DINING TASTE
Million Dollar Views and Great Food
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By Tom Worgo Photography by Stephen Buchanan
he 98 Cannon Riverfront Grille puts together an unbeatable combination. The restaurant has an outstanding river view, great food, and excellent design. Located on the former site of the Fish Whistle, the building underwent a $500,000 renovation. The restaurant, which opened in May of last year, is part of Chestertown’s recently revitalized waterfront.
Chef and co-owner Chris Golder makes the place hum. He prioritizes local seafood and turns out eye-catching dishes, like fish and chips, crab cakes, and several variations of tacos. Golder has been in the restaurant business for 40 years, including stints as a chef at the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore, on private yachts, and at American Country Club Golf Courses around the nation.
“He has enticed the public with a local flair,” Co-owner Joe Elliott says. “He has elevated casual dining.” We recently talked to Elliott and Golder—both Chestertown residents—about what makes the restaurant different, its renovation, and its appealing food.
98 CANNON RIVERFRONT GRILLE 98 Cannon Street, Chestertown 443-282-0055 98cannon.com Joe, do you feel the restaurant is one of the most popular on the Shore? We have a beautiful view. The marina is right here. We have open space to look out and two large decks to dine on outside. I think it’s one of the best places to go and to eat outside for the views. Why did you open where you did? We saw an opportunity at this location that could be enhanced. The tenant of the former site didn’t re-sign a lease and we put a group together and went for it. We did a full renovation. With the new marine construction in Chestertown, it was the perfect time to do it. I was happy to deliver it to the town: a new, improved spot to eat on the water. Was the Chestertown revitalization appealing to you? Yes, it is a great place. We didn’t do it for the money. If we made money, great. We don’t want to lose money. We did it because we felt the town would enjoy it and appreciate it. I love the town. You have to
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What’s Up? Eastern Shore | October 2020 | whatsupmag.com
love the location and believe in the people. I found the right team to help me do it. Can you talk about design of the new restaurant? The concept was to open it up, maximize the views, and have one restaurant, instead of a bar and restaurant. That’s how we designed it. I wanted a bar that could serve two sides, be open and see through. So, we took all the walls down that were not supported. We opened up the wall that faces the Chester River that had tiny windows and we installed big ones. And we put a lot of light on the casual dining side. What do you promote the community? We promote local foods that we source. We support fulltime, local musicians. We have music once a week. From one musician to a full band. We always try to partner with the town on marketing and fundraising tasks. We donate to charities. We just want people to be proud to go to our restaurant and go
