank you sir”. A bit odd that
they veered away from “classic” on the Wedge but came back home on the Caesar. Both salads were excellent and there were
plentiful Anchovies, by the way.
For entrée I chose an off the menu nightly dish of Seared Rockfish
with Shrimp, served over lobster saffron Risotto. MFO, stayed a bit lighter choosing Grilled Pheasant Cognac Sausage With roasted
Turnips, Buttered Cabbage and whole Grain Mustard from the appetizer menu.
After we finished the salads we were treated to an
intermezzo of sorbet, I love that touch
Palate cleared, the main courses were served:
Both dishes were completely enjoyable. The lobster in the risotto might be a bit over
the top, but boy, was it good! Such a
treat.
We finished the meal with a cheese plate: Manchego 12 Month
– Spanish; Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese – California; Sottocenere- Italian; with
Cranberry Walnut Toast, Honeycomb and Fresh Fruit; perfect food…
-6
I didn’t remark on the service, mostly because I didn’t need
to. No pretensions, hi, can I get you a
drink. Thank you for Anchovies,
occasional checks on the table (without “how’s
that werkin’ for ya”). Quiet confidence
that the kitchen can do what it is supposed to.
Sigh.
Maybe it isn’t the most wonderful thing we’ve put in our
mouth, but just solid, tasteful food, presented nicely at the correct
temperature and time. Lovely
experience. Gives one hope.. oh, and of course we were
DFD