Just a Barrel of......

Well, well, well. It just keeps on comin’. I noticed in the paper the other day that our burgeoning “restaurant row”, now occupied by the OG and the Red Robin may be joined by none other than that icon of the interstates, Cracker Barrel. They have decided that they would like to move into “smaller markets”, and will even have a (my words) dumbed down version of the building, with fewer windows. That’ll be nice. Breakfast all day, and that folksy little gift shop where you can buy candles in fruit jars and stuffed kittys. What a great addition to our little town. One more challenge for the local independent restaurateurs (not to mention Bob Evans, but they deserve it). I am proud to say I’ve been in only two of the places, both not by my personal choice. I didn’t enjoy either (company yes, food/service no).

I also see where the Fiesta Café in Mechanicsville was voted the best Mexican restaurant in the greater DC area by the WTOP (radio station) listener poll. I’ll have to find it the next time we head “up the road”. Good for them. Nice to see they beat out a chain (Los Toltecos).

Apparently the folks from Saphron, after their unsuccessful attempt to occupy the Corbels site have found a new home in Prince Frederick in the Old Field Inn spaces that went empty a while ago. Don’t know much more about it, watch this space.

Rick’s Cheese Steaks, next to the La Quinta inn is now shuttered (actually there is nothing in the windows, but it's the trade phrase). Somehow, that space doesn’t seem to be able to survive very long. Be interesting to see what may come of the place.

I saw that a place called La Tarbella has applied for a liquor license for a restaurant. Located somewhere around Wildewood, although it doesn’t look like it’s in the shopping center. Come to think of it, maybe somebody else is taking a winger on the retirement center..

Lastly, and deservedly so, a friend and I tried to renew our yearly attempt at having a nice boat ride ending in eating hard crabs someplace. We had such a wonderful time at Sandgates a while ago that we decided to try again. He had gotten a tip that the “Harbor Lights” place had some good ones, and since he needed fuel for the vessel, we fetched up to the fuel dock in front of the place (now called Calypso something). While getting fuel, we asked the young man helping us if they did indeed have crabs. “Oh yeah, of course”. So we decided to do some cruising first and then end the evening with the crabs. We did the tour of Back and Mill creeks, (Di Giovanni’s full, Kingfisher’s mobbed, Dry Dock outside full) looking at boats bigger than busses, waiving to folks, etc. So after an hour or so of that, we went back to the pier outside Calypso Something, and after he deftly maneuvered the boat along side the pier, I went inside to get us a table while the boat was being secured.

There were a few couples ahead of me, and then I overheard the person behind the station tell one of them: “I have to tell you we’re sold out of crabs”. What? Yes sir, we’re sorry. I hope so. So, I met my friend as he was coming from the boat, and explained the dilemma. By this time the sun was setting and we decided (after suitable dithering time) that to untie the boat, head out someplace else, tie up again and eat it would be getting pretty late. Okay, we’ll just have something besides crabs and back inside we went, with pretty much a lineup of the same couples but with nobody behind the counter. Servers were passing by, studiously avoiding any eye contact with the potential customers (including us). Finally my friend (figuratively) tackled one of them and asked where the seating lady was. A hurried “we’re trying to find her” was the reply. Hmmmmm. After a long couple of minutes, she showed up and informed the first party in line that it would be a few minutes before they were seated. Incredulously, there were more empty tables than occupied ones in the dining area, and when that was pointed out to her, she lamely replied, “Well, it’s our policy to not seat you unless a server can be with you, and they’re all busy right now”. Okay, strikes one, two, three, four, and five and back to the boat we went. A nice cruise brought us back to the home pier in the gathering darkness, and then back to the digs for a small salad, nice bread, and some Four Sisters and Church Creek Vineyards Chardonnay. The crabs will have to wait for another day, as will any future dancing with the Calypso Something folks…

And we were

DFC(rabs).