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Love Point Café
401 Love Point Road, Stevensville
410-604-0910

On a beautiful spring afternoon, we decided to take a drive to an area we hadn't explored since moving to Anne Arundel County: historic Stevensville. A few of our neighbors were moving to the area, and we wanted to find out what the attraction was.

Many folks on this side of the Bridge are finding a quiet lifestyle in the Eastern Shore's quaint little towns, such as St. Michaels. But we just discovered a little known secret on Kent Island, the land between the waters. As we turned on to Stevensville's Main St., we were overwhelmed with the charm of this little town. Just ahead of us was our destination: Love Point Café.

At first glance, it looks like a bed and breakfast. The Victorian-style building is adorned with stained glass windows, gingerbread decorations on the façade and café tables lining the patio. Inside, wind chimes and paintings from local artists add a pleasant note.

Chef-owners Tom Peterson and Mike Timm opened the café in March of 2002. Both hold resumes that resemble a Who's Who of the culinary arts, having worked at some of the best venues along the east coast. Along with the Executive Chef, Corey Smith, this group took their expertise and vision and put it to the test. With a "build it and they will come" mentality, they are on the next wave of fine dining restaurants popping up in this little Mayberry.

Gilles had his mind made up before our waitress could introduce herself. (He had peeked at the web site, which shows the current menu along with upcoming wine dinners.) He was ready to surrender to the craving. After all, it is rockfish season, and there's no better way to enjoy it (unless, of course, you catch it yourself).

We selected a Robert Mondavi fume blanc, a great start on a warm and sunny afternoon. The wine list and the table tent announcing several upcoming wine dinners reflected an appreciation of good wine.

With the usual order of cream of crab soup as well as the traditional version, we were well on our way to wonderful dining. The cream of crab was smooth and of perfect consistency, laced with sherry and lump crabmeat, and the Maryland crab was authentically prepared, with rich broth, tender vegetables and proper seasonings. Excellent. On many other occasions, we've had overpowering seasoning that took away true flavor of the soup.

The appetizers are a large list of winning seafood delights, along with a few surprises, such as Ahi & Salmon sashimi. The house salad had yellow tomatoes and mushrooms included, a nice touch. It was a perfect accompaniment to the New York Strip, expertly grilled and topped with mushrooms for our faithful friend Cathy.

I ordered the Crab Imperial, large lumps of crab enveloped in a beautiful imperial sauce, while Gilles and Has savored-what else?-the stuffed rockfish, moist and flaky, topped with a huge portion of crab meat stuffing. Way too much to finish, but simply beautiful, so who's complaining? Fresh green beans and garlic mashed potatoes accompanied our entrees.

Love Point's menu offers an unusual accommodation: if you do not see exactly what you want, you have the option of creating your own combination plate. Diners can add lump crab, scampi, sea scallops, crab cakes or jumbo shrimp to almost every entrée for a nominal fee. After our dinner we had a conversation with General Manager Mike Timms and discussed new menu themes the café plans to incorporate, such as Southwestern, Pacific Rim, Mediterranean, Spanish and Moroccan. We were also able to tour the "gallery" as we made room for dessert. On the tour, we learned that a new artist is featured every two months, and spotted a friend and fellow chef from Alexandria enjoying the day with his family. (They drove from Virginia to take in the charm).

Dessert was fabulous as well; we enjoyed the award-winning key lime pie, which surprisingly had a texture very close to cheesecake. It was a winning recipe in Florida for Tom Peterson in the late '80s, and for Gilles in Stevensville that day.

The café's patio is soon to be updated and enclosed, and other improvements are planned. It seems certain that as Kent Island grows, Love Point Café will grow with it.

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