Review: Jerry's Seafood
By Gilles Syglowski
Photos by Larry French
Jerry's Seafood
169 West St, Annapolis
410-268-7733
jerrysseafood.com
September is a great time of year to enjoy Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay bounty: crabs are plump, fresh fish and seafood are still plentiful, and there’s even a light aroma of Old Bay seasoning in the air—or so it seems. And so we visited Jerry’s Seafood on West Street in Annapolis, which is quickly becoming well known for excellent seafood.
Jerry’s, which has two additional locations (Lanham and Bowie), has an interesting history. After sustaining an unfortunate injury doing construction work Jerry Gainey turned to his love of seafood. At the urging of his uncle he first began selling oysters out of the back of a ’68 Chevrolet very close to the Lanham location that would eventually become the first Jerry’s restaurant. Garvey “graduated” from his Chevy to a crab truck, from which he sold fresh-steamed hard-shell crabs, spiced shrimp by the pound, clams and oysters, and any other quality seafood he could find. In time he purchased a nearby restaurant and reopened it under the Jerry’s name. His path to success is described on the company’s Web site, which leads us to the Annapolis restaurant.
The main dining room, where we enjoyed our meal, is located on the second floor. The decor is light, contemporary, refreshing, classic white-tablecloth, with tones of dark blue and natural wood paneling. Altogether it was quite soothing and cooling on a hot and humid day.
Our server was JP, a new member of the restaurant team, who did an excellent job. With friends Sandy and Mike able to join us we got to taste the full range of menu options.
“We also savored the seafood pasta. It was regal, with mussels, shrimp, scallops, and crabmeat, perfectly cooked and tossed with linguine, in a luscious garlic-butter sauce.”—Gilles Syglowski
For our starters we had a little array of house favorites. The crab bisque was smooth but not as creamy as cream of crab; it very good, richly garnished with lump crab, and gently touched with a splash of sherry. The fried battered shrimp were delicious: lightly coated and perfectly deep fried, they were plump and savory. The light sprinkle of Old Bay seasonings and the tangy cocktail sauce were excellent additional flavors. The Baby Crab Bomb, ordered as an appetizer and as a “pre-try” before our entrée version, was succulent: jumbo lump crab, rightly seasoned, no filler, and suitably baked.
Then we welcomed an intermezzo of salads. Two mixed green salads were complemented with smooth goat cheese and pine nuts; one was dressed with an outstanding creamy blue cheese dressing, the other with remarkable feta cheese vinaigrette. That set us up for our entrées.
As for the acclaimed Bomb Crab Cake, we shared the Firecracker entrée version. Just as rich in jumbo lump crab meat as its baby brother, this 10-ounce portion was spiced up with dry mustard and black pepper. A real treat!
We also savored the seafood pasta. It was regal, with mussels, shrimp, scallops, and crabmeat, perfectly cooked and tossed with linguine, in a luscious garlic-butter sauce. The sea bass special was a hit as well: char grilled, served with a vivid mango salsa, moist throughout, and seasoned perfectly. The side of stewed tomatoes was delicious and the best accompaniment.
The wine list is well planned: not too heavy or long, well balanced, with an array of tastes and prices. The glass of Spanish Alba Lisa was superb, with a lasting aroma, wonderful tannins, and great body. It provided a great contrast with the refreshing and light Provenance Napa Sauvignon, which married the sea bass and pasta entrées beautifully.
There was no way we were going to get out without satisfying my sweet tooth, so we ordered two desserts, both of which we found wonderful and scrumptious: a smooth and rich towering New York–style cheesecake and a tasty apple tart.
All in all, great times! We can’t wait to revisit. Happy eating.
Gilles Syglowski is a certified executive chef, a certified culinary instructor, and a food service consultant. He is a graduate of the Lycee d'Enseignement Professionel Hotelier in Metz, France. He is currently the assistant general manager of the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. He has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry.
More Articles