We talked with both of these fellows and many more at the Ocean City Restaurant Association Trade Show on Sunday. It’s one of our last chances to meet with purveyors, and this show offered plenty of opportunity to talk with companies that might actually deliver to the geographically challenged here on the Eastern Shore. Well, we were sort of misguided about that, but we did make some contacts and gave out a few of our (obviously) home-made business cards to some likely suspects. We especially enjoyed talking with Mel Hickman from Chester River Clams (right), who has some delicious clams and oysters which come from salty water and taste pretty close to our memory of Chincoteague’s. On the left with Kevin is Pat Redmond from United Shellfish. He is a purveyor with whom Kevin has had a terrific relationship for many years; he is a true professional who would not steer you in the wrong direction. He has our business. The show was somewhat strange though, in the number of booths represented by Liquor Companies and Distributors, offering tastings of bourbons and vodkas and all the strange new beverages in between, primarily Energy Drinks. While it is not at all unusual to see small beer or wine companies at these things, trying to break into the big time, it is unusual to see…Makers Mark? Absolute? Smirnoff Twist? Who needs to taste these products? We were sort of taken aback by that. And we’re not prudes, by any stretch. It was just weird.
Anyway, we stopped in Easton on the way home to visit the “new” Tidewater Inn. It has been undergoing a million dollar plus renovation by its new owners for the past six months or so, and the dining room reopened to the public on December 15th. We’ve always loved the bar there – which, in case you too were fans of that heavy, duck-carved bar, you’ll be glad/sad to know it is now in private hands – and looked forward to checking out the reformation. (You may have heard how, practically on the day they opened, the owner of the parent company was killed in a helicopter crash. It was during one of those fatally foggy days in December while, I suppose, he was coming in from the DC area.)
The new dining room in the Tidewater is called “Restaurant Local”. We came in via the bar (surprise surprise) and the blue light was a little disconcerting. They have hung glass shelves as the bar back, sort of suspended like swings, and lit them from behind with an eerie fluorescent glow, as well as lit the little built in spaces by the entrance where more bottles are stored. Apparently this light can be changed in color and design by those who must be obeyed. It took some getting used to, but I liked it. It was certainly “bar” like. And the bartender herself couldn’t have been nicer. We looked at the menus she provided and listened to her commentary about what was what and decided to venture into the dining room to eat.
There were perhaps five or six tables occupied when we approached the hostess, so her question about our reservation status was moot, but I still get annoyed when they seat you at basically the worst table in the room. Like the dining room is going to fill up in the next hour with those who do have reservations. Please. It’s Sunday night in Easton. We whined and she moved us further into the land of the opulent. And it is opulent. They have spared no expense. Beautiful glassware and china – Spieglau and Bernardaud – Italian linen, glossy, huge wood tables with four legs! None of those tacky cast iron bases for this place!! It was gorgeous. The “sails” they’ve hung on the ceiling did a great job of covering up the exposed innards and I am sure do an equally great job combating sound issues on a busy Saturday night. Plus they looked terrific. Overall we were thrilled and excited to be there. A hot new place! What fun!
We ordered a broad range of plates – Kevin went with three small plates, while I took the more traditional route of appetizer and entrée. I wanted the squab – I love squab, which would make my father laugh, after all the trouble he used to have, trying to get rid of those damn pigeons at home – but I do love it. So I settled on the “local” shrimp, and the squab. Kevin had the sashimi special, the Atlantic Diver scallops, and the beef short ribs.
Our server in the DR was also very nice, helpful and enthusiastic about the menu and fairly knowledgeable. She first explained about the pickles on the table that the chef made as little snacks for the diners – one was cabbage and the other was cucumber. They were okay – but no one, and I mean no one makes better pickles than my sister Marty, so I could only give them half a nod. (And, on a side note – this summer she has agreed to do a pickle making demo at the Brooks Tavern, which should be an exciting morning spent with this Blue Ribbon Pickle Queen) But they were a nice touch. The bread was an assortment of rolls and butters brought by the Bread Girl. (and I will mention that all the younger/lesser servers were very timid and anxious; I wished they could have been a little less tense.) The biscuits were the best – tender and tasty – and the dinner roll was the loser – too dense and no crust to speak of. More biscuits please.
Kevin’s sashimi was quite nice. Six pieces, nicely marinated, very flavorful and fresh. He felt that it had been sliced incorrectly – not in accordance with the Japanese Sushi Chef Rules – but that was something only a professional would have noticed, I expect. It was lovely to look at – a huge square plate with the obligatory squiggles of sauce and a little salad of baby beans and sprouts to off set the richness of the yellow-tail. The scallops and the shrimp came out next. The shrimp were absolutely fantastic. Kevin has been having some very serious issues with the Shrimp Thing. He will not serve the shrimp you commonly see on the market today – farm raised or even most of the wild caught – because of the side effects this product has. The farm raised cause massive pollution problems for the region and for the shrimp themselves, and the wild caught raise the concern of the by-catch that come up in the nets with the shrimp, only to die needlessly. Here he discovered the answer – shrimp raised in Hurlock. Can you believe it? And they were really, really good. Head on, fresh shrimp. I had to ask for drawn butter, as the proffered cocktail sauce did them no favors, but my, they were succulent. Now if only we could get on the list of restaurants who want these shrimp for their own customers…
Kevin’s scallops were delicately cooked – some might say too delicately – and sauced with a bacon vinaigrette, that may have been a little overwhelming for the scallop. Okay, yes, it was overwhelming. Way overwhelming. Leave that bacon vinaigrette off. The grilled salsify was a better accompaniment.
Our meat courses were both expertly prepared, especially the short ribs. They were billed as “Port Wine and Cinnamon Braised” which can be scary for someone who hates hazelnut coffee, but the cinnamon was so subtle, so well done with the beef, it was the perfect compliment. The only thing that was sort of odd was the garnish listed for the ribs on the menu – “creamy parsnips, crispy shallots and cooking liquid”. Hmmm…a local (get it? “local”?) way to say “au jus”? or what? There wasn’t much of it, whatever you want to call it. Regardless of the vernacular, they were very, very good. (There were some other menu descriptions on Local’s dinner menu worthy of note, including the offer of the chicken that is described as “farm raised”…what is that all about? Aren’t virtually all chickens “farm raised”? Are we carrying this a little bit too far here, fellows?)
My squab was good too, but not as good, and especially for-the-money-not-as-good. Squab is not cheap, we know that, but this was a fairly meager portion. I was wondering what they did with the rest of it. It was mostly cooked on the rare side, which is good for squab, and the tatsoi that sat under it was flavorful and appropriate. The sauce for the squab was supposed to be a foie gras coulis, and I use the word “supposed” because it wasn’t, or, if it was, it wasn’t foie gras much. It was more like a beurre blanc with some meat flavor swirled into it. The buttery flavor of this sauce did not pair well with the poultry. It needed more contrast. Still, I loved sitting there with that teeny little leg in my fingers, gnawing away with gusto. Unfortunately the accompanying "wild" mushroom risotto was way over salted and over seasoned with thyme, not really mouth-friendly. Although no one questioned why I barely touched it when the plate was cleared... And those of you who’ve eaten with us at these fine dining places know we are hard to please. So, honestly, remember that, and know that we cleaned our plates at “Restaurant Local”.
Dessert and coffee. I was the only one with room for dessert and I opted for the Pineapple Bread Pudding which I liked quite a lot. Kevin kindly said it wasn’t as good as my bread pudding, but he would say that. It was good. It was the coffee, believe it or not, which really let us down. The menu – separate dessert menu with after dinner beverages included – described the four coffees available with mouth watering adjectives like “cinnamon aroma” and “chocolate overtones” and “a cup of delicious”. I was sold. And I rarely have coffee after dinner. So we get two pots of coffee press at $3.50 and $4.50 respectively, and it is two cups of the weakest, most vile coffee I have ever had!! Kevin sent his back, telling our poor server to let it sit in the press a few minutes longer, but it didn’t help much. It wasn’t hot and it wasn’t strong. I have a feeling they were told to put in this much coffee and not a speck more. Skip the coffee.
And don’t take a self-guided tour into the Wine Decanter Room, adjacent to the Dining Room, or you will surely be accosted by the Manager. We casually sauntered across the room after our meal, pulled open the heavy glass doors and within seconds – I mean seconds – the young manager was upon us. We were sorry we didn’t see his sprint across the floor. This was unfortunately our final impression of the Tidewater – a very pompous manager treating us like some sort of rubes from Kennedyville. He couldn’t have been more patronizing, and it left a very sour taste in our mouths. This sort of behavior always brings out the worst in me, so I proceeded to ask where they were getting “local” string beans and beets in March in Easton. Of course he had an answer – grown hydroponically like the tomatoes at our own Farmer’s Market in pre-tomato season – but I still didn’t like him. Everyone else had been very nice…
Still, I’d say check it out. It’s not cheap, but it’s not over the top – that “farm raised” chicken is $19, the rockfish was $21, and the aforementioned squab was the high of $27 (except for the usual big ticket items like Lobster and Filet). Add in those exceptional appointments, very pleasant surroundings, budget friendly small plates, and nice (mostly) people and you're getting some fair prices for an evening's entertainment. Plus those blue lights in the bar…
