Before I moved to Maryland recently, I hadn’t really spent much time in the state.  I’d been to Baltimore once or twice for a baseball game or something, but that was about it.  Once I moved to Silver Spring and Leon moved to Laurel (we’re planning on being in the Maryland area for the next year), however, it felt appropriate to do some more exploring.

Last weekend my mother was in town visiting, and I was trying to think of something fun for us to do in a place I’d never been before.  Leon and I decided to take her to check out the antique shops in Annapolis and then drive on to Kent Island to eat the famous crab cakes at The Narrows restaurant.

I must admit that my first impression of Silver Spring was, well, not the greatest.  In its defense, the city has undergone extensive efforts to open up new restaurants and shopping centers, and they are doing a pretty good job.  However, there are still parts of Maryland that even locals will tell you are pretty rough.  So I was pleasantly surprised that as we began to drive up to Annapolis, it was nothing but beautiful foliage and lush forests.  I was eager to see what Annapolis was like.

Annapolis is, of course, known for the U.S. Naval Academy, which has a lovely campus.  We drove around the capitol building, which is surrounded by quaint little streets with even quainter shops.  We stopped into Blue Crab Antiques and Evergreen Antiques, both filled with treasures.  I picked up an antique coffee table for a steal, while Leon walked away with a walnut side table and my mom scored a unique candelabra.

After that it was time to head to Kent Island to make our reservation at the Narrows.  I think that my favorite part of the outing was driving across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–you were literally driving over the water for about  ten minutes before “landing” on the island.  The Narrows looked very much like a New England establishment where one could acquire some great seafood, and it did not disappoint.

The Narrows is well known for its cream of crab soup and lump crab cakes, and being big fans of crab, we ordered the soup for appetizers and crab cakes for our entrees.  I swooned immediately after trying the cream of crab soup; the words that came to mind were “rich,” “thick,” and “savory.”  It was delicious.  The same can be said about the crab cakes, which had enormous pieces of crab meat crafted into perfectly breaded portions.  Add all of this together with the beautiful ambience of looking over the water, and it was a fantastic dining experience.

Our dinner was finished off with a seasonal peach cobbler, and we were all stuffed to the gills.  It was then time to drive back south, back over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and back towards the more industrial, gritty city section of Maryland.

From the outing, I found a new appreciation for my temporary state of residence.  It only took about an hour to drive from Silver Spring to Annapolis, making it a great option for day trips from the D.C. area.  If you’re looking for small town antiquing with a New England twist, polished off with some great seafood, Annapolis and Kent Island are calling your name.

 

                                               Crab Cakes at The Narrows, Kent Island

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