Ahhhhhh, summer. The kids are out of school, the days are long and warm, and it’s time to enjoy one of my favorite seasonal seafood treats – the Maryland blue crab. Although the “official” season started back in April (and the heaviest crabs won’t be around until late summer/early fall), nothing says summer like sitting down to a long table covered in brown paper, grabbing a mallet and sharp knife, and digging in to a pile of hot, fresh-steamed crabs,…
As the temperatures rise, the rite of passage that is summertime grilling is gearing up for another season. I grill year round (as my grill is on my covered, wrap-around porch), but for those of you that don’t have that luxury, these recent sunny days have probably been filled with preparing for the first big kick-off of the grilling season, Memorial Day weekend. Now, I know that there are some clear battle lines regarding responsibility when it comes to grilling. …
As we move past the St. Patrick’s Day holiday (which I’m sure was a boon to many a pub and tavern this year since it fell on a Saturday), I’d like to take a moment to talk about beer. Not just any beer, mind you, but a drink that is so much more than just the sum of its ingredients. I’m talking, of course, about Guinness. Dark, rich, and hearty, it’s the beverage that literally fuels Ireland. I’ve been lucky…
Spring is in the air. The March winds will soon give way to April showers. The nights will grow warmer, the birds will fill the trees with their morning songs, and the local area will once again come alive with the colors of the season. That means that it is also the time of year to start thinking about planting a garden. It doesn’t have to be much. A few windowsill containers can qualify, just the same as a half-acre…
I talk often in this blog about the difficulties that local restaurants have in staying open in the four-state area. Truth be told, the restaurant business is one of the toughest out there – no matter what the address, and most people just don’t realize what it takes to not only make a great restaurant, but what it requires day in and day out for it to remain successful. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve heard people…
As I have spoken about in previous posts, Hagerstown is a tough restaurant market. Restauranteurs and corporations look at the I-70/I-81 interchange, run the numbers, and seem to come away with the impression that their concept just “can’t miss” in this area. If it were only that simple. Here in the dining trenches; however, it’s a different story. If you are from anywhere in the four-state area, then you probably already know that locals want food they are familiar with,…
Chicken wings. These days almost as American as apple pie, the humble chicken wing has come a long way in the past thirty years. Believe it or not, there was a time when butcher shops couldn’t give these things away, but those days are long gone. Today, the price of wings is more expensive per pound than boneless, skinless chicken thighs – and about three times the price of bone-in, chicken leg quarters. Amazing. Every restaurant I visit seems to…
I’ve spoken in this blog before about the Kitchen Shoppe, Inc. – a kitchen gadget and equipment store located in Carlisle, PA that also offers great cooking classes and hands-on events for all of us “would-be” chefs and kitchen enthusiasts. I just received their 2017/2018 cooking class schedule. There are some really great ones listed, and many are reasonably priced. They offer everything from “hands-on” demonstrations to multi-course, sit-down dinners where the chefs take you through the steps of successfully…
The summer months are upon us. Now is the time to get out on that grill! If you’re like me, you use the grill all year round, but the summer months are a special time for cooking outside. How can you beat a juicy steak, burger, chicken thigh, or sausage – flame-kissed and beautifully browned with those distinguishing grill marks? Grilling is also a fast and easy way to make a delicious lunch or dinner, and also helps to cut…
If you’ve read any of my posts, I think you know how I feel about dining in Hagerstown (here’s a link to a previous article to get you started). It consistently amazes me that locals complain about “better dining” choices in and around the county seat, yet then fail to support them once they arrive. Still, eateries keep trying. It’s as if the only research that’s been done at Corporate Headquarters is that someone in Marketing has grabbed a map,…