Funny how things conspire. Over the past week, I’ve been exposed to crab cake mania. Of course with the Greek visitors in the area, Crab Cakes were extolled as a local delicacy, and something you must try. For an alleged food critic, (this has been said before) such things as crab cakes are an enigma. In the never ending American passion for ranking things, we’re always searching for “number one”, or “the best”. Guess what? It’s not an absolute solution. It’s all in what tastes best to your particular likes. I like anchovies, you don’t. I hate asparagus, you love it. So what? Are either the less? Classical cooking might be a bit different. For instance, Sole Mornay is supposed to be made only one way, and then we can judge quality. But in the case of crab cakes, chili, stuffed ham, it’s all about what appeals to you. What I like in a crab cake is crab. Not Old Bay, no peppers, no celery, no onions, no crackers, just the minimum binder to hold the crab meat together. And it should be lump, not just shreds that come from who knows where. To illustrate, here’s the ingredient list for a couple of crab cake recipes:
Dec 2004 Gourmet:
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 1/4 sticks (5 oz) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha hot chile sauce
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 slices firm whole-wheat sandwich bread, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 lb jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over
And one from a June 2008 Gourmet:
• 2 slices firm white sandwich bread
• 1/2 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over
• 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
Prep for the first has 166 words and multiple steps (sweat, combine, make roux…), the second has 65 words and is basically “mix it up”.
So, which one is “better”? It’s up to you… I think I know what I would prefer.
Conspire part:
Locally, in the course of things, I’ve seen the plated version of crab cake at Hilton Garden Inn, the “famous” version at Stoney’s, and last night a re-visit to Clarke’s Landing. Clarke’s has always been high on my answer list to “where’s the best crab cake?”, usually asked by/for out of towners, so the setting plays kind of a role here. Plus I have pretty much enjoyed their version. Since this is getting long I’ll cut to the chase. Both the HGI and Stoney’s were composed of homogeneous strings of crab, spherical in nature, and appeared kind of mushy. For last night’s experiment at Clarke’s, I ordered the small platter with sides of salad/blue cheese, and onion rings. We ate on the porch (we had an out of towner), and endured the “be taking care of you” speech, but other than that, she was friendly and pretty attentive. When my cake arrived, it was on the “gill” portion of the omnipresent little blue fish plate, with a little tub of tartar sauce (does anybody ever eat that?) and five, count ‘em, five, onion rings. The cake was much smaller than I remembered, smaller than a hockey puck, but at least it was that shape so the inside could cook. Dissection revealed many identifiable lumps of crab, and had fairly good flavor. Memory is always a false standard, but it didn’t quite measure up to what I remembered from past visits. Still, it was much preferable to the other two. For the record, my long time favorite for crab cakes is Brome Howard Inn (and I have to admit I have not tried Corbels).
New Entry?
A stringer with a good palate reports that he is off Stoney’s (was a fan), but has stumbled on a little place in Prince Frederick, which I think you all have seen on the end of the Mr. Tire store/complex south of town. It’s called Jerry’s, and Jerry turns out to have moved here from Lanham/Seabrook, where (according to sources) he was “legendary”. It was described as “what Stoney’s used to be”. My friend had been 5 times and enjoyed every visit – especially the cakes of crab..
DFD
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Friday
Your poor editor is depressed. The last few days/weeks seem to have been such a maelstrom of activity that my duty to observe and report has been obviated by events. And, there are so many things from trivia, to sports, to restaurants that need discussing he hardly knows where to start.. A small sampling of what’s in the locker:
Do you know there is a magazine called “Web MD”?
Why does our National Capitol have two of the worst (professional) teams in sports, and one of the best? The stupid Wizards have been awaiting the return of the Messiah (Gilbert Arenas) for two years now, and it isn’t happening.. current record of 17 and 59, and only one team in the NBA with a more piteous record. In our national pastime, manager Manny Acta has the greatest talent I’ve ever seen at explaining away loss after loss in such a humble way, you just want to hug him and say; “It’s all right Manny, 102 losses last year wasn’t your fault and you’ve been blown out all three games so far this year, but c’mon, the guys are trying hard.” Go Caps..
As part of our activity with a team of business people from Greece, I’ve had a chance to eat at The Tides, the Hilton Garden Inn, and Solomon’s Pier.
We arrived at the Tides only a half hour before the kitchen closed (on a Monday night) but were treated graciously by the staff and served food that would have been good at any hour of the day.
The Hilton Garden Inn was a plated event setting, and I’ll pass off the first visit to a learning experience on that aspect of food service. Food temperature and pacing were issues, although the salad of iceberg wedge with blue cheese was good (and chancy on their part), and a crab cake starter was passable. A main course of (their term) “prime rib” wasn’t. Water and iced tea glasses were never re-filled (nor offered to be) and our silverware was handled by them, not us. The knife used for crab cake consumption was taken from the finished plate and put on the bread plate for easy access for the beef. Hopefully they’ll learn, it’s another place. Don’t know anything about table service.
The last day with the team (Wednesday) took us to Solomons Pier for lunch (and showing the Greeks our waterfront experience). Every time I go in there I re-admire the carvings of the waterfowl. They have also put some historical storyboards on the walls which is a nice touch. Unfortunately we were greeted with a recorded “Hi I’m… and I’ll be taking care of you….”. Without looking up past feeders I seem to remember that I reluctantly thought the food was good on the last visit. This time another host extolled the (allegedly) legendary Stoney’s Crab Cake and pointed to yet another poster on the wall which contained the Washington Post’s award. Of course they left off the year. Anyway at the behest of that person, most of them ordered the small sandwich, and I went with the Angels on Horseback – fried oysters atop apple wood smoked bacon, on a bed of tomatoes and lettuced French roll. Another of the hosts just got a bowl of a non crab (memory going and no note pad) soup of the day. Orders were taken, drinks delivered (refreshingly, most of our Greek guests had wine), and conversation ensued. Eventually the food arrived, the tennis ball sized golden brown crab cakes atop a roll with lettuce and pallid tomato. Interestingly, a few of their owners treated them as a “sandwich” which resulted in a piece of food about three inches think. We didn’t mention that most people didn’t treat a crab cake sandwich as a sandwich.. My Angels flew to the table, and although sandwich like, I just ate the oysters. Again, expectations were exceeded as the oysters were crunchy outside and creamy smooth inside. Very good.. Pick your choices carefully. The crab cakes were enjoyed by their owners, probably the second one of their lives. Visual review revealed the typical shredded crab bound together with a fair amount of filler, and not so done on the inside. Rest on those Laurels Stoney…the soup was only half finished. So much starch that it stood in peaks.
THIS JUST IN…
Sadly a visit to Woodburn’s yesterday afternoon turned into a discovery that our main source of real cheeses has been drastically reduced. They’ve closed down the case in the back and now a few lonely hand cut chunks of wonderful Morbier, Port du Salut, Stilton, are in the same case as Cabot, Kraft, and those slick pieces of alleged “real” cheese with colorful labels that turn out to be from New Jersey. Sigh..
DFD no matter what time you arrive
Do you know there is a magazine called “Web MD”?
Why does our National Capitol have two of the worst (professional) teams in sports, and one of the best? The stupid Wizards have been awaiting the return of the Messiah (Gilbert Arenas) for two years now, and it isn’t happening.. current record of 17 and 59, and only one team in the NBA with a more piteous record. In our national pastime, manager Manny Acta has the greatest talent I’ve ever seen at explaining away loss after loss in such a humble way, you just want to hug him and say; “It’s all right Manny, 102 losses last year wasn’t your fault and you’ve been blown out all three games so far this year, but c’mon, the guys are trying hard.” Go Caps..
As part of our activity with a team of business people from Greece, I’ve had a chance to eat at The Tides, the Hilton Garden Inn, and Solomon’s Pier.
We arrived at the Tides only a half hour before the kitchen closed (on a Monday night) but were treated graciously by the staff and served food that would have been good at any hour of the day.
The Hilton Garden Inn was a plated event setting, and I’ll pass off the first visit to a learning experience on that aspect of food service. Food temperature and pacing were issues, although the salad of iceberg wedge with blue cheese was good (and chancy on their part), and a crab cake starter was passable. A main course of (their term) “prime rib” wasn’t. Water and iced tea glasses were never re-filled (nor offered to be) and our silverware was handled by them, not us. The knife used for crab cake consumption was taken from the finished plate and put on the bread plate for easy access for the beef. Hopefully they’ll learn, it’s another place. Don’t know anything about table service.
The last day with the team (Wednesday) took us to Solomons Pier for lunch (and showing the Greeks our waterfront experience). Every time I go in there I re-admire the carvings of the waterfowl. They have also put some historical storyboards on the walls which is a nice touch. Unfortunately we were greeted with a recorded “Hi I’m… and I’ll be taking care of you….”. Without looking up past feeders I seem to remember that I reluctantly thought the food was good on the last visit. This time another host extolled the (allegedly) legendary Stoney’s Crab Cake and pointed to yet another poster on the wall which contained the Washington Post’s award. Of course they left off the year. Anyway at the behest of that person, most of them ordered the small sandwich, and I went with the Angels on Horseback – fried oysters atop apple wood smoked bacon, on a bed of tomatoes and lettuced French roll. Another of the hosts just got a bowl of a non crab (memory going and no note pad) soup of the day. Orders were taken, drinks delivered (refreshingly, most of our Greek guests had wine), and conversation ensued. Eventually the food arrived, the tennis ball sized golden brown crab cakes atop a roll with lettuce and pallid tomato. Interestingly, a few of their owners treated them as a “sandwich” which resulted in a piece of food about three inches think. We didn’t mention that most people didn’t treat a crab cake sandwich as a sandwich.. My Angels flew to the table, and although sandwich like, I just ate the oysters. Again, expectations were exceeded as the oysters were crunchy outside and creamy smooth inside. Very good.. Pick your choices carefully. The crab cakes were enjoyed by their owners, probably the second one of their lives. Visual review revealed the typical shredded crab bound together with a fair amount of filler, and not so done on the inside. Rest on those Laurels Stoney…the soup was only half finished. So much starch that it stood in peaks.
THIS JUST IN…
Sadly a visit to Woodburn’s yesterday afternoon turned into a discovery that our main source of real cheeses has been drastically reduced. They’ve closed down the case in the back and now a few lonely hand cut chunks of wonderful Morbier, Port du Salut, Stilton, are in the same case as Cabot, Kraft, and those slick pieces of alleged “real” cheese with colorful labels that turn out to be from New Jersey. Sigh..
DFD no matter what time you arrive
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Fast Sunday
Blogging is taking a beating due to events. Retired??
Our local Rotary Club is hosting a Group Study Exchange team from Greece, and somehow I got to be coordinator. Tours, guest homes, on and on. They were introduced to the US yesterday by customs and immigration causing them to miss their flight from JFK to BWI with no alternatives. So another driving trip today hopefully with better results..
So:
Did First Friday in LT last friday night, great time, people, and food. North End Gallery added a little band (string bass, guitars, violin) that played out front doing "Gypsey Jazz" kind of a swingy thing. They were very good. There was also a group playing in the coffee house. Quite the cultural place our Leonardtown.
Spartans continue to impress me. Amazing. Fearful of the heels however, better matchup than UConn could provide.
Not to dwell on this, but the future of Pier One appears to depend on who you talk to. There was an article about it in the County Times last friday.
For those of you who read Saveur, a good article on restaurants. SOMETIME i'll do a reprise..
DFD
Our local Rotary Club is hosting a Group Study Exchange team from Greece, and somehow I got to be coordinator. Tours, guest homes, on and on. They were introduced to the US yesterday by customs and immigration causing them to miss their flight from JFK to BWI with no alternatives. So another driving trip today hopefully with better results..
So:
Did First Friday in LT last friday night, great time, people, and food. North End Gallery added a little band (string bass, guitars, violin) that played out front doing "Gypsey Jazz" kind of a swingy thing. They were very good. There was also a group playing in the coffee house. Quite the cultural place our Leonardtown.
Spartans continue to impress me. Amazing. Fearful of the heels however, better matchup than UConn could provide.
Not to dwell on this, but the future of Pier One appears to depend on who you talk to. There was an article about it in the County Times last friday.
For those of you who read Saveur, a good article on restaurants. SOMETIME i'll do a reprise..
DFD
Friday, April 3, 2009
Vines and Lunch
Had an unexpected treat yesterday when I had the opportunity to visit a small family owned and operated vineyard in the area. It proved to be an interesting contrast to the places we visited in Napa/Sonoma. This made even the “small” wineries there look big in comparison. Despite the differences in size, the one thing they very much have in common is that it’s just hard, grubby, painstaking work to make it go. Today they were replacing older vines that had finally succumbed to termites and age with new shoots. Which meant: determine the location, clean the accumulated grass and stuff from the soil, dig the hole, put the little vine in there, fill back up the hole, tamp around it, put in a (tobacco) stake, and mark it. How hard is that? Not very, but multiply it by about 20 and it’s not easy. Pruning had been done, but buds on the main vine were just beginning to swell here as opposed to almost broken in California. It again reinforced my opinion that book larnin’ is okay, but touching is better than reading. Hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to visit again as things move along and mature.
After we filled most of the holes, we retired to the “winery”, a small building where everything is done. No fancy stainless crushers, destemmers, conveyor belts into vats, just a small table where (according to reports) each bunch of grapes is pretty much treated by hand, crushed and juiced into barrels. Perhaps fate will allow me to be part of that this fall..
We then did a quick “barrel” tasting which in this case amounted to sampling from smallish glass jars, and some metal barrels about the size of pony kegs for beers. The varietals were the usual Maryland suspects, Seyval, Vidal Blanc, and a couple of reds, Chambourcin being one of them. Experience has shown them that the classic vinifera varieties don’t do all that well in this location. While still “grapey” from last years harvest they showed signs of promise.
Kind of like restaurants, when you first get interested, you think “gee – I’d like to do this”, then the more you learn, the less inclined you might be to actually dive in.. I like the product and appreciate the effort and devotion of those who actually do it..
Following our “hard” work in the vineyard, lunch was calling and we happened to go by Captain Leonard’s Seafood place out on 235 near one of the roads to Sandgates. Been there forever, and it’s always been on the “we gotta stop there sometime” list. Well today was “sometime”. Long time readers will remember that I hold very dear those local places that are “just right”, a supreme example being St. James Pub. Well, here’s another. Although not on the water, it immediately brings to mind the original Evans. Pine paneled walls, tables with brown paper on them along with those little plastic trays of napkins, saltines in cellophane, ketchup, hot sauce, and bottles of vinegar. Various nautical memorabilia and pictures adorn the soffits, there are several rooms, a bar with Jim Beam and similar rail brands, very comforting. Of course the menu is in plastic, with sections of sandwiches, platters, and of necessity (a criteria) “baskets” of shrimps, clams, chickens, oysters, and so forth. The help is more like family than “servers” and each had on some form of logoed gear. The young man approached with “how y’all” and handed us the menus, which contained the drinks on the front page.
After quaffing our thirst with a couple of Sam Adams (although a bud light would probably have been more appropriate) we settled on a Grouper Sandwich and I had the Oyster Basket. More chances to gaze around enjoying the “stuff” and even a poster visible from our location for said Bud which contained the appropriate subject matter. Nuff said – just right.
The food arrived, mine in the requisite red plastic basket with tissue paper lining, a heap of fries and (I didn’t count) at least a dozen oysters. Both were so hot that you had to wait a bit. The fries (probably a food service variety) were nicely crisped and done well, and the oysters were as they should be (as opposed to my relatively recent experience at Clarkes Landing). A creamy oyster encased in a golden brown crunch batter. A little paper cup of seafood sauce provided a nice bite to both. The fish “sandwich” turned out to be a large (about the size of both your hands overlapping a couple of knuckles) piece of golden brown (hey – Fried = just right) grouper sticking out both sides of a overwhelmed bun. Just right (potato) chips and a pickle. Meanwhile the service people carried on conversations, chased a little girl who was having a great time. While such stuff wouldn’t belong in another venue, somehow it just fit here. Great experience..
Nice day, this being retired stuff…
DFD
Around the Park…
First Friday tonight in Leonardtown.
Heard there is a new “fish place” in Leonardtown down the street from Bell Motors.
Saw an article about the Pier One, was a bit less certain it’s closing, they’re just looking at options (it says there).
After we filled most of the holes, we retired to the “winery”, a small building where everything is done. No fancy stainless crushers, destemmers, conveyor belts into vats, just a small table where (according to reports) each bunch of grapes is pretty much treated by hand, crushed and juiced into barrels. Perhaps fate will allow me to be part of that this fall..
We then did a quick “barrel” tasting which in this case amounted to sampling from smallish glass jars, and some metal barrels about the size of pony kegs for beers. The varietals were the usual Maryland suspects, Seyval, Vidal Blanc, and a couple of reds, Chambourcin being one of them. Experience has shown them that the classic vinifera varieties don’t do all that well in this location. While still “grapey” from last years harvest they showed signs of promise.
Kind of like restaurants, when you first get interested, you think “gee – I’d like to do this”, then the more you learn, the less inclined you might be to actually dive in.. I like the product and appreciate the effort and devotion of those who actually do it..
Following our “hard” work in the vineyard, lunch was calling and we happened to go by Captain Leonard’s Seafood place out on 235 near one of the roads to Sandgates. Been there forever, and it’s always been on the “we gotta stop there sometime” list. Well today was “sometime”. Long time readers will remember that I hold very dear those local places that are “just right”, a supreme example being St. James Pub. Well, here’s another. Although not on the water, it immediately brings to mind the original Evans. Pine paneled walls, tables with brown paper on them along with those little plastic trays of napkins, saltines in cellophane, ketchup, hot sauce, and bottles of vinegar. Various nautical memorabilia and pictures adorn the soffits, there are several rooms, a bar with Jim Beam and similar rail brands, very comforting. Of course the menu is in plastic, with sections of sandwiches, platters, and of necessity (a criteria) “baskets” of shrimps, clams, chickens, oysters, and so forth. The help is more like family than “servers” and each had on some form of logoed gear. The young man approached with “how y’all” and handed us the menus, which contained the drinks on the front page.
After quaffing our thirst with a couple of Sam Adams (although a bud light would probably have been more appropriate) we settled on a Grouper Sandwich and I had the Oyster Basket. More chances to gaze around enjoying the “stuff” and even a poster visible from our location for said Bud which contained the appropriate subject matter. Nuff said – just right.
The food arrived, mine in the requisite red plastic basket with tissue paper lining, a heap of fries and (I didn’t count) at least a dozen oysters. Both were so hot that you had to wait a bit. The fries (probably a food service variety) were nicely crisped and done well, and the oysters were as they should be (as opposed to my relatively recent experience at Clarkes Landing). A creamy oyster encased in a golden brown crunch batter. A little paper cup of seafood sauce provided a nice bite to both. The fish “sandwich” turned out to be a large (about the size of both your hands overlapping a couple of knuckles) piece of golden brown (hey – Fried = just right) grouper sticking out both sides of a overwhelmed bun. Just right (potato) chips and a pickle. Meanwhile the service people carried on conversations, chased a little girl who was having a great time. While such stuff wouldn’t belong in another venue, somehow it just fit here. Great experience..
Nice day, this being retired stuff…
DFD
Around the Park…
First Friday tonight in Leonardtown.
Heard there is a new “fish place” in Leonardtown down the street from Bell Motors.
Saw an article about the Pier One, was a bit less certain it’s closing, they’re just looking at options (it says there).
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Goodbye and Hello.....
Goodbye----
We must bid the California trip happy memories and move on. I had intended to have insightful reports of restaurants, wineries, golf outings and so forth, but the harsh reality is that creating experiences sort of prevents the reporting of same easily. Some random thoughts and observations:
You can’t beat going to the actual wineries. Read all you want, but somehow being there results in more learning than you can glean from the books. For instance I learned about pruning the vines (which was the major activity going on) and the “two buds” you have to keep every year, how high you trellis is important for your back, and so forth. What a hands on business.
There are huge differences in big and small wineries. For instance, big ones harvest by Brix and Ph, little ones by taste and color of seeds.
Most wineries (we visited) use new french oak
Tasting isn’t free anymore. I remember when it was. If you belong to the “club” of the winery (involving getting regular shipments – not available in Maryland) you can mostly taste free if you let them know you’re coming. More and more wineries are using those little metering things. It’s just not right..
13 Wineries, 8 Restaurants, Pebble Beach for the Ages, Inn at Spanish Bay, Family and Friends..and the 18th...
Hello---
Pier One in Wildewood is being renovated/torn down for a “Fast Food Restaurant”
First Friday this Friday…
We must bid the California trip happy memories and move on. I had intended to have insightful reports of restaurants, wineries, golf outings and so forth, but the harsh reality is that creating experiences sort of prevents the reporting of same easily. Some random thoughts and observations:
You can’t beat going to the actual wineries. Read all you want, but somehow being there results in more learning than you can glean from the books. For instance I learned about pruning the vines (which was the major activity going on) and the “two buds” you have to keep every year, how high you trellis is important for your back, and so forth. What a hands on business.
There are huge differences in big and small wineries. For instance, big ones harvest by Brix and Ph, little ones by taste and color of seeds.
Most wineries (we visited) use new french oak
Tasting isn’t free anymore. I remember when it was. If you belong to the “club” of the winery (involving getting regular shipments – not available in Maryland) you can mostly taste free if you let them know you’re coming. More and more wineries are using those little metering things. It’s just not right..
13 Wineries, 8 Restaurants, Pebble Beach for the Ages, Inn at Spanish Bay, Family and Friends..and the 18th...
Hello---
Pier One in Wildewood is being renovated/torn down for a “Fast Food Restaurant”
First Friday this Friday…
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