Shellfish (shrimp and clams) along with risotto and tomatoes from Fresco's Restaurant & Bar on Coastal Highway in Ocean City. (Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun / May 21, 2009)
OCEAN CITY -
If Ocean City had had a Restaurant Week a decade ago, it's hard to imagine anyone would have noticed. Most beach-goers still felt that steamed crabs, pizza and Thrashers fries were about as much fine dining as they wanted to do.
How things have changed. Upscale development in Maryland's favorite beach town has brought in plenty of people with a taste for fine dining and the money to indulge it. Look at the list of places participating in this year's Restaurant Week, which starts Sunday, and, yes, you'll find rib places and long-time favorite Phillips. But there are also restaurants that, even in Baltimore or Annapolis, would be considered cutting-edge with superior food.
And expensive. So the Restaurant Week draw - three courses for $30 or two for $20 - seems like a bargain in comparison.
What's more, bars are serving more interesting food, although of course there are plenty of places to get wings and ribs. And wine lists are improving. Even if you aren't lucky enough to be at the beach this week and won't be able to participate in Restaurant Week, this guide should help you if you want more than dinner at the closest crab shack. We'll run down the best places to eat when you feel like splurging on a nice meal.
Perhaps the biggest dining news in Ocean City this season is that the Captain's Table, is scheduled to reopen next month in the new Marriott at 15th and the beach. The family-owned and -run business, an O.C. favorite, disappeared when the hotel it was in was torn down. The menu will feature dishes like macadamia-encrusted halibut and oysters topped with lump crab and seafood cream.
"Everybody is waiting," says Vicki Barrett, president of the Boardwalk Development Association. "It will be standing room only."
The other restaurant news that has had people buzzing this year is that Marlin Moon Grille in West Ocean City was voted the Maryland Restaurant Association's Restaurant of the Year 2009. Even if you think some ballot box stuffing was going on, that's pretty amazing. I hear that the Marlin Moon's lease will be up in September and won't be renewed, so theoretically this could be the last summer you can enjoy its imaginative American cuisine - unless it opens elsewhere. So far, the owner hasn't found a new location.
Ocean City has a number of hip restaurants serving elegant (and expensive) food. Not to worry. You can go in your flip-flops and not feel uncomfortable. At the top of the list is probably Jules, tucked away in a strip mall, where you can get everything from foie gras to drunken duck. The limited menu changes often.
Galaxy 66, with its open-air rooftop bar, shouldn't be missed, particularly if you like eclectic menus and thoughtful wine lists. It's avant-garde for Ocean City, but in a good way.
Liquid Assets, a wine and martini bar, has an $8 lunch combo that's new this year, and worth looking into when you're tired of a slice of pizza on the beach.
Seafood is, of course, the star in Ocean City, and places to get steamed crabs are everywhere. But Italian is a close second in popularity. Two of the best are Tutti Gusti and Fresco's - and some think these are the two best restaurants in Ocean City of any kind.
The former has newish owners, two brothers who make their own pasta and bread. Locals know that having a half-order of pasta in the bar is a good way to eat reasonably there. As for the highly regarded Fresco's, al fresco dining where you can watch the sun go down is a specialty there, with a small-plates menu just for the outdoor seats.
For something Italian and more casual when you want to eat well on the boardwalk, try Fausto's Bistro. The pizza and salads are excellent.
If you're willing to go a little farther afield, West Ocean City has become a dining destination, unlikely as that would have seemed a few years ago. Not only is Marlin Moon in the area on the other side of the U.S. 50 bridge, but the relatively new Sunset Grille is making a name for itself as having gourmet food, including fan favorites like crab imperial and tempura-fried lobster tails, at not-so-gourmet prices. The Monday through Friday $4.99 lunch specials are great.
Every guide needs an insider's tip, and mine is the tiny, quirky Grove Market. It's probably the only restaurant in the Ocean City area where you have to wait weeks for a reservation. Locals love it. The decor is rustic and kitschy but the food is upscale. You have to like unusual little places to eat here - the server recites the menu, and it's cash only.
The start date for Ocean City Restaurant Week was listed incorrectly when this story was originally published online. The Baltimore Sun regrets the error.
How things have changed. Upscale development in Maryland's favorite beach town has brought in plenty of people with a taste for fine dining and the money to indulge it. Look at the list of places participating in this year's Restaurant Week, which starts Sunday, and, yes, you'll find rib places and long-time favorite Phillips. But there are also restaurants that, even in Baltimore or Annapolis, would be considered cutting-edge with superior food.
And expensive. So the Restaurant Week draw - three courses for $30 or two for $20 - seems like a bargain in comparison.
What's more, bars are serving more interesting food, although of course there are plenty of places to get wings and ribs. And wine lists are improving. Even if you aren't lucky enough to be at the beach this week and won't be able to participate in Restaurant Week, this guide should help you if you want more than dinner at the closest crab shack. We'll run down the best places to eat when you feel like splurging on a nice meal.
Perhaps the biggest dining news in Ocean City this season is that the Captain's Table, is scheduled to reopen next month in the new Marriott at 15th and the beach. The family-owned and -run business, an O.C. favorite, disappeared when the hotel it was in was torn down. The menu will feature dishes like macadamia-encrusted halibut and oysters topped with lump crab and seafood cream.
"Everybody is waiting," says Vicki Barrett, president of the Boardwalk Development Association. "It will be standing room only."
The other restaurant news that has had people buzzing this year is that Marlin Moon Grille in West Ocean City was voted the Maryland Restaurant Association's Restaurant of the Year 2009. Even if you think some ballot box stuffing was going on, that's pretty amazing. I hear that the Marlin Moon's lease will be up in September and won't be renewed, so theoretically this could be the last summer you can enjoy its imaginative American cuisine - unless it opens elsewhere. So far, the owner hasn't found a new location.
Ocean City has a number of hip restaurants serving elegant (and expensive) food. Not to worry. You can go in your flip-flops and not feel uncomfortable. At the top of the list is probably Jules, tucked away in a strip mall, where you can get everything from foie gras to drunken duck. The limited menu changes often.
Galaxy 66, with its open-air rooftop bar, shouldn't be missed, particularly if you like eclectic menus and thoughtful wine lists. It's avant-garde for Ocean City, but in a good way.
Liquid Assets, a wine and martini bar, has an $8 lunch combo that's new this year, and worth looking into when you're tired of a slice of pizza on the beach.
Seafood is, of course, the star in Ocean City, and places to get steamed crabs are everywhere. But Italian is a close second in popularity. Two of the best are Tutti Gusti and Fresco's - and some think these are the two best restaurants in Ocean City of any kind.
The former has newish owners, two brothers who make their own pasta and bread. Locals know that having a half-order of pasta in the bar is a good way to eat reasonably there. As for the highly regarded Fresco's, al fresco dining where you can watch the sun go down is a specialty there, with a small-plates menu just for the outdoor seats.
For something Italian and more casual when you want to eat well on the boardwalk, try Fausto's Bistro. The pizza and salads are excellent.
If you're willing to go a little farther afield, West Ocean City has become a dining destination, unlikely as that would have seemed a few years ago. Not only is Marlin Moon in the area on the other side of the U.S. 50 bridge, but the relatively new Sunset Grille is making a name for itself as having gourmet food, including fan favorites like crab imperial and tempura-fried lobster tails, at not-so-gourmet prices. The Monday through Friday $4.99 lunch specials are great.
Every guide needs an insider's tip, and mine is the tiny, quirky Grove Market. It's probably the only restaurant in the Ocean City area where you have to wait weeks for a reservation. Locals love it. The decor is rustic and kitschy but the food is upscale. You have to like unusual little places to eat here - the server recites the menu, and it's cash only.
The start date for Ocean City Restaurant Week was listed incorrectly when this story was originally published online. The Baltimore Sun regrets the error.
