The House of Marinara

As of a week ago, I had still not been to Acacia or Mezzanine. Because of time constraints, I needed a place with reservations so Acacia won out.

I knew I was in the right place when I saw the energy and excitement and then the waitress sold us on some super filtration water that was super good.  I had my with bubbles and ended up drinking 3 bottles of the stuff.

The food was OUTSTANDING.

Appetizers- I had the white anchovy salad and Mrs. Marinara had the garlic soup.I love white anchovies and this did not disappoint; however, that garlic soup blew it out of the water. Creamy, rich, garlicky and perfect.

Entrees- Mrs. M had the ribeye and I had dish with monkfish and lobster. Her ribeye was seared perfectly at the perfect temp. It almost seemed to be that the steak was grass fed because it was pretty lean and not a fatty/ juicy as we expected. It was still wonderful. My monkfish dish was perfect. I had always wanted to compare monkfish directly with lobster since monkfish is often referred to as “poor man’s lobster”.

Overall- the place was a hit hr. I want need to make a point of going back there soon.

I love food that defines a city: Buffalo- chicken wings, Philly- cheesesteaks and Baltimore- crabcakes. So whenever I visit these cities, I try to find the restaurants that do these items the best. Recently, I was picking up my buddy at BWI airport and it afforded me the opportunity to stop by the legendary G&M lounge to have a few of their mammoth jumbo lump crabcakes.

This place is a few exits north of the BWI exit on 295. The restaurant looked to be newly renovated and it was absolutely packed on a Thursday night. Due to time constraints, I chose to partake in their takeout section. Same food, same menu…. just no servers and fancy table clothes.

I ordered the crabcake platter that came with 2 HUGE crabcakes and 2 sides. All the sides I saw looked very underwhelming. I think I passed on them all together. Instead I focused on the huge mounds of meat.

They were amazing. They were broiled to a nice golden color. The lump crab was evident. Each bite was comprised of a single piece of crab. There was a little filling, being mostly used to bind the meat together. It seemed to be less breading and rather egg and mayo . Either way it was very simple and very perfect.

These suckers weren’t cheap. A platter costs around $26, but if you consider the retail price of crab meat, it really isn’t that bad.

It was easy to see why people flock to this place and I imagine I won’t hesitate going there again.

G&M

http://www.gandmcrabcakes.com/

It could just be the wine shop around the corner, and for me it is. But I really like this place and I would find myself driving to Carytown if it meant getting the perfect wine, cheese or beer.

What I really like about this place is the people…….

Sara is amazing with cheese. Her enthusiasm is intoxicating and almost requires that you learn to speak the romantic languages so that you might properly appreciate each and every specialty cheese.

David is the beer man. He loves to talk shop whether it is local or global. Be careful because he might get you hooked on some seriously hoppy brew.

Peter is my favorite wine man. I just love going to him with a menu and letting him scurry around the shop picking the perfect match for my meals. He has yet to miss.

Julia is the perfect hostess. She has an invigorating personality with the stories and knowledge to back it up. She owns the shop and she has done a wonderful job of making it a place where people need to return.

Truth is that I am far from an expert on wine, cheese and beer. The staff at RCC make me feel empowered every time I leave the store. They have good selection, fair prices, and they make shopping there- fun.