Category Archives: #crabcakes

Some Things Fishy

#crabcakes, Baltimore, tourism, , ,

I’ve been on the road a lot the past few weeks, eating well on all trips: in Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Wausau, Wisconsin; Asheville, North Carolina and Baltimore, Maryland. Two traditions stood out during these trips: the Friday night fish fry in Wisconsin and the search for the best crab cake in Baltimore.

Soon after arriving in Wisconsin to check out the cultivated ginseng scene as part of our larger American ginseng project (reported here earlier), my partner in crime Arlene and I started hearing about Friday night fish fries. It seemed that, no matter what sort of restaurant we ate at, fish fry was listed on the menu as the Friday special. This tradition seems to be rank right up there with that other Wisconsin culinary habit – smothering just about everything in cheese. Not that I’m complaining, mind you.

I stayed through Friday and experienced my fish fry at one of the recommended locations: Nueske’s at Gulliver’s Landing just outside of Wausau. This classic nautically themed, informal establishment was packed on a Friday night. I had a good 40 minute wait to take in the scenery (shelves of model ships and other maritime curios) and the multi-generational families who make up the clientele, many greeted by first names upon arriving. Clearly, this was a local favorite and I eagerly looked forward to my fish fry experience.

I was rewarded with two generous pieces of hand-breaded haddock, something called a “twice baked potato” (which, not surprisingly, was smothered in cheese), cole slaw and a large slab of rye bread. All that, and live music at the bar – two older gentleman playing Johnny Cash and John Denver tunes.

  • Side view of exterior
  • Fish fry menu options
  • Gulliver’s front entrance.

A couple of weeks later, I was in Baltimore at the American Folklore Society conference, a yearly ritual for all folklorists. Though I really should have grabbed a quick lunch and attended a section meeting, instead I set out at a brisk pace on the Saturday of the conference, with some co-conspirators from our Inner Harbor hotel to Lexington Market to try out Faidley’s, which makes it to many “best crab cake” lists. And, indeed, in no uncertain terms (via several large signs) proclaims itself as serving Baltimore’s Best Crab Cake.

The market has been in existence since 1782, and Faidley’s since 1886. It’s hard to argue with that depth of history. Our crab cakes were huge and delicious, tasting subtly of the bay and of Old Bay, and though one of them cost twice as much as my entire Wisconsin fish fry, it was worth it.

They say fish is brain food, and I feel smarter if not thinner for having indulged in finny wonders from the Great Lakes to the Chesapeake Bay.

  • Bliss.
  • No frills counter service.
  • Nice neon.
  • The lunch scene on a Saturday.

The Critters of Chestertown

#chestertownmd, #crabcakes, honey bees, tourism

Chestertown is a pleasant burg on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where we traveled for a day trip on Thanksgiving weekend.  It was “small business Saturday” so poking around in some of the little shops in town seemed the thing to do.  Unless you are an extremely pokey shopper, that can be achieved in a couple of hours, max.

If you stop at the Visitor’s Center on the way in to town, they will give you a map of town so that you can see just how small it is, as well as a walking tour brochure that guides you around the stately 18th century houses paralleling the river.  (Federal, Georgian, with or without Flemish bond bricks, take your pick.)  A walk down to the pier to view the schooner Sultana is also a must – tall ships are always intriguing.  There are several nice looking restaurants where one might get some local seafood, but we held out until Kent Narrows on our way home and indulged in some crab cakes, oysters, and scallops at the iconic Harris’s Crab House.

As we toured the town, I started noticing some interesting critter depictions.  First, some very boldly colored and rather saucy lions in a fountain in the park downtown. Second, a giant crab claw emerging from the water near the pier (see landing image, above). Third, the eagle carving on the schooner.  Fourth, a metal sculpture of honeybees outside a modest but well groomed house.  If you get to Chestertown for a visit, you can use these as a sort of critter scavenger hunt on a leisurely walk around town.  Enjoy!

 

Seaside Sojourne 2 (sort of) Colonial Beach edition

#colonialbeach, #crabcakes, beach, culture, Northern Neck, tourism, , , ,

The widest parts of the Potomac River are not quite “seaside” but they have that sort of feel, nonetheless.  On a two-day tour through Maryland’s Western Shore (or, as some call it “Southern Maryland”), and the Northern Neck of Virginia, my friend Debi and I experienced a wide variety of sites, tastes, and even smells (fish guts on a public pier and fried food in a divey pub/Tiki Bar for instance).

For brevity purposes, I will concentrate on the Northern Neck portion of our journey.  For those of you who are uninitiated, the NN is the portion of land between the mighty Potomac and the Rappahannock Rivers.  This area is billed as, among other things, The Birthplace of the Nation since several founding fathers and other historic personages were born and/or grew up there.

We started our adventures in Colonial Beach.  The first thing we noticed was the mural that we parked near, depicted in the large photo at the top of this blog, which might tip one off to the fact that the town, while still charming in its own way, may have had its heyday at an earlier time period.  Other murals we encountered around town had a vintage feel as well (you can view a slide show of more of them here).  

What does one do in Colonial Beach?  We started out by indulging in some retail therapy at a very nice second hand store.  Then, we walked down and out onto to the town pier, where locals were catching some impressive catfish.  Next, walked along the beach on a pathway that leads to, among other things, the humongous Riverboat on the Potomac, a casino and restaurant which apparently gets around strict Virginia laws against such gambling establishments by being located on the river, which is technically part of Maryland.

When asked about the best crab cakes served in a beachside atmosphere, the proprietor of the second hand store recommended  The Dockside, a couple miles out of town.  Basically, you just follow the road that parallels the water until it ends in a marina and the sprawling restaurant, offering a slightly seedy but cool interior as well as two levels of “outside dining” – steamier but with water views.  There is a little beach and a small performance venue on the grounds, no doubt very popular on weekend evenings, and the de rigueur “tiki” furnishings – thatched huts and Hawaiian style decor.  The crab cakes and hushpuppies were very satisfying (I gave it a good rating on Tripadvisor.).

Our appetites being satiated, we next turned our attention to history.  Which eminent figure’s birthplace to visit?  George Washington seemed too obvious.  James Monroe was also vetoed.  Robert E. Lee…well, who could resist such a controversial and complex personage?  We headed for Stratford Hall, birthplace and boyhood home (till he was little more than a toddler) of REL.  This site did not disappoint.

In addition to the Great House, which has an oddly truncated appearance and layout despite its impressive cadre of brick chimneys, the museum at the visitor’s center and the grounds are worth lingering in.  Unfortunately, we caught the last tour of the day and didn’t have enough time to do the site justice.  But we caught the gist.

I came away feeling sad for Robert E. Lee, a brilliant and conflicted figure.  His father was a poor money manager and they had to leave this idyllic home on the Potomac for less impressive digs when the lad was four years old.  Our tour guide indicated that he seemed to yearn for this home for the rest of his life.  (The stately Lee Custis House now located in Arlington Cemetery was his wife’s family home.)  No denying, he was one of the most prominent Confederates and, of course, one of the statues in his honor was a major catalyst of the recent tragedies in Charlottesville.  But visiting his boyhood home also reminded us that he was a human being with an extremely complex history.

The Northern Neck is worth visiting for all of the above reasons:  crab cakes, scenic views, and historic circumstances that continue to haunt us all.