MD Weekend and Line-Up

For the birthday weekend we had a bit of an eating vacation in MD. Friday we had that Maryland favorite, a crabfeast. We had a bushel and a half of steamed crabs with Old Bay seasoning. Old Bay is a mix of spices that Marylanders use on just about anything from popcorn to eggs. Crabs are so messy, you want to eat them outside on brown paper or newspaper. Our friends eat soda crackers dipped in catsup as a side. Of course, you can't have crabs without beer. (Do people around the rest of the country say crab or crabs, because some friends of mine from college said it sounded weird when I said crabs?) This year we also had corn on the cob for the first time. The picture shows the remains of our dinner.

On Saturday we went to my favorite Mexican food joint, the Mexican Cafe, in Annapolis, MD. We started with a cup of guac, a cup of queso, and a cup of their beanless chili. They were just as good as I remembered but the chips were not quite as good as I remembered. I soon forgot about that because I had ordered the top shelf margarita on the rocks with salt. Be forewared, they knock you on your butt. I had one and my family claimed I was practically slurring my words. Well worth it though! I ordered the grilled chicken flautas with is just a chimichanga with queso sauce. The beans were great because they no longer use the mushy refried version, just some pinto beans.


Saturday night we tried a new restaurant. The Rumor Mill in Old Ellicott City, it's an Asian fusion bar with mostly small plates. They have some innovative mixed drinks but I did not partake. J and I ordered six small plates to share but with his appetite we could have done at least seven. We had crab dumplings, lambchops, sweet potato fries; all of which I reccommend. We also had panko calamari, chicken tempura, and bacon wrapped hoisin shrimp, which I probably wouldn't order again. The banana dumpling dessert and the donut dessert are delicious though. All in all I don't know if I would go back there, since there are so many other places in MD to go but if you are looking for something interesting downtown it's in Tiber Alley where the old Sidestreets restaurant used to be. Afterwards we went across the street to the rooftop bar on the restaurant Cacao Lane. I highly reccommend the locale for a neat place to have drinks because it's up in the trees.

Sunday for lunch we went down to corn beef row in Baltimore. J and I shared one corned beef on rye and one pastrami on rye at Attmann's. I highly reccommend the deli for those two items. I haven't had anything else there in years so it's hard to say.



Sunday night we went to Linwoods in Owings Mills. It was fantastic! J and I split the crabcake (appetizer size) and the lobster tempura with honey butter and pink peppercorns. J had the French onion soup and I had the tasting of salads. One was crispy oyster with butter lettuce and tomato, one was beet with goat cheese and grapefruit, and the last one was watermelon with feta. I thought the oyster and the beet were the best. For the entree I had what was previously known as the "Carpetbagger": a thick New York strip steak, topped with Cambazola cheese (this is like a blue cheese with the consistency of brie from Spain) and crispy oysters. I honestly could have eaten half and been full just on that. Dessert was very impressive (coming from a non-dessert eater). The white chocolate banana cream pie with raspberry coulis, the creme brulee, and the warm mixed berry shortcake with vanilla ice cream were my favorites. The chocolate bread pudding (in the picture) was ok but not as soft as I would have liked. It was more dense like cake.

Anyway, enough about the weekend. I wish I had more pictures to show but unfortunately I either forgot or thought I would look silly taking shots of everything. This week we are trying four new items.

Lunches- Gazpacho with Corn and Goat cheese
Dinners- Grilled Chicken and Peaches with blue cheese
Creamy Seafood Risotto (J's request)
Spaghetti Marinara with sausage (sausage from J's grandparents)

Next week I'll be headed to Vermont for the family vacation while J fends for himself again. Hopefully I'll be able to document some of the food at the lake.