Heading South on the East...

After experiencing the first part of the “B”, we arose in the morning to partake in the second “B”. As is the wont of most B&B’s, a full sit-down breakfast is part of the deal. After a cup of coffee in the ante room we were seated at a large table with all sorts of ornate Victorian stuff on it, and a little dish of fresh fruit and vanilla yogurt. We were joined shortly by another couple who were on their way to DC to baby sit their two year old grandchild. There was some apprehension evident. But, that’s another plus for staying in non chain facilities, you generally get to meet nice people (such as ourselves).

Anyway after finishing the fruit, a plate of Lemon Ricotta Soufflé and sausage was served. The inn keeper said the name of the farm from whence the sausage arose, but I forget. To provide a foil for the spiced sausage, he soufflé was drizzled with a merlot berry reduction which provided a nice touch of sweetness. Unfortunately, the merlot berry reduction was also drizzled down the front of the Bottom Feeder’s shirt (a golden colored one was chosen for the day, which contrasted with the stain nicely), necessitating a quick change before hitting the road.

In planning the trip, I was advised that there was a very good vineyard “down the road” in Virginia (yes, you can get to Virginia on the east side also), and our objective for mid day was to do a tour of the place. I had called ahead and the winemaker, Jon Wehner, assured me they would be open (Monday) and looked forward to our arrival. It’s no small journey from the upper eastern shore to the lower, but it’s an interesting drive full of scenes of water and pretty marshland



Historically the eastern shore has been involved with raising chickens, and there is lots of evidence of that



Or, there is less corporate evidence (yes, it’s a rooster, but you need those also)



And, just as we found in every state along our “big trip”, there are locally owned places to eat





Finally with a little help from the smart phone navigation software we arrived at our destination:



Chatham Vineyards is named for the large Federal Period historic house (built in 1818 on a farm that dates from 1640) which overlooks Church Creek,



it also also graces their label:



It’s a gorgeous old mansion and the winemaker’s parents (who also were winemakers) currently occupy it. The winery itself is about ten years old, and produces most of the classic vinifera grapes which are then vinified, aged, and bottled right at the winery (a less pretentious structure!).



We went inside and were greeted by Jon, and after a little chatting we got right down to business.



We tasted the steel chardonnay (they also make an oaked variety); a Rosé of Merlot (which would make a great summer on the veranda wine); a newly released Merlot; a Bordeaux Style blend, and a dessert wine made with late harvest Merlot and Cab Franc.

We found the wines to be quite pleasing (they have won several medals in local and regional competitions), and it was nice to hear Jon’s thoughts on what he wanted and did with them. It's nice to see somebody so passionate about what they do. It’s quite a business this wine making (there’s a revelation, huh!), and what makes it so interesting. After tasting, Jon gave us a “tour” of the winery which was pretty standard. A nice clean orderly facility.







It’s obvious he likes his work – I guess he has to!



You could make a wonderful weekend trip out of a visit to the Eastern Shore, and a trip to this vineyard would be rewarding..

We added to the gross vehicle weight of the Momster with a couple of cases of his product, we thanked him for the tour and headed back north.

Again, due to the timeliness of the trip, a lot of opportunities for food were closed, so we decided to tough it out and go “up” all the way to Ocean City. Traffic was light and it wasn’t too bad of a journey. Once we arrived we were ensconced in a Courtyard which had recently been converted from another hotel. Have you ever been in OCMD on a Monday in March? You, and maybe a dozen other occupants pretty much comprise the citizenship of the town. Kind of a strange feeling.

Fortunately, we knew of a restaurant that was open on a Monday in March, a place called Liquid Assets. It’s basically a wine store with a restaurant attached, and I’ve heard nothing but good reviews about the place, so we drove from our 15th street accommodations to the place on 92nd street. We probably could have backed up the whole way as traffic was, to say the least, light. You enter through the wine store (which also has a bar) and into a smallish dining area with (faux?) stone walls, with recessed areas of wine racks and wine sort of like you would expect in a wine cave. Reflective of a Monday night there was only one table occupied when we were seated. As an aside, in my younger days, I would have been uneasy by being the only table in a restaurant, but I have grown to not only accept it, but also to like it. Fortunately the service gave absolutely no hint that they wished we would leave. Our server approached with a down to earth “I’m Cathy, wine? Cocktail?”. Great service. I levied the drink test, and FOJTE and wife chose a couple of martinis. MFO opted to wait for the dinner wine. Leaving the menus idle we chatted for a bit, and by golly a correctly made dry manhatten, on the rocks with a twist was delivered to the table. The martinis were on the “Froo froo” side (Wide Awake Drunk, and Twisted Express) so trendy these days, but both were deemed quite good (FOJTE and wife are somewhat aficionados). Turning at last to the menu, we found quite an array of choices from light to heavy, salads, sandwiches, one menu does all.

The wine list is interesting, I have never seen one like it before. There are wines listed by the bottle, but each one has “our price” and “other store” prices. Guess which one was lower???? They also have a nice option that you can wander into the retail store and pick anything you would like, and they’ll serve it to you for ten bucks over retail (corkage). We had decided on the food, so FOJTE and I ventured out into the wine racks for a bottle for dinner. They have many top to bottom shelf bottles, for instance we were surprised to see bottles from the “Bond” winery, pretty much a cult cab which they would be glad to sell you a bottle for about 300 bucks. Looking a little farther down we were looking at some Malbecs, and the (?) owner came over and said could he help, and when we said we thought Malbec would be a good choice, he immediately pointed to an ’08 Agua de Piedra Gran Reserva (Argentina) and said “this is as good as anything on the shelf—price? Around bucks. refreshing. It was also the heaviest bottle of wine I’ve ever held.

By the time we returned to the ladies, our appetizers of a smoked seafood platter (salmon and rockfish, hard boiled eggs, caper berries, pickled red onions, grilled bread, lemon crema, roasted garlic) and a house made Hummus and Artichoke Dip had arrived. We shared around the table. All were very tasty although we did have to have some more bread to make sure everything came out right.

The Malbec was opened by the attentive but unobtrusive Cathy, and it was very good. Dark cherries, lots of fruit and quite the body. For entrees we had the Fish and Chips, Seared Scallops with Spring Pea Mushroom Risotto, Pan Seared Bistro Steak with
red potatoes, roasted red peppers & aged chorizo hash, arugula, pickled shallots, and MFO stayed light with another appetizer, the The Antipasto Board, an assortment of pickled vegetables, cured meats, grilled bread. All were very good, I had no complaints (which I admit is somewhat unusual). Dessert was eschewed and we left fully satisfied, and plied the canyon streets back to a comfortable room with ocean view. Although there are probably several other good dining opportunities on a full blown business day and season, I don’t think you would be disappointed in your experience at Liquid Assets.



Provided you are

DFD