June 2015

Chesapeake City was originally called Bohemian, or Bohemia Village, until the completion of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, when it was changed to its current name. That's your historical Maryland fact for the day. Why does this matter? Because you can't visit Chesapeake City without visiting, or being told to visit, the Chesapeake Inn. The Chesapeake Inn is a dual-level facility, with the lower portion being known as "The Deck" that serves lite fare, and the upstairs (or main dining area) serving upscale American fare. No matter which level you dine at, the crab cake is still the same. Read on to see if it's worth motoring on over for!

Fresh ingredients and creativity. A sandwich with no rules. These are all things that we can get behind, and all we have to do is pay a visit to the Vagabond Sandwich Company. Located in downtown Bel Air, the Vagabond Sandwich Company is scratch cooking their way into your bellies based on a concept from the 1940's. And they support the local farming community by offering local products for sale alongside theirs. You can find crab cakes in a few forms, although the proper crab cake is a wrap, and not a sandwich. Is that enough to make us follow the vagabond trail to their doorstep? Let's find out!

Every now and again, the CCR gets to travel to places outside of the MD/DC area. Sometimes its for vacation, other times its for a work-sponsored vacati....er.....conference. So we had the chance to travel to Amelia Island, FL, just outside of Jacksonville along the Florida/Georgia border. One night of the conference included an excursion to Fernandia Beach, which is home to the Salty Pelican. The Salty Pelican only opened up in 2012, and was awarded Best Restaurant/Neighborhood Bar on Amelia Island by Folio Weekly's Best of Jax in 2014.  Coastal Florida is known for seafood, so we couldn't resist trying some crab cakes. Were they worth the trip? Read on and find out!

According to local legend (or the About page of their website), Stoney Creek Inn actually started out as Bill's Seafood Carry-out and Crabs, way back in 1998.  It wasn't until 2001 that Bill and his family opened a full service restaurant at the Inn's present location. Aside from making a point to provide quality food, they also serve Maryland crabs during the crab season. Their food is so good that Guy Fieri visited the joint in 2008 to tape Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Will their crab cakes also take us to Flavortown? Let's find out!

Sometimes we come across a place that takes you by surprise. The Bushmill Tavern in Abingdon, MD does just that. The location is a bit off of the beaten path, and the outside decor is fairly basic. But reading the food specials on the board as you walk in the front door indicates that there might be more than meets the eye. The Bushmill Tavern opened back in early 2014 and features cuisine that isn't typical of your local neighborhood bar. Despite the winter menu still being in effect when we went, crab cakes were available, so follow along and see how they were!