3 /5 Andrew Mazarakis: Had lunch here the other day with friends after they suggested we stop there. The grounds are beautiful; fantastic views and the ambiance has that "we value tradition and do it well" charm. Unfortunately, the charm was the only part supporting that message.
My friend had the French Onion Soup (the aforementioned charm suggested it should be good), we shared the Kung Pao Calamari (the only non-traditional item on the menu) and I went with the crab cake sandwich (crab was in an appetizer, the sandwich, and a headliner in the dinner menu, so I gave it a shot even though were nowhere near the sea).
-The soup came out with a slice of cheese laid over the top of the bowl (my compliments to Sargento) and torched across the top to give the appearance of having been broiled. It wasnt really melted, nor near that, and came across like a midwest moms attempt at "something fancy".
-The calamari was a flavorless fry trying to get away with a sweet sauce in place of seasoning. I suppose the chef could only do so much with frozen calamari, but with a traditional dish that people clearly have been clamoring for, their hands were tied. Kudos for dressing it up with raw peanut halves.
-The crab cake sandwich was fishy, both in flavor and odor. I tried to send it back gently, telling the waitress that it smelled fishy. She graciously offered to get me something else, so I opted for a chicken sandwich, which came out with a steak knife stabbed through the middle. I wondered if I should be expecting a mob hit as a second course. For reference, my friend ordered the same sandwich and did not receive a knife, nor was the sandwich tall to warrant the theatre for transport.
Heres the egregious part: when the waitress checked on me, I told her the sandwich was great, thanks (spoiler, both of our sandwiches were salty, though I imagine not as salty as the person who prepared it). She then added that everyone loves their crab and sometimes people arent used to crab with no fillers, so the fishy taste can be a bit much.
To be fair, who am I to know better? Going to Maryland during crab season to get freshly caught crab crafted into cakes of deliciousness leaves you wondering: maybe this has filler? Wheres that telltale quality that can only be found in gas station sushi?
So in conclusion: Im impressed. Im impressed with the false confidence of a chef to think rank crab is the height of quality and impressed with a server that would communicate that a guest must not be high brow enough to put rancid (likely) canned crab meat down their gullet and ask for seconds. Perhaps its time for a change in tradition after all.
