Food Porn: Beach Edition
I don't cook at the beach. Much. Maybe fry up a breakfast, throw together a cheese plate, but that's about it. Our annual Beach Week is all about someone else providing the food, whether it is Five Guys (burgers and fries) or Tastykake (Mid-Atlantic high-end version of Twinkies). A photo essay follows, but I admit I missed many potential entries - or entrees, ha! - because I just didn't think to take a photo before consumption.
The photo to the right is a platter of Maryland Blue Crab. If you go to a crabhouse, these will come in a bucket or on a tray, to your table that is covered in butcher paper. Somewhere there will be a bin with wooden mallets and rolls of paper towels. If you don't have cuts on your fingers and Old Bay under your nails, you didn't do it right.
Our own small sampler , mostly because we couldn't remember if we liked the Midas or not. That 120 Minute IPA to the right? Whoa. 15-18% ABV. And it's still called beer!
Dogfish Head Brewery has been an annual pilgrimage for a few years now. The food is OK, the beer is fantastic. We left with two cases - one of the 90 Minute IPA, one of my faves, and a mixed case that included Midas Touch, made with ingredients found in 2,700-year-old drinking vessels from the tomb of King Midas. Yeah, they are BEER NERDS here.
Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes, Swiss Rolls and Chocolate Kandy Kakes and a big glass of milk. MMM, mmm good!
And now, a word from our sponsor...Tastykake. You don't know what that is, do you? And I am sad for you. Because Hostess and Little Debbies are distant last place finishers in this category. To the right is a small sampling of what the Tasty Baking Company (no, not kidding, that is really the name) has to offer. Not shown, but completely delicious: Butterscotch Krimpets, Coconut Juniors, Chocolate Creamies, Cream Filled Cupcakes, Tasty Klair Pie...geez, just go to
Need to fuel your beach day? Creamed Chipped Beef surrounded by egg and slathered in more Creamed Chipped Beef.
The General's House of Chipped Beef. Why not? Top-of-the-line, artery-clogging goodness comes in the form of a Creamed Chipped Beef Omelet, which I feel compelled to order every year, even though I know I will need 364 days of Lipitor to clear it all out for another round. Just kidding about the Lipitor. Although I have no idea why I DON'T need it after this omelet.
Mussels in a Thai miso broth with bok choy and wonton crunchy things. Fabulous.
We checked out a new place, for us, in Fenwick Island DE called Just Hooked. Their slogan is Farm-Ocean-Table, and they emphasize using local producers for their dishes. Sounded like our kind of place, plus they had steamed mussels, another of my beach meal requirements. Wow. The mussels were amazing. Calamari was tender and spicy and so good that both boys were snagging bits of squid as if it wasn't some weird parental food.
You can get $1 off a refill if you reuse your Fisher's tub. No such deal from Candy Kitchen, which in addition to the pretzels, excels at salt-water taffy and fudge at exorbitant prices.
What did I forget? Oh yeah! More junk food! Our beach trip would not be complete without at least one, and more likely two, trips to Candy Kitchen. This year we also added a trip to Fisher's Popcorn for a tub of caramel corn. I don't get the obsession with Fisher's - it's good but that little tub was six bucks! Of course, the chocolate-covered pretzels from Candy Kitchen tap out at about $17/lb, so it's probably best just to shrug, close your eyes and hand over the credit card. It's beach week, after all.