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Seafood Academy – July 4, 2013

My family and I recently took a trip to Orangeburg, South Carolina on a vacation over the Independence Day weekend. In the days leading up to the trip, Jonathan (“Sonny”) and I did a little bit of brainstorming on some places we wanted to visit in the Orangeburg area so that we could enjoy some food, then blog about them. We came up with a few, and Seafood Academy was one of the places that made the cut.

Upon our arrival after the 9-hour drive and eventual check-in and settling at the hotel, Sonny and I, plus our 5 family members all decided to head on over to the Seafood Academy, which happened to be right across the highway from where we were staying. We dropped in at the restaurant at 8:15 p.m. and decided to stay even though they were set to close at 9:00.

I wasn’t quite sure of what to expect when we walked in, with a name like Seafood Academy – academy, as in “school”. The outside looked more like a tavern, but the foyer inside looked like an intimate little restaurant. We were greeted by a friendly hostess and seated immediately, as there were no other patrons there, except for one person seated at the bar. Before I sat, I glanced around the room and found that the dining tables were set properly with white linen tablecloths, folded white linen napkins, water goblets and silverware, with burgundy leather-like menus. The bar area was very dimly lit, and equipped with one small television.

Once we were seated, I was able to take things in a little more closely. I noticed that there was a slight musty, “basement” odor coming from somewhere that I couldn’t pinpoint. Some of my silverware had hard-water spots on them and that out of the three aquariums that sat together along a wall, the one that appeared to have been a salt-water aquarium was full of green murky water that resembled lime jello, and fish that were pale and either slow-moving or sitting stationary as if they were in the beginning stages of death. Eeek.

On to the positives: Our waiter arrived at the table to greet us, introduce himself and take our orders. He also was very pleasant, well-mannered as well as gracious and attentive. We placed our orders, which returned in good time in my opinion. Everything on the menu was reasonably priced, and although there wasn’t a ton of items to choose from, I felt like I was able to make a choice easily and be satisfied.

I ordered a Salmon Caesar Salad; Sonny ordered a salad topped with fried shrimp, and my two daughters (both of whom were not pleased with me forcing them to order from the kids’ menu) ordered fried shrimp and french fries. I’m not quite sure what my mother, brother and sister-in-law ordered. Before our entree’s arrived, we were given two baskets of warm sliced french bread and butter. The bread was SO good. LOL!! It was warmed perfectly – not too toasted or crispy, just warm enough. We ate the bread pretty quickly since it we all enjoyed it so much (and I think because we were all hungry from the trip), so the waiter was more than willing to go and get us another two baskets of bread as fast as we had eaten the first. Everyone except Sonny and I had enough sense to stop eating the bread to save room for the real food. We sent for a third basket. LOL!!

Our food arrived and we all enjoyed what we had. I thought my salad was decent. The salmon was broiled nicely – not too dry, not too soggy. And for my daughters to have ordered from the kids menu, they were pleasantly surprised to have received such nice-sized portions of shrimp. I tasted one of my daughter’s shrimp and it was pretty good. Sonny seemed to enjoy his shrimp salad and the rest of the family didn’t complain at all about what they had.

While we were finishing up and the staff was coming to retrieve our plates and other items and bring the bill, our waiter came back to the table with two carry-out containers full of more bread. 😀 This made Sonny happy. LOL!! In all, I think our dining experience here went pretty well. I found it easy to make the best of my time here, even after having been grossed-out by the dirty aquarium, and getting a slight whiff of a musty basement or old water coming from somewhere, from time to time. The polite staff and pretty decent food made up for the minor misses. I wouldn’t call this restaurant a dive, and its by no means upscale. But it did serve the purpose at the time. Out of 5 stars, I’ll give it a 2.5

– Alonda 🙂

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Service Matters – Joes Crab Shack

If there is one thing that will definitely turn me off from returning to a restaurant, it is poor service. Food quality and presentation are very important, don’t get me wrong. But give me good food and bad service, chances are I won’t be back. I think some establishments have forgotten that treating your customers with respect and kindness goes a long way, and in my opinion, has a bigger influence on my choice if I’m going to be a one-time diner or if I’m willing to return again regardless of the quality of food. I’ve dined at many places that may not have had the best food. But the waitresses/waiters treated me like I was a valued customer, and for that alone I’ve returned.

The reason why I wanted to talk about this subject is based on a recent trip Alonda and I took to Cockeysville, MD to enjoy some seafood at Joe’s Crab Shack. All though we started this blog to give our reviews on our dining experiences, we had decided that we would only blog about restaurants that were not franchises, or how would you say “main stream” ie. the Red Lobsters, Applebee’s & of course Joe’s Crab Shacks. Our main focus was to draw attention to the smaller, not as well-known dining places that we love to try as Foodies. But this experience that we had at this particular Joe’s Crab Shack I felt I had to tell everyone about how horrible the service was. Now I’ll give it to Joe’s, I do like their food; I think for a “main stream” restaurant they are pretty good. They’re one of the only places that I actually think you get the same thing as you see in their tv commercials. And to me that’s saying a lot. I know many of us have seen a burger or dish on a tv ad and been like “OMG that looks so good I’ve got to try that place”, only to get there and think “this looks nothing at all like it did on tv”. Makes you feel like you’ve been duped doesn’t it? I know that’s how I feel. But anyway the service that we received while there was probably the worst I’ve ever experienced.

On arrival, we were seated by the host and given our menus and as they always tell you “Your server will be right with you”. Well our server never got that memo. Because we sat there with nothing but our picture menus for 20+ minutes (I use my stop watch on my phone to time how long it takes before the server first comes to our table). And during the time we sat patiently waiting, multiple employees waitresses & waiters walked by our table, but not one stopped where we were seated. And behind us at a empty table, a group of employees were just looking at us as they sat around eating and having a little pow-wow. So now I’m agitated and I have to get up and ask to speak to a manager. That in itself took 10 minutes for the manager to come out and see me.

I let her know what my complaint was as to waiting 20+ minutes with no service and she assured me that she would send a server right away to our table, and went to walk away from me as if that was resolving the issue. I had to let her know that if she wanted us to stay and eat at their restaurant that she would be the one taking care of our table that afternoon and not one of her servers who thought it appropriate to stand around amongst themselves and eat, talk and laugh while there was a busy restaurant happening all around them. The manager agreed and assured me that she would be the one to take care of us.

So I returned to our table to inform Alonda of the conversation I just had with management and that the manager agreed to be our server. Well to make a long story short, our orders were taken when she came to the table we ordered the steamed garlicky mussles as an appetizer and two Arctic Bay steampots, being as though we were sitting long enough to know what we wanted. The appetizer didn’t make it out to the table before the entrees did and the manager had the entrees sent back and she showed up minutes later with our mussles. Which by the way were very good. Then our steam pots came out and they were also very good. As I said before, all the food was good and I have no complaints about that at all.

The manager did make it up to us by deeply discounting our check for the waste of our time and hassle. But although I like going to Joe’s Crab Shack I don’t know if I will be going back to that particular location anytime soon. Because to me, service and respect for my time matters more than what a place is serving on the menu.
If a restaurant wants happy and repeat customers, remember our time is money too and no one wants to drive somewhere to be forgotten or ignored.
Food quality and taste are important but remember above all else and I think most importantly SERVICE MATTERS!!
-Sonny

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Blue Moon Diner – Baltimore, MD June 9, 2013

After another strong recommendation from my cousin, Jonathan and I, along with my cousin and his girlfriend, dropped in at the Blue Moon Diner in the super-cool Fells Point area of Baltimore for breakfast. This diner has been featured on The Food Channel’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” because their Cap’n Crunch French Toast is such a unique dish and its a hit. My cousin lives in the Baltimore area so he’s quite familiar with plenty good restaurants and their feature dishes. He wanted us to try this diner and taste the french toast, so we did.

I’m told that usually, the wait to get in this diner is very long. But on this particular morning, it wasn’t quite as bad as it could have been. The set up is very quaint…very small and modest, but with eclectic flair. Its no larger than the first floor living room area of a small row home.

I walked in to put my name on the list to reserve a table for four. I was allowed to write my own name on the list, which was a notebook sitting on a counter, not far from food prep. I was quoted a wait time of 45 minutes. It was a nice day outside so the four of us waited outside on benches on the side of the building, along with a few other folks – most of whom were also first-timers at the establishment and visiting out of curiosity due to its growing popularity after having been featured on the show.

We waited for about 55 minutes before a host/waiter came outside and called my name from the list. We were directed inside and pointed toward a small table with 4 seats. (There are no booths. This establishment is not set up that way.) The waiter was very friendly, down to earth, and cheerful, and was the no-notepad type. I like a waiter who can take an order, conversation-style, not write it down, but still get it right.

Anyway, Jonathan and my cousin’s girlfriend ordered the Cap’n Crunch French Toast with turkey sausage.. I ordered a short stack of pancakes, with sausage and two eggs over medium. My cousin ordered what was called the Garden Style Eggs.

While we waited for our food I watched as others received their dishes. Two things caught my eye. And I LOVE bread, so the two things that caught my eye were the home made biscuits and cinnamon rolls… They almost made me drool… I was this close to ordering a biscuit just so I could have it for later. But I didnt. lol

Also, my cousin’s girlfriend and I both needed to take our turns to wash our hands at the bathroom so we went in together. I found that there is only one bathroom… As in, one closet-sized room with a toilet and sink. A co-ed powder room… I guess sometimes folks have trouble with their aim if you get my drift, so I could smell a slight odor of pee. lol

When our food arrived I took notice that the portions were plentiful and the presentation of the dishes was neat and done with thought. I tasted Jonathan’s Cap’n Crunch French Toast and I must agree that it is absolutely delicious! What a unique combination of french toast, sweet cereal, fresh fruit and cream. 🙂 The whole little ensemble went together so well. Kudos to the Blue Moon Diner for stepping outside the box with this.

Also, my pancakes were huge! LOL! They were good but they were heavy. I ate as much as I could before I was full and needed to walk it off. I couldnt finish my two eggs or my sausage.

Over all, we enjoyed our experience here. Of 5 stars, I’ll give this spot a 4. Only because, parking was iffy, seating inside the building was pretty tight due to how small it is, and the bathroom. I’d like to visit again, though. 🙂

– Alonda.

http://bluemoonbaltimore.com/the-food/

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G&M – Baltimore, MD June 8, 2013

We visited this spot after a strong suggestion and good reviews from a relative of mine..my cousin… We had originally planned to visit Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, on Pier 5 at Inner Harbor but we switched plans at the last minute to go to G&M instead. I’m glad we made the switch, as the food was excellent! Mind you, we were forewarned by my cousin that the portions delivered at this family-owned, seafood-centered restaurant are plentiful. So much that most people rarely finish all of their food in one sitting. I kept that thought in mind. But I also kept in mind that when I go places and order crab cakes (which I’m a HUGE fan of, by the way), I usually receive small portions. So I sort of took this advice in regard to the crab cakes with a grain of salt.

When we arrived at the restaurant, we parked in the rear and were allowed to enter through the rear door, which took us through the bar and around to the front. We were seated right away with no waiting at all. The dining area was clean and well-lit. Not too dim, not too bright. And the tables were set properly. There was a “floating host”, who went around with a pitcher of iced water to fill or refill glasses. He arrived at our table and proceeded to reach for and fill our glasses with water. Personally, I’m big on manners. I would have liked it if the floating host would have given us eye contact and greeted us, rather than just going ahead to fill glasses of water for what may have appeared to him to be invisible people. But hey, that’s just me.

Anyway, when we were seated by the main hostess, our menus were placed at the table along with us. We reviewed the menus and immediately took notice that the menu was packed with choices under every category. My boyfriend is indecisive at times, so it took him a while to figure out what he wanted. But I was set on crab cakes…they’re what I had in mind and that’s the first thing that jumped out at me when I opened the menu. After we had reviewed the menu for a while, our regular waiter showed up and asked what we would like to order. My boyfriend Jonathan noticed this time that our waiter didn’t say “my name is….”. But I did at least hear him greet us. I found his name, “Philip” on his name tag. 🙂 I ordered the two-crab cake platter, a side salad and a baked potato. Jonathan ordered what was called the Chicken Chesapeake (which is two pieces of broiled chicken breast, topped with crab meat and Hollandaise sauce), a side salad and mashed potatoes with gravy.

So our orders were in…during our wait, I noticed several of the wait staff traveling back and forth with huge trays of plates for different tables. I thought to myself, my cousin was right. The portions are huge… We received our appetizer. The crab dip, as recommended by the waiter. It was pretty tasty. Very cheesy, but tasty nonetheless. LOTS of lump crab in it. I couldnt finish my half of it though because I wanted to save room for my entree. 🙂 Then our salads came. Mine came with a Greek dressing. I usually really like Greek dressing, but I felt like this one was a bit on the watery side. Too much red wine vinegar. But I ate it. Jonathan ate and seemed to enjoy his salad. Then comes the entrees. I thought I heard the gates of heaven open when my crab cakes were placed in front of me; they were super-sized! They were the size of grapefruits, cut in half and they were excellent! VERY tasty, no filler. However, as good as my baked potato could have been, it would have been delicious had it cooked a little longer. It wasn’t quite done. Jonathan received an equally large portion of crab meat with his Chicken Chesapeake. However, the Hollandaise sauce tasted like it may have had just a little too much mustard in it. But he enjoyed what he ordered. There was no way either of us were going to be able to finish our meals in one sitting. We indeed had to eat a good 1/3 of it, then pack up the rest for later.

Out of five stars, I’ll give this place a 4.5. I have to dock them for the inpersonable water floater, my so-so salad dressing, slightly under-cooked baked potato, and Jonathan’s too-much-mustard Hollandaise sauce.. In the end though, we will certainly return.

-Alonda

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