If I said it once, I have said it 100 times: I can high brow food and I can low brow food. For instance, I can go to some of the best restaurants in NYC, (I have been fortunate enough to go to 5 of the top 8 rated restaurants for food, according to Zagat 2006.) I can also write endless blogs about hot dogs. I heart hot dogs. So this blog here is dedicated to one of my favorite categories of low brow foods, Boardwalk Food.
This past weekend I was lucky enough to be invited down to the beach by Kate. Fenwick Island is in Delware and it border Ocean City Maryland, which is a top beach destination. Ocean City has a fun (and long) boardwalk. And the easiest way to describe it to my fellow New Yorkers is that its a cleaner, nicer, less tacky version of the Jersey Shore and its a more down to earth beach community than Montauk or (gag) the Hamptons.
With Kate as my guide I was able to enjoy some of the best Boardwalk Food I have ever had. (Now nothing beats a Nathan's Hot Dog at Coney Island, so I didn't go there with the hot dogs.)
First stop was for a crabcake sandwich and a birch beer at Dough Roller's right in the middle of the boardwalk. This crabcake sandwich was outstanding. No silly fillers, just the right bun, and so good who needed tarter sauce. The quality of the crabcake is no surprise, I mean this is Maryland for goodness sake. Others that I dined with had the soft shell crab sandwich and pina colodas. As good as my sandwich was, I must return for the soft shell crab sandwich. I must.
Next snack was the best popcorn that I ever had in my life. Courtesy of Fisher's Popcorn. Now if you have never had warm caramel popcorn or warm white chedder popcorn, then you have never had good popcorn. This caramel popcorn was such a treat warm, it was seriously outstanding.
After wining various stuffed animals (I got a Carebear) my eye caught a glance of something called a Rosseta Waffle. Its a crunchy thin layered waffle that they put powdered sugar on. The best part is that I was standing down wind, and everytime someone took a bite I got their powdered sugar all over me.
While I was waiting for my airbrushed t-shirt to be done (I got Alaina with cherries.) Kate introduced me to what I have to say were the best french fries I have ever had. And I have had alot of french fries, so you know I mean business when I say this. Trashers Fries did boardwalk fries to the extreme. What are boardwalk fries you may ask? Well check out this definiation and brief history about boardwalk fries and Trashers (courtesy of QuickSeek.com):
Boardwalk fries, are brine soaked fresh-cut potatoes, that are quickly deep-fried in peanut oil, served in paper buckets, sprinkled lightly with salt and malt vinegar. You will never find ketchup available at any authentic fry stands. Perhaps one of the most famous vendors of boardwalk fries is Trashers' French Fries of Ocean City, Maryland, founded in 1929 by J.T. Trasher. The term "Boardwalk Fries" was registered as a trademark by a franchising company in 1982. The company was formed in 1980, after the founders visited Ocean City (and presumably Trashers).
Now I am a huge ketchup fan. Its my favorite condiment. So for me to eat fries with malt vinegar on them would be unheard of (ask Derek about how I usually turn up my nose.) But these fries were out of this world. Take me back to Trashers anytime. I am there.
Upon returning to Fenwick Island the wonderful ladies I was with wanted to stop into an ice cream shop recommended to us by Kate's Mom. I believe the name was something like Hula Hut or something Tiki like that. Since I have been curse with a lactose issue, I was unable to participate, but from what I gathered and since we went back there the next day, the ice cream was outstanding. With flavors such as Wedding Cake and Blueberry Cheesecake you know it has to be good.
It was a great day in Boardwalk Food. And believe it or not we were all down for a seafood buffet dinner that night. We went to Philip's Seafood, and while there we went to town! Kate taught Kristen, Sarah, and I how to eat crabs the proper Maryland way. Kate is a crab genius. And I really appreciate the authentic schooling she provided. I became quite good at eating crabs, in part from the wonderful teaching and in part from my natural ability to eat. I also had "hush puppies" for the first time. Kate told me to dip them in butter. Holy shit, was that good.
It was the perfect Maryland dining experience to end a wonderful day (even though it rained on us) on the boardwalk.
hushpuppy; hush puppy
This Southern specialty is a small cornmeal DUMPLING, flavored with chopped scallions, deep-fried and served hot. Hushpuppies are a traditional accompaniment for fried catfish. Their name is said to have come from the fact that, to keep hungry dogs from begging for food while the rest of the dinner was being prepared, cooks used to toss scraps of the fried batter to the pets with the admonition, "Hush, puppy!"
This past weekend I was lucky enough to be invited down to the beach by Kate. Fenwick Island is in Delware and it border Ocean City Maryland, which is a top beach destination. Ocean City has a fun (and long) boardwalk. And the easiest way to describe it to my fellow New Yorkers is that its a cleaner, nicer, less tacky version of the Jersey Shore and its a more down to earth beach community than Montauk or (gag) the Hamptons.
With Kate as my guide I was able to enjoy some of the best Boardwalk Food I have ever had. (Now nothing beats a Nathan's Hot Dog at Coney Island, so I didn't go there with the hot dogs.)
First stop was for a crabcake sandwich and a birch beer at Dough Roller's right in the middle of the boardwalk. This crabcake sandwich was outstanding. No silly fillers, just the right bun, and so good who needed tarter sauce. The quality of the crabcake is no surprise, I mean this is Maryland for goodness sake. Others that I dined with had the soft shell crab sandwich and pina colodas. As good as my sandwich was, I must return for the soft shell crab sandwich. I must.
Next snack was the best popcorn that I ever had in my life. Courtesy of Fisher's Popcorn. Now if you have never had warm caramel popcorn or warm white chedder popcorn, then you have never had good popcorn. This caramel popcorn was such a treat warm, it was seriously outstanding.
After wining various stuffed animals (I got a Carebear) my eye caught a glance of something called a Rosseta Waffle. Its a crunchy thin layered waffle that they put powdered sugar on. The best part is that I was standing down wind, and everytime someone took a bite I got their powdered sugar all over me.
While I was waiting for my airbrushed t-shirt to be done (I got Alaina with cherries.) Kate introduced me to what I have to say were the best french fries I have ever had. And I have had alot of french fries, so you know I mean business when I say this. Trashers Fries did boardwalk fries to the extreme. What are boardwalk fries you may ask? Well check out this definiation and brief history about boardwalk fries and Trashers (courtesy of QuickSeek.com):
Boardwalk fries, are brine soaked fresh-cut potatoes, that are quickly deep-fried in peanut oil, served in paper buckets, sprinkled lightly with salt and malt vinegar. You will never find ketchup available at any authentic fry stands. Perhaps one of the most famous vendors of boardwalk fries is Trashers' French Fries of Ocean City, Maryland, founded in 1929 by J.T. Trasher. The term "Boardwalk Fries" was registered as a trademark by a franchising company in 1982. The company was formed in 1980, after the founders visited Ocean City (and presumably Trashers).
Now I am a huge ketchup fan. Its my favorite condiment. So for me to eat fries with malt vinegar on them would be unheard of (ask Derek about how I usually turn up my nose.) But these fries were out of this world. Take me back to Trashers anytime. I am there.
Upon returning to Fenwick Island the wonderful ladies I was with wanted to stop into an ice cream shop recommended to us by Kate's Mom. I believe the name was something like Hula Hut or something Tiki like that. Since I have been curse with a lactose issue, I was unable to participate, but from what I gathered and since we went back there the next day, the ice cream was outstanding. With flavors such as Wedding Cake and Blueberry Cheesecake you know it has to be good.
It was a great day in Boardwalk Food. And believe it or not we were all down for a seafood buffet dinner that night. We went to Philip's Seafood, and while there we went to town! Kate taught Kristen, Sarah, and I how to eat crabs the proper Maryland way. Kate is a crab genius. And I really appreciate the authentic schooling she provided. I became quite good at eating crabs, in part from the wonderful teaching and in part from my natural ability to eat. I also had "hush puppies" for the first time. Kate told me to dip them in butter. Holy shit, was that good.
It was the perfect Maryland dining experience to end a wonderful day (even though it rained on us) on the boardwalk.
hushpuppy; hush puppy
This Southern specialty is a small cornmeal DUMPLING, flavored with chopped scallions, deep-fried and served hot. Hushpuppies are a traditional accompaniment for fried catfish. Their name is said to have come from the fact that, to keep hungry dogs from begging for food while the rest of the dinner was being prepared, cooks used to toss scraps of the fried batter to the pets with the admonition, "Hush, puppy!"
posted by Alaina @ 5:54 PM
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