Preface: Kind of leaning on Thornton Wilder..as part of my extensive research for this piece, I checked that notable fact
source, Wikipedia and some other sites and it lists St. Mary’s County as the 21st
“richest” county in America, and the 5th in Maryland. I didn’t go very deep, but by some measures
our Mother County is quite affluent.
The Story: So the other day I went up to San Souci to find the old Monterrey
which had been under construction now reveals its new occupant.
And sleuthing around the county I found the “old” DB
McMillan’s (RIP) undergoing an extensive "renovation" of some sort
I asked the previous owner if she knew what it was, and she said that she
thought it was a couple of retail stores and maybe an office of some sort. Then Facebook kind of blew up with
speculation that it was a Dollar General store, although some subscribed to the
same rumor I had. Then in yesterday’s
Enterprise there was an article that said the DG store was proposed for a plot
across from Brewster’s on the Mervell Dean side.
The Point: As part of that article it mentioned that this would be the
7th(!) DG store in the area.
I don’t know if that includes the “Tree” version (above) or the ilk. Or how about the “Everything Under Five”
thing in Wildewood.. So I guess I don’t understand why, if we live in the 21st
most affluent county in America, why
are those cut rate places flocking here?
And another thing we enjoy about our county is that you can
drive along most any of the thoroughfares (Three notch, St. Andrews Church, Pt.
Lookout road, etc.,) and come across patches of woods, or nice fields, and get
a feeling of our so-called “rural character”. Pleasant.
There was a little such patch of nature that had endured for years just north of
Nicoletti’s Plaza between there and the Plaza Azteca restaurant. Not big, but green. Well, branch by branch, tree by tree, it is
now being denuded. A construction road has been punched through the trees...... for another car
dealer
“controlled” expansion I guess. At least it isn’t another
chain restaurant. We’re still “missing”
a Red Lobster, or a Jersey Mike’s..
And speaking of food, I tried the Bay Dawgz place in San
Souci the other day for a luncheon dog. I’m
not sure how many ways you can doll up the humble frankfurter, but they try
hard. Notice that every category ends in
“z”? clever.
Of course you’re on
display while the young lady waits for you, and I finally settled on the “Reuben”
version dubbed the “Island Dog” for reasons unbeknownst to me. Anyway, I got it “to go” and took it
home. Although you can get a “luncheon
combo” deal, I just took the dog and went home and made my own tasty combo.
Although I generally dislike the “top slice” bun, with all
the stuff on the dog, it does help to prevent spillage.
My only comment (not necessarily a complaint) is that the
dog is kind of overwhelmed by the condiments.. much bun and toppings. The diameter of the dog is not large so it
sort of gets lost. The (all beef) dog
itself does have a nice snap and some flavor if you can get to it.. A relatively nice change from other lunch
options…. Other people were availing
themselves of their product. Hope they
stick around
Speaking of sticking around we visited La Rive Breton the other night
for dinner.
Pleased to report that on
this evening, the timing was much better, and the food remained really
good. It is always enjoyable to find
changes on the menu with interesting choices or preparation differences of some
familiar choices. You kind of get tired
of the same menu every time you go (Dry Dock, take note!) There are usually scallops on the menu, but
with varied preparations (except the damn Brussel sprouts) , and the teres
major steak remains (which I have never tried) but there was also Veal Osso Bucco
ragout (with crispy fingerling potatoes, picholine olives, kale, piquillo peppers,
and red wine braising jus) which I ordered.
I started with a lamb leg tartare (harissa pepper aioli, pickled
cauliflower, crispy sunchoke chips, cucumber tzatziki)
Nice dishes, FOJTE would have appreciated the Tartare, with
Lamb being a nice change.
I hope they get the support they need. I know I will help and be
DFD
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