Recently, a friend from out-of-town e-mailed me to inquire about good restaurants to visit while she and her husband were traveling around the Eastern Shore.
I replied with a short list of my favorites, including a Thai restaurant in Easton, a cozy tavern in Oxford, and an Italian charmer in Stevensville.
“What? No crab houses?” my friend wrote back. “I thought the only places to eat on the Eastern Shore were crab houses.”
Not too long ago, that may have been true. Twenty years ago—heck, even ten years ago—who would have thought that you could find authentic pad Thai in Easton? Or lobster-stuffed ravioli on Kent Island? Or score some of the most delicious coq au vin you’ve ever had at a French bistro in Cambridge? Yes, Cambridge!
And that’s just the Eastern Shore. In this issue we’ve compiled a list of excellent eateries from across the region, from Annapolis to Southern Maryland to Virginia’s Northern Neck. This is not a “Best Of” list by any means, just twenty tasty restaurants—some new, some familiar—that possess that priceless intangible called “buzz.” We’ll post the list on our website, chesapeakelife.com, where you’ll be able to add your own opinions about it—and recommend some of your own buzz-worthy dining destinations as well.
Also in this issue, you’ll find a fun essay, “It’s a Crab Cake World,” by freelancer Andrew Tilghman, a Salisbury native, who has lived and traveled throughout the world (including a stint as an embedded reporter in Iraq). In that time, he’s sampled his fair share of crab cakes away from the Bay, and in his
essay, he bemoans the corruption of this beloved dish by chefs from out of our region.
And be sure to page through the photos of Laird Wise, a photographer who uniquely captured everyday life on the Eastern Shore during the mid-twentieth century. His beautiful black-and-white photography has recently been given fresh exposure on the walls of Mitchum’s, which happens to be an exceedingly sophisticated steakhouse in the sleepy village of Trappe. Yes, Trappe!
Until next issue, happy eating!
Joe Sugarman
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