Kinda Krabby Konklusion

Re:Kinda Krabby Konklusion (Benzee)

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:21:20 GMT

Hello all ,
Fantastic review , with some great folks , always enjoy reading !!

Benzee

Re:Kinda Krabby Konklusion (carlton pierre)

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:04:12 GMT

Great photos!! I love Little Italy in Baltimore. I get there about once a year and I have a "Eat Bertha's Mussels" bumper sticker. Great place as well.

Re:Kinda Krabby Konklusion (ChrisOC)

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:27:43 GMT

wanderingjew

Sorry, didn't make it to Chestertown this time, maybe next time

There is a place in Chestertown, The Old Wharf, That had the best crab bisque I have ever had, but that was many years ago. Don't know if it is still there, or the same.

Re:Kinda Krabby Konklusion (wanderingjew)

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:17:29 GMT

Howard Baratz

The Travelin Man

wanderingjew

...I was about to be "de-virginized".

Luckily the place setting provides instructions, however my waitress said she would assist as well.

I really enjoyed my first experience and it actually led to a happy ending...

Say WHAT????

I swear this web site gets racier and racier every time I log on here.

It seems to me that losing your virginity and getting crabs at the same time is just bad luck.

Ok I'll confess- I truly never connected the two- Our "wry" friend Howard Baratz did that all on his own.

Re:Kinda Krabby Konklusion (ChrisOC)

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:07:41 GMT

Re:Kinda Krabby Konklusion (CajunKing)

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:07:39 GMT

Howard Baratz

The Travelin Man

wanderingjew

...I was about to be "de-virginized".

Luckily the place setting provides instructions, however my waitress said she would assist as well.

I really enjoyed my first experience and it actually led to a happy ending...

Say WHAT????

I swear this web site gets racier and racier every time I log on here.

It seems to me that losing your virginity and getting crabs at the same time is just bad luck.

He Shoots and SCORES!!!!

Re:Kinda Krabby Konklusion (Howard Baratz)

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:43:38 GMT

The Travelin Man

wanderingjew

...I was about to be "de-virginized".

Luckily the place setting provides instructions, however my waitress said she would assist as well.

I really enjoyed my first experience and it actually led to a happy ending...

Say WHAT????

I swear this web site gets racier and racier every time I log on here.

It seems to me that losing your virginity and getting crabs at the same time is just bad luck.

Re:Kinda Krabby Konklusion (eruby)

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:28:32 GMT

Great report and truly excellent pictures wanderingjew.

I've been to Pioneer Pit Beef many times but have never even heard of Kirkwood. It's now on my short list of places to visit. As always, Roadfood.com is the best!

Re:Kinda Krabby Konklusion (MiamiDon)

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:24:00 GMT

Great little tour, wanderingjew!

Smith Island Cake, MD stuffed ham and Baltimore pit beef are still on my bucket list.

Re:Kinda Krabby Konklusion (MiamiDon)

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:18:39 GMT

G&M stuffs the oysters with crab (we has some shipped here).

Re:Kinda Krabby Konklusion (wanderingjew)

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:56:58 GMT

Josefinajoisey

Sorry, didn't make it to Chestertown this time, maybe next time

ChrisOC

This was my first visit to the Eastern Shore, I really enjoyed it and will return again.

Paul

I deliberately peppered that phrase with subliminal cliches knowing that only TTM
could "crack the code"
Afterall, we all know TTM's hangout which he pointed out to me when we were in Charleston which is where he scopes out Charleston's top illustrious Cougars

Re:Kinda Krabby Konklusion (ChrisOC)

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:33:45 GMT

Very nice trip report. The bit on St Michael's brought back memories. When I kept a sailboat on the eastern shore, one of our favorite destinations was St Michael's. We would anchor off the museum, have our cocktail time, and summoned by a blast from our horn, the launch from the Crab Claw would pick us up and ferry us to dinner. Afterwards they would take us back to our boat. Great crabs there!

Re:Kinda Krabby Konklusion (Sundancer7)

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:56:48 GMT

TTM: That was very good however knowing WJ, the words were probably taken out of contex????

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Re:Kinda Krabby Konklusion (The Travelin Man)

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:37:19 GMT

wanderingjew

...I was about to be "de-virginized".

Luckily the place setting provides instructions, however my waitress said she would assist as well.

I really enjoyed my first experience and it actually led to a happy ending...

Say WHAT????

I swear this web site gets racier and racier every time I log on here.

As to the question of what the oysters are stuffed with at G&M, I believe it is crab - almost the same consistency as the crab cakes, themselves. I think one time I was there, I ordered the stuffed shrimp and that was the way they were presented at the table. Perhaps signman could offer some additional guidance.

Re:Kinda Krabby (wanderingjew)

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:29:44 GMT

buffetbuster

I haven't spoken to Johnny for a while, so I wasn't aware that he did meet up with you and Signman. Excellent! Great report WJ! Man, I love stuffed ham!

Thanks,

and once again, after we all turned down dessert, your face popped into my head with an intense expression of dissaproval.

Re:Kinda Krabby (Sundancer7)

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:55:37 GMT

I was there a year ago with Iwanago. She was in a meeting and I had the chance to explore. We enjoyed G&M crabcakes. They were outstanding but the ones you had previously looked better. I walked a lot in the downtown area and our hotel was located next to the harbor. Lotsa stuff going on there.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Re:Kinda Krabby (wanderingjew)

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:46:09 GMT

ScreamingChicken

WJ, do you remember what G & M's oysters are stuffed with? I hope they tasted as good as they looked, without the celery overload I've encountered in some stuffed seafood dishes.

Great writeup!

Brad

Brad

I didn't have the stuffed oysters so I don't know what they were stuffed with.
If they're anything like the crabcakes I enjoyed then it's very unlikely that there was one iota of celery in those stuffed oysters.

Re:Kinda Krabby (ScreamingChicken)

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:52:28 GMT

WJ, do you remember what G & M's oysters are stuffed with? I hope they tasted as good as they looked, without the celery overload I've encountered in some stuffed seafood dishes.

Great writeup!

Brad

Re:Kinda Krabby (CajunKing)

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:25:08 GMT

WJ

you were even the entertainment for the evening @ St Mary's Landing
"The Wanderers" were there performing.

I miss that part of the world, The friendly little seafood markets and the great CRABS (no Im not talking about Michael Hoffman either)

Thanks for bringing us along Dale.

Re:Kinda Krabby (Tony Bad)

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:12:33 GMT

Thanks for the report WJ, as always, a great read!

Re:Kinda Krabby (buffetbuster)

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:25:33 GMT

I haven't spoken to Johnny for a while, so I wasn't aware that he did meet up with you and Signman. Excellent! Great report WJ! Man, I love stuffed ham!

Re:Kinda Krabby (wanderingjew)

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:44:34 GMT

Thanks everyone......

now on with the crustaceans....

Sunday November 20

Unfortunately unlike yesterday, today was a cloudy day, although no rain was in the forecast which is always good.
Having done some research I imbibed on some morning Joe at Zu Coffee in Suburban Annapolis. The dark roast was surprisingly better than I expected and If I return to Annapolis I would likely sooner return there than head directly into town to try to scope coffee downtown.

After coffee, and a couple of Debbie's Salted Oat Meal Cookies to hold me over, i left Annapolis and headed down to St Mary's County in Southern Maryland to an old favorite St Mary's Landing.

The restaurant was pretty packed with locals when I arrived. The waitress asked if I wanted the buffet and I quickly replied "no, menu please" I knew what I wanted, "The Charlotte Hall"

With the local specialty, stuffed ham as the star of the meal. Stuffed ham is a "corned ham" stuffed with kale, cabbage, onions and spices. It came with a potato cake and choice of bread, in my case, whole grain. The menu noted that the stuffed ham is served hot, however it is traditionally served cold, my only regret is that I didn't request it cold, because this is the way I've preferred it in the past, but it was still just as good as I remembered.

After breakfast I wanted to explore some of St Mary's County but didn't want to venture too far south since I wanted to head back north for the remainder of the day.

I wanted to head to Copsey's Seafood Market I wasn't sure if I was going to buy anything but just wanted to take a gander.......unfortuately...

Copsey's is no more ....out of business and has been replaced by the Big T's Crab Shack and Seafood Market which was closed anyway.

I walked over to the Drug Store next door and one of the ladies in the pharmacy in back, recommended Thompson's Seafood Market a couple of miles down the road in Mechanicsville.

And I'm glad she did.

I had a nice conversation with the owner who presented with several of their wares....

Including crabs...

both alive

and dead

Oysters

and Rockfish

I mentioned that I just had a big breakfast and was looking for a snack to hold hold me over until I returned to Baltimore...

After perusing the menu

I knew what I really wanted...Since I wasn't having the greatest luck with Soups on this trip, I asked for their crab vegetable soup..

And all I could say is

WoW! This is probably the best Crab Soup I've ever had. A spicy broth and chock full of crab meat. As I left the market, I didn't see any seating in the immediate area and in order to get a photo I had to slurp some of the soup because I didn't want to spill any on the hood of the rental car, of course afterwards I observed some picnic tables in my peripheral vision in the distance......Thompson's Seafood was a great find, and if the rest of their seafood is anything like their crab soup, then it truly deserves a Roadfood review.

After exploring "Old Charlotte Hall" I realized there really wasn't anything to see and returned to Baltimore (after hellacious traffic in the DC area due to the Redskins game)

It's been a while since I had a pit beef sandwich, in fact the last time I enjoyed one was back in 2007. Unfortunately the place I really wanted to check out Pioneer Pit Beef, is closed on Sundays and I really didn't want to return to Chaps since I heard that there is better.

After doing some research, I decided to check out this place..

Kirkwood Pit Beef

in Catonsville. Their sign advertised free samples
When I entered inside I didn't realize it was take out only, however the counterman said that I could eat in the adjoining pizza parlor, next door, Sorrento's.

I asked for my pit beef, medium rare served with horseradish and a smattering of raw onion and bbq sauce (I forgot to ask for mayo) with sides of beans and fresh cut fries with a request for a sprinkling of old bay and a spritz of cider vinegar on the fries....

This sandwich certainly delivered and was just as good as it looks. Loaded with pink, tender and flavorful pit beef. Certainly better than what I remembered Chaps to be and as good as this sandwich was, I can't imagine how much better Pioneer would have been had they been open.
In the parking lot of Kirkwood Pit Beef and Sorrento's Pizza Parlor I noticed a sign for sweet potato pumpkin shakes.
Curiousity got the best of me. After I finished my meal inside Sorrento's
I asked for the pumpkin shake and was told it was actually made from Sweet Potato. I ordered one in the interest of "research"

and it was actually quite good, the thick and refresing shake not only tasted like pumpkin pie but it had actual bits of pie dough in the shake.

After lunch, I drove to downtown Baltimore and parked in the heart of Little Italy and strolled around admiring the architecture and signage.

I walked by the flag house and star spangled banner museum and unfortunately they were closed. This is where the flag was made that
inspired Francis Scott Key to write our national anthem.

I also walked by the Shot Tower

I believe this is where they manufactured Musket Pellets in the old days. It too was closed. I understand Michael Hoffman was a regular customer.

On my walk over to fells point I also caught glimpse of

The Baltimore Tattoo Museum- they were open but I had no desire to check the place out..

Fells Point, an old Baltimore Neighborhood full of cobblestone streets and brick building which houses quaint shops, bars and restaurants is a fun place to spend the afternoon.

One of the landmarks....

Bertha's, is famous for their Mussels. I visited their bar which appeared to be as old as dirt, sat down, actually had a Brew out of Philadelphia's Yards Brewing Company called Thomas Jefferson's Tavern ale and watched the Ravens play Cincinnati....In fact while walking around Fells Point it appeared everyone was at a bar watching the Ravens Game....

After walking around a little more I stopped at one of my favorite coffee houses, the Daily Grind for an iced coffee..

At this point, around 4pm it was starting to sprinkle a little, this surprised me because the forecast called for no rain. It wasn't too bad though and I made my way back through little Italy to Harbor East. I've never been to this part of the Inner Harbor before and strolled around a bit before heading to my final stop for dinner..

Joining the Ravens game traffic out of Baltimore I slowly made my way to this favorite standby...

The G & M Restaurant
When I arrived, Signman was already there, and shortly afterwards Buffetbuster's "Cousin Johnny" well actually, he's everyone's favorite cousin. I hadn't seen Johnny in two years since the Buffalo Bus tour.
I knew what I was getting....

The double Crabcake plate- I wasn't making the same mistake I did the day before by just ordering one...

Signman I believe got one crabcake...

and Cousin Johnny got the baked stuffed oysters

The crabcakes were just as good as I remembered, I couldn't tell you which were better the crabcakes at G & M or the crabcakes at Suicide Bridge. They were both fantastic.

Unfortunately the onion rings were not as good as the ones I remembered enjoying on my last visit 4 years ago and Signman warned me about that before hand.

After dinner and saying our goodbyes I headed back to the airport for my flight back home. I was actually back home just after 11pm..

--

Stay tuned since there are no more trips planned for the year, however I will begin "2011 the year in review" sometime within the next week or two.

Re:Kinda Krabby (josefinajoisey)

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:44:53 GMT

Are you going near Chestertown? My favorite place on the Eastern Shore!

Re:Kinda Krabby (tcrouzer)

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:12:31 GMT

As usual, a wonderful report filled with so many great photos, some that tell a story all by themselves.
Thanks, WJ!

Re:Kinda Krabby (Twinwillow)

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:45:15 GMT

Great report. Keep it coming.

Re:Kinda Krabby (AndreaB)

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:43:10 GMT

Great report and pics! I want crab!

Re:Kinda Krabby (ScreamingChicken)

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 08:48:32 GMT

Great report so far, WJ. That pile of crabs looks fantastic!

Brad

Re:Kinda Krabby (carlton pierre)

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 08:01:44 GMT

I love the eastern shore of MD. I get that way about 2x a year and your pictures and tales are wonderful.

Re:Kinda Krabby (Sundancer7)

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:55:31 GMT

WJ, you had blue skies and great scenery and mostly good looking food. Picking at those crabs can be work

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Re:Kinda Krabby (CajunKing)

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:44:31 GMT

WJ

A great start to your final RF trip of the year, it is good that you got to catch up with Debbie, Thomas and Signman. It is always a better meal when friends can share in it with you.

Loooking forward to viewing the rest of the trip.