“He was a bold man that first ate an oyster,” wrote satirist Jonathan Swift. Those of us who love the briny bivalve can agree. I mean, if J. Alfred Prufrock had trouble deciding to bite something as luscious as the downy peach, what maniac was brave enough to coax open and swallow the first oyster? I can’t remember my first a raw oyster, but it must have been after I learned to enjoy them cooked. My late father roasted oysters casino every Christmas Eve when we gathered with

At some point, we’ve all known someone who thinks that food is love. It might even be you. They’re easy to identify, these people. They’re the ones who say, “just one more helping.” They have kitchens that always smell vaguely delicious in an unidentifiable way. They make generous portions, they say cooking ‘relaxes them,’ and they are always happiest when whatever tempting morsels they’ve spent hours preparing are being joyfully consumed. Winter dinners at Luisa’s Cocina in

“I recommend three Maryland beaten biscuits, with water, for your breakfast. They are hard as a haul-seiner’s conscience and dry as a dredger’s tongue, and they sit for hours in your morning stomach like ballast on a tender ship’s keel. They cost little, are easily and crumblessly carried in your pockets, and if forgotten and gone stale, are neither harder nor less palatable than when fresh. […] Few things are stable in this world. Your morning stomach, reader, ballasted with

Easton’s new restaurant Taste offers small plates and craft cocktails. A few recommendations for ordering: Servers recommend 2 to 3 plates per person. Order 3. Order plates to share with a group. Opt for cocktails over beer or wine. Save room for dessert. Recently, I implemented a rule for myself when dining out: order the thing you can’t get anywhere. For example, I recently selected a poached egg dish served with fried oysters (unusual) over a poached egg dish served with c

JUMBO LUMP CRAB CAKES (for the true Marylander or southerner) Few Maryland items are as common on menus in other states as a Maryland crab cake, perhaps only rivaled by Chesapeake chicken. Attempts to reinvent the crab cake, to spice it up, or to change its size never seem to live up to expectations. A true Marylander seeks a crab cake: 1. made of jumbo lump blue crab meat from Maryland; 2. broiled or lightly fried; and 3. held together with little but magic. Messing with a r

The picnic as we know it in the United States is probably not a new concept, although the term “picnic” didn’t make it to the country until sometime in the 19th century. It is derived from the French term, “pique-nique,” although it likely took many years of regular usage for the French to accept the word into dictionaries. Andrew Scott Pyle is a writer with a Ph.D. in French. He says “piquer” means “to pick” (specifically at food) and “-nique” is an old French word for “litt

If you’ve dreamed of visiting southern Italy’s Amalfi Coast but are limited by time and money, stop by Limoncello Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar in St. Michaels to curb your classic Italian cravings. Located on the northern coast of the Salerno Gulf on the Tyrrhenian Sea in southern Italy, the Amalfi Coast is rich in abundance of offerings from the sea — much like Limoncello. Billy Gordon, district manager of Five Star Restaurant Development and Consulting, which owns Limonc

‘Rock Lobstah’ in Cambridge offers an appetizing alternative to the Md. Blue Crab in our crustacean cousins to the north I’m convinced Dr. Pepper pairs well with everything. So far I’ve been right. I sat at the gingham covered table with my husband at Rock Lobstah in downtown Cambridge, sipping my glass of preferred soda and perusing the menu. I’d been here once before with my kids. My son ordered their grilled cheese and it came out as slices of white bread coupled with a di

Elvis most certainly has not left the building. He is alive and well, his music and the era he represented radiating from The Lion’s Den Ice Cream Parlor, 508 Kidwell Ave., Centreville. A replica of a 1950s-era New York City ice cream parlor, owner Joseph Candella and his daughters, Audrey Candella and Stephanie Glowacki, have set their sights on being the place families can frequent for wholesome fun. Open since May 2018, local memorabilia on the walls gives the place an at-

Prepare for New Years in style with delicious sparkling wine pairings that will have your taste buds transported to an elegant evening in Paris What are you doing New Year’s Eve? If you’re dreaming of toasting the new year in the City of Lights, but your passport has long expired don’t fret mon ami, downtown Cambridge is where you need to be before the clock strikes midnight. To see if I could re-create a night in Paris, complete with endless bubbly, on the Eastern Shore, I t

For foodies and home cooks alike, late autumn ushers in new flavors. Gone are the tangy tomatoes and sweet watermelon of summer, replaced by hearty squash, sweet potatoes, and thanks to the opening of the hunting season in November, duck. A creative, knowledgeable chef can combine these November flavors to delight the palate. At t at the General Store in Royal Oak, Chef Mark McGrogan prepares fresh, local, seasonal cuisine, and in the season of homecoming, hunting, and gratit

Our mother sewed our Halloween costumes. Come mid-September, my brothers and I piled into the way back of the Caprice Classic and headed over to JoAnn Fabrics. Together we sifted through rectangular envelopes of patterns from Simplicity or McCall’s. Mom studied our choices, and together we agreed upon which ones she could sew. Some were quite elaborate. She made a costume for each child in the family, including my dad. One year, I was a dapper Peter Pan, cloaked in varied sha

Since learning the art of barbecue from a young age, pitmaster Richard (Ric) Tilghman Brice V has been practicing and refining his barbecue skills and serving barbecue to the public since 1998. His love for barbecue led him to start a catering business and then opening Hot Off the Coals in 2014. The smoky, sweet scents of Brice’s barbecue are apparent even before the sign comes into view on U.S. Route 50. Lucky diners will arrive when Brice or his head chef, Matthew Provenche

St. Michaels Crab and Steak House delivers seafood with a comfortable, welcoming flair. Eric Rosen, chef and owner, greets those who enter with a huge smile. Guests feel the love and are hooked. Proximity to the water and marina, with a service bar and pool for marina guests, give St. Michaels Crab and Steak House a unique setting. Guests can choose to dine in the tavern, which is the oldest part of the restaurant and said to have been an oyster shucking shed; a waterfront di

It’s hot, it’s humid, it’s crab season. Break out your mallets, spread out your newspaper, and get cracking. We’re sharing tips from the Shore Monthly staff on how to best enjoy your steamed crabs. Tip #1 “I like to use a mixture of Old Bay and apple cider vinegar for my backfin meat, and melted butter for my claws. The mixture of sour and savory adds some variety so things don’t get stale when you’re on your 6th, 12th, or 24th crab.” — Greg Mueller Crabs pictured from Bloug

If you make a detour off U.S. Route 50, and drive the scenic route through Dorchester County, you’ll find your way to Suicide Bridge Restaurant on Cabin Creek in Hurlock. The restaurant sits at the foot of the local, legendary “Suicide Bridge” — a bridge with a history that one only can assume. Despite the haunting and looming name, Suicide Bridge Restaurant is vibrant and brimming with activity. With a seafood menu to satisfy anyone’s taste for local cuisine and stunning vie

A sign of a good delicatessen, family restaurant or diner is food prepared fresh and made to order. At Katie Mae’s in Preston, all soups, sauces, and desserts are homemade; burgers and meatballs are hand-formed; and food is made to order. Selecting a meal at Katie Mae’s is a challenge. The menu is full of fresh, simple foods made better than you remember them. The one-stoplight town’s only sit-down restaurant, Katie Mae’s is a popular lunch spot for many of the town’s daytime

Humans have been consuming the juice of fruits for millennia. But in the 20th century AD, commercial and home juicers increased the availability of juice to the American public. The proliferation of juice was helped, no doubt, by Dr. Thomas Bramwell Welch’s invention in the late 19th century of a pasteurization process for grape juice. Welch, a dentist and Wesleyan Methodist minister, was opposed to the consumption of alcohol and marketed his “unfermented grape juice” to chur

It makes sense, for St. Patrick’s Day revelers, to seek out a place for celebration that can provide them with the Irish atmosphere the day demands. Yet, how many get stuck in the same annual rut of corned beef, cabbage and Guinness? As it turns out, there’s a place right here on the Mid-Shore that takes those staples and elevates them to something more, something perfect for those “Irish for a day” folks and those who enjoy good Irish food any time of the year. Located on a

Fish Whistle owner, Jeff Carroll Consider the oyster buffet, a dining experience available on the Eastern Shore during months with the letter R. According to M.F.K. Fisher, author of the quintessential book on oysters, “Consider the Oyster,” “There are three kinds of oyster-eaters: those loose-minded sports who will eat anything, hot, cold, thin, thick, dead or alive, as long as it is oyster; those who will eat them raw and only raw; and those who with equal severity who will