Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Ominous Skies and Crisfields

Last Thursday I went to work and once I was done for the day, I got into my car and began my drive to Silver Spring. I had hoped to avoid rush hour by leaving early, but this plan was entirely foiled by extremely heavy rain, toll booth construction and D.C.'s rush hour. Actually, it was mainly the rain and the construction, which caused me not to get into the D.C. area until 7. This is what the skies looked like as I drove south after leaving the Philadelphia skyline behind me.
I arrived in Maryland and sat around with my father and our former neighbors and friends the T.s. After a bit we got ourselves together and hastened to Crisfield's before they closed. Silver Spring is greatly changed from the city it was when I was a kid and a teenager, and though whole streets have been replaced with apartment buildings, diners with Discovery headquarters, Crisfield's remains almost exactly the same. From the signed photographs of Jimmy Buffett on the walls, to the collection of oyster plates and beer steins on shelves, it hasn't yuppified itself like the rest of the city. I like it that way. I appreciate and value continuity, especially in things that are good.
They have $1 beers. They are served in tiny glasses. I had the ESB.
And the soft shell crab entree platter, which came with two sides.
I went with apple sauce and french fries.
The crabs were good on the whole. I am arrogant and think that mine were actually more succulent, but their's were definitely more crispy. It was a good return. The bar/clam man was friendly and ended up giving me half a glass of beer 'gratis,' which I appreciate. Did I just just 'gratis' wrong? I mean that he didn't charge my father, who paid for the meal. Thanks Daddy-o!

3 comments:

Tom Schulz said...

Any other choices besides the apple sauce? I'm just coming at this from a color angle.

cc said...

Baked potato and maybe something else. Not much in terms of variety on the whole.

nc catherine said...

Crisfields!!! oh my I have not thought about that place in many many years. I am so glad they are the same. I had many a "what do we want to eat I dunno" meals there, with the buck beers. Wow.

Tom, sides in southern diners frequently are not a good color palette. You have your mac 'n cheese, your mashed your fried and maybe your baked Idahos, your apple sauce, your fried squash, if you are lucky a mess of greens, or, green beans, maybe baked beans. A study in whites yellows and browns. Delish nonetheless in a monocromatic artery clogging sort of way!