Cuisine
April 2014
Chesapeake Current
Priceless
TM
Local Dining & Gracious Living
Photo of La Bella Italia in Friendship by David Colburn, colburnimages.com.
Pizza Pizazz!
The Best Local Crab Soups
See pages 4 & 5
See page 8
ABSOLUTELY
delicious!
CHESAPEAKE CURRENT CUISINE™ is a magazine insert in the Chesapeake Current™ and also distributed as a stand-alone publication in high-traffic locations throughout Southern Maryland. It’s packed with information about locally-owned restaurants and pubs on the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay along with farmers’ market information. Owner, Executive Editor & Publisher Diane Burr Account Executive Call or email today for advertising information: ads@ChesapeakeCurrent.com Affordable ads for every business and every budget! Barbara Colburn (410) 867-0103 Graphic Design Guru Mackie Valdivia Staff Photographer Dave Colburn, ColburnImages.com Office Administrator Norma Jean Smith Distribution Team Tamara Timmermann Katherine Willham Kory Quinn Kyndal Christofferson Visit us online at ChesapeakeCurrent.com Chesapeake Current Cuisine™ P.O. Box 295 North Beach, MD 20714 (410) 231-0140 A sister publication of the Chesapeake Current™ Locally owned and operated. We promote “Buy Local” and we don’t try to send your business to St. Mary’s County! Copyright 2014. All rights reserved. No content or images may be used without express permission from Bayside Partners, LLC. There are no authorized inserts in this issue of Chesapeake Current Cuisine. Please contact us immediately if you find any materials inserted into this publication and we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.
Inside This Issue of
Luca Assante, owner of La Bella Italia in Friendship, is ready to bake one of his famous fresh, beautiful pizzas. If you haven’t tried a slice yet, visit them today! See pages 4 & 5 for complete menu….
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Chesapeake Current Cuisine April 2014
April 2014 Chesapeake Current Cuisine
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Here is just a small sampling of our abundant menu! Chicken & Veal Dishes Chicken Contandina
Seafood Specialties Lunch
9.95
Chicken breast sautéed with mushrooms, roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, broccoli and spinach in a light marinara sauce, served with a side of spaghetti
Dinner
13.95
Tender calamari and little neck clam served over linguine pasta
Linguine Vongole
Chicken Marsala
8.95
11.95
Little neck clams in your choice of w served over linguine pasta
Chicken Saltinbocca
9.95
14.95
Jumbo shrimp sautéed in a spicy ma served over linguine pasta
Chicken breast sautéed with mushrooms and marsala wine, served with a side of spaghetti
Chicken breast, topped with spinach, mozzarella and prosciutto in a garlic white wine sauce, served with a side of spaghetti
Chicken Piccata
8.95
Chicken breast sautéed with capers, white wine and lemon sauce, served with a side of spaghetti
Veal Parmiginana
Homemade style. Served over spaghetti
Veal Contadina
12.95
9.95
13.95
10.95
14.95
Tender veal sautéed with mushrooms, roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, broccoli and spinach in a light marinara sauce, served with a side of spaghetti
Veal Marsala
9.95
13.95
11.95
15.95
Tender veal sautéed with mushrooms and marsala wine, served with a side of spaghetti
Veal Saltinbocca
Tender veal, topped with spinach, mozzarella and prosciutto in a garlic white wine sauce, served with a side of spaghetti
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Linguine Clams & Calam
Chesapeake Current Cuisine April 2014
Shrimp Fra Diavolo Shrimp Alfredo
Jumbo shrimp in a light alfredo sauc
Linguine Mare Chiara
A medley of seafood with white or re served over linguine pasta
Fettuccine Shrimp & Sca
Jumbo shrimp and scallops in a crea served over fettuccine pasta
Linguine Mussels
Fresh mussels in your choice of whit served over linguine pasta
mari
Lunch
10.95
ms in a light marinara sauce,
white or red sauce,
arinara sauce,
allops
amy rosé sauce,
te or red sauce,
For Pasta Lovers Spaghetti Al Pomodoro
Choice of homemade tomato or marinara sauce
Lunch
Dinner
6.95
9.95
8.95
12.95
Spaghetti Puttanesca
7.95
11.95
9.95
13.95
Salsiccia Florentina
7.95
11.95
9.95
13.95
Salsiccia Napoletana
7.95
11.95
11.95
16.95
Baked Ravioli
7.95
11.95
10.95
14.95
Penne all’ Arrabbiata
6.95
9.95
Penne alla Vodka
7.95
11.95
Spaghetti della Mamma
6.95
10.95
ce, served over fettuccine pasta
ed sauce,
Dinner
13.95
8.95
12.95
Combination of olives, capers, basil and marinara sauce
Sliced Italian sausage sautéed with spinach and roasted peppers in olive oil and garlic over penne pasta
Sliced Italian sausage sautéed in marinara sauce. Served over penne pasta Ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese in a light tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese
Spicy marinara sauce, with fresh basil and imported parmesan cheese Mushrooms and ham, in a delicate creamy vodka rosé sauce Noodles in a delicate tomato sauce, with choice of meat sauce, meatballs or sausage
11 West Friendship Rd • Friendship, MD 20758
410-257-1062 HOURS:
Monday-Thursday 10AM-10PM • Friday & Saturday 10AM-11PM Sunday 11AM-9PM • Lunch Served Daily Until 3 PM April 2014 Chesapeake Current Cuisine
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Chesapeake Current Cuisine April 2014
April 2014 Chesapeake Current Cuisine
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Chesapeake Current Cuisine April 2014
April 2014 Chesapeake Current Cuisine
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Well Done! Best of Calvert:
Cream of Crab Soups
About the Author: A graduate of the Baltimore International Culinary College and a member of the United States Personal Chef Association, Gwyn Novak of Prince Frederick has been cooking and writing about food for more than 20 years. She has worked in numerous B&Bs, country inns, and country clubs on the East Coast. And now, as a native of Southern Maryland, she offers her special skills as owner and chef of No Thyme to Cook, to help you improve yours in the kitchen. No Thyme to Cook offers cooking classes for couples, adults and children. See their web site at nothymetocook.com for the schedule, call (443) 624.5048 or email info@nothymetocook.com.
By Gwyn Novak
A
s Southern Marylanders, we know a thing or two about good cream of crab soup. And just about every restaurant around seems to offers a cup on their menu. What’s amazing is that every single recipe is different. But who really has the best? And how do you choose? I’ve spent the last two weeks visiting your favorites. And here’s what I found out from north to south. Keep in mind that I couldn’t visit every restaurant in two weeks. I chose those you recommended provided they regularly offered the soup on their menu. The number in parenthesis indicates relative thickness: 10=thickest, 1=runniest. - Thursday’s (Owings) offers the most generous serving I tasted. If you arrive during happy hour you will receive a huge bowl for just $5. Unfortunately, however, it has a bit of a tin can taste that is hard to get past. (7) - Chesapeake Grille’s (Dunkirk) cream of crab soup was the close to the viscosity I prefer – about the consistency of a good sauce. It featured plenty of crabmeat throughout, but everyone at the table agreed that salt was the overwhelming flavor followed closely by an uncooked sherry essence. The most expensive tasted at $7.99/cup. (6) - JT’s Kitchen (Sunderland) – This café serves a large portion and for just $4.25. It is medium thick, is garnished with tons of crabmeat on top, but a heavy dusting of Old Bay. I didn’t detect any sherry, but the soup also didn’t have an uncooked flour taste either. All in all - not bad for the price. (8) - Stoney’s (Prince Frederick location) – Definitely, it was one of the thickest soups I tried. If you like really thick and rich soup, you’ll likely enjoy it. $5.50/cup. (8) - Lunch Box Café (Prince Frederick) – Their soup has a nice consistency - not too thick but on the thicker side of the scale and it’s made with red bell pepper and I believe celery, among other things. Just wanted to let you know since bell pepper is not typically a common ingredient in this soup. The soup features a hint of sherry, and was full of crabmeat throughout. It appears as if the crab is added at the time the soup is prepared rather than garnished on top. As a result it didn’t boast the jumbo lumps that some bowls have. But on a really cold winter day, it was a very tasty bowl of soup, and a bargain to boot at just $4.95. Every Friday, crab soup is their lunch special. (7.5) - Dream Weaver (Prince Frederick) – Definitely the richest soup I tasted. It offered a nice sherry flavor
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Chesapeake Current Cuisine April 2014
and the spices were right on, but there was a heaviness about the soup that would make it more perfect to share with someone. It was too rich to finish by myself. $4.95/cup. (7.5) - Jerry’s Place (Prince Frederick) – His cream of crab is very, very good. One big disclaimer however, it is not your typical sherry-based soup. It has a surprising ingredient that you wouldn’t normally associate with cream of crab – but it works beautifully. I’m not going to tell you what it is; I’ll let you discover it for yourself. I’ll also add that my dining companion typically does not like that spice, but he finished off the cup, despite my offers to switch my Maryland crab soup with him. The soup itself was velvety smooth – you can taste the real butter and cream. And the jumbo lump crabmeat is placed atop the soup and allowed to warm at the last minute so it doesn’t fall apart. Not particularly inexpensive at $7.25, it is, however, my favorite non-traditional cream of crab soup. (5.5) - Striped Rock (Solomon's) – Hands down, the Striped Rock offers the best overall presentation. The soup arrived overflowing in a crock, generously garnished with jumbo lump crabmeat, and browned a bit from a short stint under the broiler. Nice overall consistency, while tending toward the thick side of
Cream of Crabs
the scale, it lacked a bit in flavor. It needed a heavier hand of sherry or a bit of cayenne to really round out the flavors. All in all, more than a fair serving for the price at $5.99/cup. (7.5) - Lighthouse Restaurant (Solomon's) – Newly opened, the Lighthouse’s cream of crab soup was one of the best I tasted. Perfect consistency, great sherry flavor, and just enough spice to round out the flavors but not overpower. It was just the right combination of crab – plenty throughout each bite with the occasional jumbo lump on the spoon. $6/cup. One other interesting note – you can also get Maryland crab soup at Lighthouse. That’s not the interesting part – you can order a bowl that is half of each – half cream of crab/half MD crab. I didn’t try that. Not sure how I feel about that. But it’s an interesting concept. (6)
JT's Kitchen in Sunderland.
Striped Rock in Solomons.
Lunch Box Cafe in Prince Frederick.
Lighthouse Restaurant in Solomons.
April 2014 Chesapeake Current Cuisine
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Voted Best Crab Cakes & Best Family Restaurant in Southern Maryland
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Chesapeake Current Cuisine April 2014
April 2014 Chesapeake Current Cuisine
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