St. Michaels, Oxford, Tilghman and Easton

[pups224]

It's that time for DeMarVa again. Going to stay at the Tilghman Island Inn (again) for the St Michaels food festival.

I am wondering what new or improved restaurants have opened in the past year. I heard Inn at Easton is closed. How is his new Thai place? Has 208 Talbot improved? Any news and reviews are welcome.

[chappie]

The new Thai place, Thai-Ki (opened and operated by the former owner/chef of Inn at Easton) is great. Limited menu, which means most of the stuff on it is honed and good. I will say that I don't like the Thai curries much, but I never do anywhere because I find them too sweet, soupy and loaded with coconut milk.

I ask for dishes spicy, and they oblige. The Spicy Turmeric Beef is singularly excellent, as is his version of green papaya salad, which he tops with a house-cured crispy pork belly. Sweet corn fritters were a hit, and the pad thai was beyond most standard Thai restaurants' versions.

It's certainly a very welcome addition to Eastern Shore dining.

If you're heading down to Cambridge there are a few notable new options. On main street there is Bistro Poplar, which my wife said was great, comparable to the high-end places in St. Michaels. And down Horn Point Road at the Cambridge Country Club is the recently renovated Bobby's (offering probably the best waterfront view on the Mid-Shore, IMO), with a great menu and a $25 Sunday brunch featuring all-you-can-drink champagne.

208 Talbot in St. Mikes has a recently added bar menu with killer chicken livers on it (I'd go just for those and drinks), as does Mason's in Easton. Mason's bar menu actually has some really good deals. Also in Easton is the new Martini's on Washington St.; I haven't tried it but I hear good things.

[ricain]

If you're heading down to Cambridge there are a few notable new options. On main street there is Bistro Poplar, which my wife said was great, comparable to the high-end places in St. Michaels. And down Horn Point Road at the Cambridge Country Club is the recently renovated Bobby's (offering probably the best waterfront view on the Mid-Shore, IMO), with a great menu and a $25 Sunday brunch featuring all-you-can-drink champagne.

208 Talbot in St. Mikes has a recently added bar menu with killer chicken livers on it (I'd go just for those and drinks), as does Mason's in Easton. Mason's bar menu actually has some really good deals. Also in Easton is the new Martini's on Washington St.; I haven't tried it but I hear good things.

←

Hi several questions (since I am here now!):

- How is the Inn at Perry Cabin doing? I had dinner there two years ago (Chef Salter) and it was fantastic. Would like to try something new, so recommendations welcome.

- Someone recommended Robert Morris Inn in Oxford. Any thoughts?

- I was told the Grove Market in Bishopsville, MD (Ocean City) was worthy

Finally, is there anything on Kent Island that stands out?

With only a night or two here are there any "don't miss" places?

Thank you!

[chappie]

The Robert Morris might be closed (it's for sale, I do know). I would only recommend it for a dark dining room and a good crabcake.

I've heard great things about Grove Market; never been. In Kent Island, we like a place called Lisa's Small Plates (tapas, with a lazy susan in the middle of the table for sharing, and a good wine selection), and a new place called Cafe Sado, opened by the owner of the former Nikko's in Annapolis.

I haven't been to Perry Cabin; a little too $$$ for me. I'm sure if you don't mind that, it's probably a top-notch meal.

[ricain]

REPORT:

We had the pleasure of visiting the Eastern Shore during a particularly beautiful weekend (Apr 21). My parents live on Kent Island and I love the opportunity to dine in the region.

Here is a report on the places visited:

- Ram's Head Tavern (Stephensville): went the night we arrived because we did not want to drive any more that day and it is close by. Overall, it was pretty so-so, in fact had some new menu items and had lost a little in quality. The service was spotty (note we had a new server) and the mircobrews were OK. Overall pretty tame - not bad per se just not very interesting.

- Cafe Sado (Chester): This is in an old Inn my parents remember visiting in the 1960s, and is adjacent to a complex of condos and the Castle Marina harbor. Well, the "Inn" has been completely redone, and the resulting design and aesthetic of the restaurant is fantastic - sushi bar, private alcoves, open dining room all very well appointed and trendy. This was a far cry from the Inn my parents remembered! We had lunch and the sushi and noodles dishes were *very* good; however, the miso soup was warmed over, and the sake tasted as though it had been open for some time. Did not seem to compare with good major market Japanese. I will definitely go back however as the dinner menu looked much more interesting (especially the black cod).

- Peace Cafe : a small, artisanal bakery in downtown Stephensville. The tarts we had were first class and could have been picked from the best Parisian patisserie. The cinnamon rolls were also delicious. No novice this baker! And clearly into their art / craft. Definitely worth stopping by if you're in the area.

- Rustico, also in Stephensville, we were not able to visit but wanted to. It certainly looked very inviting, and we will definitely try it next time down.

- My mother's friend recommended we get (uncooked) crabcakes from a local market in Stephensville called Mr. B's, which is in a tiny building in someone's back yard in a residential area of the city. But they were closed on Wednesday, so we were out of luck, heading over instead first to the Smokhouse a few miles down the road in Chester, but not liking the look of the cakes, we ended up at the Narrows Restaurant. I would agree with the consensus in various threads that this is one of the better crab cakes in the region. Lots of (we were told Maryland) lump with minimal filler. We broiled our cakes, and with a Far Niente chardonnay it was out of this world. We also learned that the chef there for 20 years, Paul Shiley, left recently to go to Bobby's in Cambridge. And that Shiley was replaced by Matt Cohey from Carol's Creek in Annapolis.

- We then moved down to Cambridge for a few days, where we ate the first evening at Canvasback. Very simple, but with some great microbrews on tap and a very good crab / artichoke dip featuring a very thick layer of lump crab sitting on top of a very fine artichoke and cheese sauce. Charming venue (a renovated Woolworth's from the 20s, and apparently recovering from a recent fire), and charming service as well.

- The highlight of the trip was the following evening, at Bistro Poplar in Cambridge. I've been to some good French bistros in this country, including Balthazar in New York and Central in Washington, and Bistro Poplar holds its own with those two gems. The Bibb Lettuce salad with Roqueforte and a tarragon vinaigrette struck a perfect balance, and the freshness of the produce was exquisite. Seriously please try this dish! My wife's calamari soup was an examination in pepper. The Ham and Egg crepe with Gruyere Mornay and baby lettuces was done perfectly. And the steak frites with carmelized shallots was essentially an Onglet done to perfection in true French style. And the wine list? I was told the owner takes great pleasure in finding distinguished wine at affordable prices. The Minervois we selected, the Grande Tradition from Chateau du Donjon, 2006, at $36 is one of the better values we've had this year. The ambiance - warm lemon-colored walls, soft lighting, large plate glass windows looking into the street - was also striking and also impeccably done in French style. As you can tell we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves here and I highly recommend it. Definitely worth a trip down from one of the cities for a weekend away.

- We had breakfast the next morning at an informal, warm and friendly restaurant called the Cambridge Grill. We could not believe the size of the enormous (crab) omelets we had, especially for the price. And the coffee was piping hot and strong.

- The only unfortunate experience we had during the trip was the Hyatt Regency Resort in Cambridge... even if everything else is sold out... even if you're just there for the golf, or the water, or the sailing... DON'T eat there. It is *very* expensive for what it is, which is mediocre. If you're spending that much on a resort, I'd do the Inn at Perry Cabin in St Michael's.

- The next day we had an afternoon lunch with our family at the Kentmorr, on Kent Island, which was not special but was certainly not bad. Their crab cake did have more filler, with the lump crab layered on the top to give it a good appearance, and the rest of the dishes were similar, nothing notable but nothing bad either. What was really nice about the Kentmorr was its location in the middle of the harbor, the porch section of the restaurant, and its proximity to a beach where my nephews could get away from the adults from time to time. If you're in a boat, this is a perfect place for an afternoon lunch, and good for families as well.

- The final evening, we went to Lisa's Small Plates and Wine Bar in Stephensville. The tapas were fantastic, if a little on the expensive side (many were $20 for a single tapa). The duck taquitos with cumin and corn were incredible. And the wine list had both depth and breadth, including an interesting section called "50 wines for $20". One of our favorites, a Karly Zinfandel from Amador County in California, was on that list and was quickly and happily consumed. Anyway, they also have half-price bottle nights on Tuesdays and Thursdays and a fair amount of live music.

Hope this is useful to everyone! We get here a few times a year and we were really impressed with some of the new dining options that have sprung up in recent years.

[chappie]

Sounds like you enjoyed some of the places we love here on the Shore. Try Bobby's sometime; I think you'll like it, and the view is incredible. I feel the same about Lisa's -- great food but overpriced. At least they sort of make up for it with affordable wine.

The next place I'm eager to try is Solstice in Berlin (www.solsticegrill.com). My sister gave us a gift card there and I've heard good things.

[pups224]

Thanks for the suggestions Chappie. The best food was at Tilghman Island Inn, where we were staying. They did an eight course tapas dinner with eight wines from Torres. They really knocked themselves out. Breakfast on the day we left was a decadent crayfish dish with grits.

208 Talbot was good. The place is pretty and the chef has a way with vegetables.

I had a perfectly done overseasoned quail and a tasteles Muscovy duck breast.

Harrison's on Tilghman was absolutely revolting. Went for the seafood buffet. I do not remember eating such bad food. Plus there was the misfortune of seeing Donald Rumsfeld. I thought that I would lose it at the table.

Never made it to Easton. Did have the Smith Island cake, yummy-ish. The food festival was fun.

The new Thai place, Thai-Ki (opened and operated by the former owner/chef of Inn at Easton) is great. Limited menu, which means most of the stuff on it is honed and good. I will say that I don't like the Thai curries much, but I never do anywhere because I find them too sweet, soupy and loaded with coconut milk.

I ask for dishes spicy, and they oblige. The Spicy Turmeric Beef is singularly excellent, as is his version of green papaya salad, which he tops with a house-cured crispy pork belly. Sweet corn fritters were a hit, and the pad thai was beyond most standard Thai restaurants' versions.

It's certainly a very welcome addition to Eastern Shore dining.

If you're heading down to Cambridge there are a few notable new options. On main street there is Bistro Poplar, which my wife said was great, comparable to the high-end places in St. Michaels. And down Horn Point Road at the Cambridge Country Club is the recently renovated Bobby's (offering probably the best waterfront view on the Mid-Shore, IMO), with a great menu and a $25 Sunday brunch featuring all-you-can-drink champagne.

208 Talbot in St. Mikes has a recently added bar menu with killer chicken livers on it (I'd go just for those and drinks), as does Mason's in Easton. Mason's bar menu actually has some really good deals. Also in Easton is the new Martini's on Washington St.; I haven't tried it but I hear good things.

←