Annapolis and Eastern Shore Dining

[Chanteuse]

If you're into Sushi, you could try the Yin Yankee Cafe. I had a family get together there a while back and the food was good. Fun place and fun website.

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No, no no no.

Yin Yankee Cafe is a muddle of dollar-short day-late trendiness, all ginger-whipped this and fusion that. If you packed Spices' nose with wasabi and gorgonzola and caught the sneeze on a plate, you'd get Yin Yankee's "Crabchops". The sushi tends to be a little fishy; service is young-and-fumbling, not young-and-enthusiastic; and for God's sake just stop already with the "ah, so crever!" chinoiserie.

I have eaten waaaay too many times here (the last time was about a year ago, so take my hyperbole with a grain of salt if you wish).

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OK.... it's cool to "warn" people, (I like to be warned) but an alternative selection would be polite, if not more helpful. I read your post respecting your opinion, but was hoping for an a better suggestion. :sigh:

[Chanteuse]

Looks good!  That's a pretty funky website they've got there, too.

Eunny Jang: So wait, don't order that?

49 West looks good, but not for tomorrow.  More like the place I'd be at all the time for coffee and food.

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Don't go to Ram's Head, .....

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OH, but don't rule Ram's Head out. Let's face it. They spend their money on the music ... which is very well spent. If you want some GOOD entertainment, and don't mind "ok" food.

DON'T RULE IT OUT. Good music is so hard to find these days. MUCH harder to find than good food.

[Lori_Russo]

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[eunny jang]

OK.... it's cool to "warn" people, (I like to be warned) but an alternative selection would be polite, if not more helpful.  I read your post respecting your opinion, but was hoping for an a better suggestion.  :sigh:

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There are plenty of other suggestions in the thread.

[DTBarton]

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Northwoods is also supposed to be good. though it's about a mile out of downtown.

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[bilrus]

Aqua Terra, near the top of the hill on Main St - not the typical "traditional Annapolis" feel on the inside and not the typical "crabcake and burger" menu either.

I had a pulled bbq pork taco appetizer - two big fried wonton like shells with a healthy portion of shreeded duck in a smoky, hoisin based sauce with pickled carrots and radishes - and a crab salad - a fairly basic green salad in a good creamy dijon dressing and a heaping pile of jumbo lump crabmeat dressed in the same dressing. Aside from a few wedges of cottonny spring tomatoes this was a really nice salad. But the duck was the highlight.

Worth a stop if you're walking up and down Main St. some day and don't want a corned beef sandwich and vanilla malt and Chick and Ruth's across the street. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[chappie]

I agree that Joss is hands-down the best sushi in Annapolis. Yin Yankee has two dishes I enjoy: grilled romaine salad and their signature tea-smoked duck, but their sushi is sloppy and bland. Tsunami is way too trendy to take seriously, and the new place occupying the former Nikko is boring and of questionable freshness the time I tried it.

Joss is honest and dependable, and you absolutely must try the buttery, smooth escolar. I always get two orders, one to start with and one as "dessert."

I live on the Shore, but only visit the top-dollar places (208, Bistro, Inn at Easton, Columbia, etc.) about twice a year; I have a hard time shelling out $100 for a plate of food when I can cook it and have a better time at home for 1/4 the price. Of those, the Inn at Easton gives you the most bang for your cheddar.

We go to Out of the Fire often because, a) we have several friends who work there (ask for red-headed Nancy as a waitress!), and b) you can navigate the menu for a great meal at any price. Often we'll just split a pizza (the one with arugula and goat cheese is fantastic) and order salads.

Crabs are best eaten in someone'd backyard, where you can get messy and linger, sipping on 10-oz. beers.

My biggest complaint here is that there aren't enough authentic ethnic restaurants. I often drive to Glen Burnie or northern Va. for Korean, and spent my youth going to D.C. for weekends with dad, where we'd pick a new place in Adams Morgan every time.

[simdelish]

I agree that Joss is hands-down the best sushi in Annapolis.  Tsunami is way too trendy to take seriously

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I'm a Tsunami fan, always have preferred it over Joss. I am not saying Joss isn't excellent, but when I eat out, I also like to have fun, run into friends, etc. I would take my parents to Joss (if they ate sushi, that is) but when I am out with friends, I can get an excellent dinner at Tsunami, including sushi as well as other Asian favorites like the crispy whole fish. By the time I finish, I just stay on and have fun as they crank up the music. Also, Tsunami's sushi bar is still open til 1 am, so you can get a late bite. In most cities, a sushi bar is the place most others in the biz/life show up at to eat after work, and so Tsunami's that place also --with its bar/clublike atmosphere, you can drink, unwind, and eat well to boot. My only complaint is that I am not a smoker, and the bar gets a bit smoky by the end of the evening.

Just call me trendy, I guess.

[DTBarton]

I have enjoyed the pizza at Out of the Fire in Easton a few times when we drove over for concerts at the Avalon theatre.

I need to try Tsunami again. We really liked them when they first opened, then it seemed they were more interested in being a trendy night spot/bar. The food sufferred, we had a couple of really indifferent meals and haven't been back for a few years.

[sara]

Going to Annapolis next weekend for a meeting, have two nights free for dinner. One night we'd like crabs, one night a good seafood non-crab meal. We're staying at the Loew's and won't have a car--at least the night we go to the crab joint--where should we go? Thanks in advance

[rbh]

Going to Annapolis next weekend for a meeting, have two nights free for dinner. One night we'd like crabs, one night a good seafood non-crab meal. We're staying at the Loew's and won't have a car--at least the night we go to the crab joint--where should we go? Thanks in advance

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Crabs may be a bit tough w/o a car. For non-crab seafood, I suggest O'Leary's over in Eastport - it's a bit of a walk, but worth it. It's also on OpenTable. A bit closer in State Circle, I've heard Harry Browne's is very good.

For the morning coffee, goto 49 West just a couple hops, skips, and a jump away from the Loews. It's got great desserts also.

[sara]

O'Leary's sounds good, we'll do that one night. But I must have crabs-- what's the best of the touristy places, if one must go there??

[Lori_Russo]

O'Leary's sounds good, we'll do that one night. But I must have crabs-- what's the best of the touristy places, if one must go there??

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Buddy's is always busy -- it's right on Main Street, where you will probably end up anyway. It's been awhile since I've been there, but if you are looking for straight-up crabs, I think you'll be happy. Annapolis is a great town -- enjoy!

[DTBarton]

Check out Chick and Ruth's for breakfast and/or lunch. Good food and great local atmosphere.

http://www.chickandruths.com/

[KOK]

Check out Chick and Ruth's for breakfast and/or lunch.  Good food and great local atmosphere.

http://www.chickandruths.com/

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I haven't been to Chick and Ruth's in several years, but it was always great. I looked at your link and can't believe an 18" Italian hoagie for $7.99. What a deal!!

Thanks,

Kevin

[rbh]

O'Leary's sounds good, we'll do that one night. But I must have crabs-- what's the best of the touristy places, if one must go there??

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Buddy's is always busy -- it's right on Main Street, where you will probably end up anyway. It's been awhile since I've been there, but if you are looking for straight-up crabs, I think you'll be happy. Annapolis is a great town -- enjoy!

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Buddy's is the default downtown. If you go there, order the crabs, don't settle for the buffet table crabs.

Maybe you can catch a water taxi to Cantlers. Just go down to the City Dock and catch one. The concierge at Loews should be able to help you out with that. That's the place to go.

[liamdc]

Sara is my better half. Here's a brief report on our visit to Annapolis last week.

49 Westwas our home away from home because of its very mellow vibe, Scrabble games at the ready, its lovely wine list and its excellently rich desserts. On one visit I had a fantastic glass of the Jim Barry Lodge Hill Shiraz 2002. We enjoyed a yummy breakfast one morning, too--a Belgian waffle with fresh blueberries and smoked salmon on a bagel. Good coffee drinks, too.

Our best meal in Annapolis this trip was O'Leary's Seafood. The portions here are incredibly large and the dishes very rich however. Come with a huge appetite or prepare to skip either the dessert or the appetizer. We enjoyed an excellent Maine mussels starter as well as the plump fried oysters. For entrees, we had the Maryland crab cakes and a special of the day, a crispy grouper with a tex-mex (spicy) preparation. Very cozy atmosphere inside the restaurant and the staff kindly offered to split up multiple checks for our large party of 10.

We also ate at Joss Cafe-Sushi Bar. Very good overall; reasonably priced. We ate at the sushi bar. The highlights were definitely the lobster haruma and the Joss roll. We also ate crabs at Buddy's. As others have said, it is very noisy inside and right on the main drag. The crabs were good, but not from Maryland as the hostess assured us they were. Our waitress set the record straight--"Maryland crabs from Louisiana."

[bavila]

Just wanted to add to the ongoing list here.

I've been to Paul's Homewood Cafe on West Street about 3 times in the past month for lunch, and have had great quality food (steak salad, lamb souvlaki, and a reuben) and friendly service everytime. The last time I'd been there before this month was probably about 3 years ago for dinner. It was good then, but for some reason it fell off my radar for a while. It's a small place, so you might have to wait a bit, or sit at the counter and watch the sandwich and salad prep going on. Next time I think I'll try the fried calamari salad. They're also one of the few Zagat listed establishments in town.

Edited August 2, 2005 by bavila (log)

[rlibkind]

Any updates or more recent reports on the Annapolis spots mentioned in this topic?

We'll be in Annapolis on a Thursday in December for a show at the Rams Head, and looking for a place to eat that won't be overwhelming, i.e., we like to avoid huge, rich meals before we go to a show, so a place like O'Leary's would probably be nixed. Seafood is good, however, especially raw oysters so long as She Who Must Be Obeyed can find some reasonable land animals to consume, though crab cakes are more than acceptable to her. (Appetizer portion -- a big plate with fried potatoes would probably be overdoing it.) Perhaps Buddy's?

We're staying at the Loew's and although we'll have a vehicle venues within an easy (and I mean easy) walk between there, Loews and the Rams Head would be ideal.

Can't seem to get to 49west's web site to check their offerings -- are they still in business or just server problems?

[DTBarton]

Any updates or more recent reports on the Annapolis spots mentioned in this topic?

We'll be in Annapolis on a Thursday in December for a show at the Rams Head, and looking for a place to eat that won't be overwhelming, i.e., we like to avoid huge, rich meals before we go to a show, so a place like O'Leary's would probably be nixed. Seafood is good, however, especially raw oysters so long as She Who Must Be Obeyed can find some reasonable land animals to consume, though crab cakes are more than acceptable to her. (Appetizer portion -- a big plate with fried potatoes would probably be overdoing it.) Perhaps Buddy's?

We're staying at the Loew's and although we'll have a vehicle venues within an easy (and I mean easy) walk between there, Loews and the Rams Head would be ideal.

Can't seem to get to 49west's web site to check their offerings -- are they still in business or just server problems?

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For what you're describing (oysters, crab cakes) I'd consider McGarvey's near the city dock next door to Middletons. Consistent seafood and Aviator ale. Definitely a better bet than Buddy's.

Don't know if you're interested in Asian, but Lemongrass is close to Loews on West Street. Newish Thai place with good potential. Here's my review:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...=entry1014762

[bavila]

Just an update...

Rockfish (in Eastport) has become one of our new favorites. Nice seafood dishes (rockfish, of course), and a freakin' awesome burger. The have pretty good apps too. We've gone for just apps for dinner on a weeknight -- crab fritters and calamari with chili aioli are faves. We were also quite happy to see that they were open for brunch on Sunday, with live jazz. The bar is quite the happening scene for happy hour too. It will be great when/if they get their rooftop deck open.

We went to Sputnik Cafe (in Crownsville) last night for the first time, and while I loved the food (lumpia to start, duck enchiladas and grilled swordfish with coconut sticky rice for entrees) the rest was lacking. Granted, most of my disappointment was that the atmosphere was just not kid-friendly (metal legged chairs on ceramic tile floors, ridiculously small melamine table tops with precariously styled dishes and barware sliding everywhere, and a large rather in-your-face full frontally nude painting of a woman with a definite s&m undertone). We'd go again for the food, but not with the kids -- just too much trouble. Also, the service was off. Friendly enough, but slow and I never got a salad I ordered. Maybe it was a bad night for the front of the house.

[liamdc]

Today's New York Times features a glowing review of the Inn at Easton by R.W. Apple, Jr.

[MsAzadi]

I just had a birthday dinner at O'Learys and it is as good as I always remembered. Three of our party had the salmon, and I went to town with three appetizers as an entree. The portions seemed just the right size for our group...we had no leftovers.

My only complaint is the noise...we were in the room to the left and the decibel level got high. Some of that of course depends on the people present while you eat...some people get increasingly noisey as the evening progresses, some don't.

O'Learys is my fav Annapolis restaurant, tho I will throw a plug in for Chris's Charcoal Pit out on West Street. It is one of our fav (cash only) basic Greek places for a simple quick Friday supper. One chicken gyro, one Athenian delight platter and we share the platter fries.

[TarteTatin]

Any recent reports of anything in Annapolis?

Or anything on the way to/from Philly?

We're doing a quick day trip tomorrow, (Tuesday).

Thanks!

[TarteTatin]

I just found the Western Shore thread, and am thinking about Mike's, if we can find it...or Buddy's, I guess.