Touring the Low Country.... Sort of...

Finally the stars aligned and allowed me to have a convenient chance to try Saphron in Prince Frederick. A friend and I decided to attend a presentation by the state tourism folks in Prince Freddie, and it was slated to end at noon, so lunch was a natural. Plus the event was very close to the restaurant. Done deal.

The tourism thing was interesting for a while, lots of figures and facts, almost 30 million visitors to the state and Southern Maryland (tri county) brings in around $500 million. A big draw for this area is listed as “water”, meaning fishing, boating, and crabs. Surveys indicate that the top reasons given for visiting Maryland are dining and shopping. Many initiatives on the horizon with celebrations and events for the War of 1812, the Civil War, Star Spangled Banner, Harriet Tubman underground rail road. Stay tuned..

As the presenters warmed to their subjects, the clock passed noon easily and so we sort of slid out the back door, and headed for the restaurant. As we drove a little south on Main Street, my friend said “Here it is -- Turn in!”. This can’t be it, I replied, it’s in a wooded area. Well, that revealed how long it has been since I’ve visited the place. What used to be a lovely old Victorian house set against oaks and woodlands is now a lovely old Victorian house set amongst… condos and office buildings. However, once you enter through the screened in porch (where dining is possible when weather permits), it really doesn’t matter what’s around the outside. The inside is lovely, done befitting a stately old mansion. Walls are done in soft warm tones (our room was a deep burgundy) with nicely understated wall decorations, window treatments, and tables covered in crisp white linens with black napkins and placemats. All reminiscent of the departed Brome Howard Inn. The chairs at the tables would meet with approval from MFO (who is very particular) as they are very comfortable kind of woven fabric with blacks and whites. A vase of (real) fresh flowers were placed on the tables, very inviting. As you may remember, Saphron moved in when Old Field Inn moved out, and they carried their “Low Country” theme with them. The décor and setting did remind me of Charleston. Very comfortable.

As we entered the porch, there was a white board with some of today’s offerings on it, a couple of “Po-Boys”, something called “16 Bean Soup”, and a couple of other things, all of which I of course forgot by the time we were seated. We were offered menus which were very attractive, small enough to handle and easy to read. They were printed for lunch service, with choices of three starters (plus the specials), nine entrees, some sides and desserts. Prices were reasonable, with starters under ten, and entrees under fifteen. On the dessert menu, fortunately the “$10,000,000 Bread Pudding” (a low country must) sells for only a millionth of that. The menu contained appropriate dishes, a gumbo, a pulled pork sandwich, shrimp and grits, a catfish Po-boy, along with a burger and a very tasty sounding grilled cheese sandwich. But of course the first thing we reached for was the wine list. As we were looking over that, the server approached and said that their wine delivery had been delayed and she was not sure what they actually had available, but she would go check. Upon returning she informed us they had William Hill Chardonnay, and “That stuff I can never pronounce….Vi-og (hard g) something”. I suggested it might be Viognier, and she said “yes! That’s it, thanks!”. So we ordered a glass of that, which was quite pleasant. I am becoming a fan of Viognier, especially for lunch time or afternoon sipping.

The wine was delivered (in nice large glasses) with another practice of the pronunciation, and we sipped and let the tourism slide from our minds, helped by the peaceful setting. We eventually settled on a house salad and the catfish poor boy, and I had the Caesar salad, and the Low Country Gumbo (Shrimp, Sausage, Okra, served on rice pilaf). After a bit more sipping and talking the salads arrived in nicely shaped bowls (can a bowl be square?), obviously fresh greens and dressed.

But, here I go again. If a salad is listed as “Caesar” the issue of Anchovies MUST be addressed. It’s part of the salad. It’s like serving Eggs Benedict with Mayonnaise. I know some people don’t like anchovies draped over top, but the menu should say something like “anchovies upon request”, or at least “our anchovy based dressing”. The greens were Romaine, nicely cut into bitable size pieces, but there was not a hint of anchovy to be found. A check of the menu described it as: “Crisp romaine lettuce, parmesan croutons, Saphron’s homemade parmesan dressing”, so maybe I got what I deserved. If that is the case, call it something else.

As we were finishing the salads (with me finally calming down) the entrees arrived. The catfish was a sizable piece of fish on a suitable roll (probably a bit larger than the New Orleans version) with lettuce and a sauce, sided by some lovely red cabbage slaw, and house made potato crisps that looked a lot like skin on fries. My gumbo was served in a large (round) soup dish, the rice mounded in the middle with some wilted greens on top, and six largish shrimp at 12, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 o’clock, with a good brown roux based sauce that was almost walnut in color. There were a few slices of sausage in there, but mostly shrimp. The dish had just a bit too much heat for me, (but only barely) and by eating with the rice it was fine and I was able to finish it all. This of course is subjective and I’m sure the majority of people who order this dish are quite satisfied, it's just me. There wasn't enough spice to overcome the taste of the ingredients, just a punctuation. It was very tasty. After re-locating our server, another glass of the V wine was procured.

Along the way the owner, who was acquainted with my friend, stopped by to chat. Things were going well in the “new” spaces, which is good news. She is a charming lady. With all the food, we eschewed dessert although I will return and eventually try the bread pudding. It is, after all, a hallmark of any restaurant based on Southern cuisine. Despite a couple of hiccups (I do think staff should know the wines, the landscaping outside could use some work before long, and maybe some tip of the hat to those anchovies - either in words or substance) it was a very enjoyable experience. I would like to return for dinner (which has a much more expanded menu). The food is good. And by the way, they have a lovely bar, .

And also by the way, we were indeed

DFL(unch)