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Regardless of the time of year, the day, or the weather, Fisherman's Inn & Crab Deck, located on Chesapeake waters in Kent Narrows, is a destination restaurant. Moreover, it's also a historic landmark of the Eastern Shore. Established in 1930, even before the Bay Bridge was built, Fisherman's Inn was bound to make its name known.

Building the business through the early '70s, through a horrific, destructive fire in the '80s and a rebuilding, Captain Alex Thomas and his wife, Mae. kept the dream of great seafood alive, passing the tradition and success down to their daughter, Betty Schultz, and her husband, Sonny. Today, Betty's children, Andy, Jody, and Tracy, manage the restaurant, which has grown to include a 30-seat sophisticated indoor dining area, a seafood market, and, of course, the popular summertime dining destination, the Crab Deck, complete with indoor and outdoor picnic tables-perfect for cracking a few hardshells. Betty Schultz has even produced a wonderful cookbook, Fisherman's Inn Cookbook, boasting 81 years of her personally collected recipes, photos, and memories. Fisherman's Inn has been family owned and operated since the beginning, and every member of the family is involved in the daily operations, serving a wonderful selection of Maryland's treasure and bounty from the Bay.

We visited the restaurant on a cold night in February with our faithful friends Cathy and Has, along with our daughter Katelyn. Upon our arrival, two wonderful ladies at the front desk greeted us and guided us to our table. Attractions you'll notice right away include the unique collection of antique oyster plates adorning the walls in the lobby and dining rooms and the whimsical model train passing overhead, running its course throughout the restaurant. But so important is the welcoming, comfortable, and casual atmosphere.

We started with an enjoyable, traditional crab dip ($8.99), which was rich in crab and artichokes and served in a sourdough bread bowl. An outstanding new item on the menu, the crab and tomato tart ($9.99) consisted of jumbo (and I mean jumbo) lump crabmeat atop thinly sliced plum tomatoes with fresh basil and melted provolone and Fontina cheeses. The cream of crab soup ($4.99) was perfect-tasty, silky, not too thick, with the appropriate splash of sherry.

Most of our entrée selections were seafood inspired, [and how were we to not sample the best of the house? Has had the fried oysters ($17.99), which were plump, juicy, tasty, and perfectly golden fried, served with a side of remoulade sauce. Kathy opted for the crab cake match, which consisted of one crab cake paired with one of six other seafood dishes. She decided on the broiled stuffed shrimp imperial ($23.99 for the pair) and noted that it was the best stuffed shrimp she had in a very long time. The shrimp were moist and tender and the crab imperial was marvelous! The crab cake was perhaps, a touch over-seasoned, but delicious nonetheless.

Cathy chose the baked lump crab imperial ($19.95)-a smooth, tasty, and very appreciated dish. Katelyn, on the less adventurous side, settled for a perfectly cooked filet mignon ($28.99), raving about the red wine and shallot butter that topped the steak. Gilles decided upon one of the specials of the evening: a crab imperial stuffed rockfish ($25.99). It was absolutely delicious. Even prepared, by request, with no butter or glazing on top, it was still moist and tasty. Tip of the toque to the chef!

Salads accompanied each of our entrees, so we opted for the Caesar, which was very good and a little lemony, and a garden salad, which was appreciated for its crispness, freshness, and nice bite-size presentation. Both salads were generous, especially for side dishes.

We ended dinner by sharing a few desserts. Of course, the crème brulee ($4.50), our favorite, was the highlight! It was creamy and properly caramelized. A stacked apple pie ($4.50) was very interesting, with its layers of warm apple pie (very similar to an apple crisp) and ice cream, topped with fresh whipped cream-all served in a beer mug. It was rich and yummy. The low-carb cheesecake ($4.50) was delicate and also a winner.

Our service was excellent, very attentive, and friendly. We did not have the chance to meet Fisherman's Inn's award-winning executive chef, Paul Wernsdorfer, but did chat with kitchen manager Antenello Maranzi, who was in charge for the evening. Maranzi has been at the Fisherman's Inn for 3 years and has added a nice touch to the seafood menu with his experience in Mediterranean and Italian cooking.

Overall, the menu covered all Bay specialties, from crab dishes to clams, oysters, flounder, and rockfish, along with seafood favorites shrimp and lobster. Whether the dishes were baked, steamed, fried, or broiled, we found that everything was excellently prepared. There was also a nice selection of other entrées for turf lovers and others. The wine list offers a very nice selection, by the glass or by the bottle. The wines are moderately priced and will suit just about every palate. In the warmer months, you will also find a more casual menu-the crab deck menu, featuring seafood combination platters as well as steamed crabs-and great assistance for private parties.

A visit to their Fisherman's Inn's Web site, www.fishermansinn.com, will definitely tempt you to make the trip.

Gilles Syglowski is a chef, culinary instructor, and food service consultant. He is a graduate of the Lycee d'Enseignement Professional Hotelier in Metz, France. He and his wife, Kathy, a member of the International Wine Society, have more than 50 years' experience in the restaurant industry.

Ian Douglass, executive chef at the Old Stein Inn, prepares Rinder Rolladen.

What's The DISH?
Old Stein Inn
1143 Central Ave. (Rt. 214)
Edgewater (410) 798-6807
By Conal Darcy

Alongside route 214 in Mayo stands a nondescript building marked only with an aged wooden sign with a beer stein. That building, one of South County's first gas stations, houses the Old Stein Inn-a strange and wonderful alien among Annapolis restaurants.

Stepping inside transports you 8000 miles to a small Gaststube somewhere in southwest Germany. The low lighting and the low ceiling, adorned with an ornate stamped tin framed in wood, give the visitor a sense of gemütlichkeit, or coziness, that is rarely found outside the walls of family-owned restaurants in Germany.

Michael Selinger and his wife Beth took over the restaurant from his German immigrant parents, Karl and Ursula, in 1995. Like Selinger's parents, the Old Stein is a transplant with solid German roots set deep and wide in fertile American soil. Since its opening in 1983, the restaurant has kept a consistent blend of German and American, taking the best from both worlds.

The menu features red cabbage and potato salad piled high next to large portions of pork roast, Wiener schnitzel, goulash, knockwurst, and many other gravy-covered dishes out of the heart of Germany.

While meat and potatoes, the mainstay of German food, are well represented, those looking for a light meal won't be let down at the inn. The menu also includes fine chicken, fish, and vegetable dishes. "German cuisine can be a little bit heavy," admits Selinger, "but Chef Ian [Douglass] takes a more modern take." During the summer the restaurant switches to a lighter menu incorporating local ingredients and seafood.

The inn's traditional German roots nevertheless hold steady. Douglass, who was trained at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), says, "We use the same recipes that Mike's father brought over with him" in the 1950s. When asked whether the CIA regularly included German fare in the curriculum, Douglass answers no-most everything on the menu he learned from the previous German chef.

The Old Stein does not take reservations, though it does offer 1-hour call-ahead seating on the weekends. When asked why, Selinger has a very good answer. The atmosphere in a German restaurant is very relaxed, according to him. Unlike in the United States, once you finish a meal, you stay around and enjoy the afterglow of a fine dinner.

"People take their time," says Selinger. "We never rush them. We've had some people come in at 4 and stay until 11." While 7 hours may be a tad extreme, it's not uncommon for Germans to spend 3 or 4 digesting their meal and enjoying a few beers.

The beer-of course! What would a German restaurant be without beer? The Old Stein has its bases covered with a selection of tap and bottled beer representing a wide range of German brands and styles. There's something for the wine lover, too. Only the best German estate wines are served, including the popular Riesling, a sweet white wine from the Rhein and Mosel valleys.

These libations are best enjoyed in a biergarten. The people of Germany have cultivated a fine appreciation of good weather due to the preponderance of rain and cold. To sit inside when the sun is shining and a cool breeze is blowing is nearly criminal. Therefore, outside seating is offered by every German restaurant with enough room; the Old Stein is no exception. A high fence encloses its rear patio, where wooden tables and sun umbrellas provide the perfect setting for idle chitchat and a fine brew.

Annapolitans should consider themselves lucky to have such a fantastic selection of food and such a great atmosphere so close by. "We're one of the few German restaurants left in this area," says Selinger. "We get people from Baltimore, D.C., and even Pennsylvania stopping by."

So what is the big secret that lures so many to the cozy confines of the Old Stein? What should patrons know before coming to dine? Selinger answers: "Nothing. Just bring your appetite and thirst" and enjoy mouthwatering German meals and drinks with friends and family.

Conal Darcy is an editorial assistant for What's Up? Annapolis and has finally found a use for his degree in Germanic studies.

For The Dish, Executive Chef Ian Douglass chose a typical and relatively simple German dish called rinder rolladen. Named after a type of tin rolling shutter common in Germany, this meal is hearty and delicious. It also goes well with a good German beer.

Rinder Rolladen served with spätzle and red cabbage and, of course, a German Weissbier. Rinder rolladen (Beef rolls) Ingredients: 1 thinly sliced top round of beef 6 carrots cut julienne style 6 kosher dill pickles, diced 3 Spanish (yellow) onions, diced 3/4 pound applewood-smoked bacon, diced 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon ground pepper 5 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika 3 tablespoons curry powder 1 tablespoon nutmeg 1 1/2 gallon of beef stock German style spicy mustard in a squeeze bottle Preheat oven to 350°. Trim excess fat from the beef and lay it out on a clean, flat surface. Squirt three or four lines of mustard on each slice and season with salt and pepper. Place a pinch of carrot, pickle, onion, and bacon on each slice. Roll beef and secure it with a toothpick if necessary. Place in a baking pan and sprinkle with spices. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Add stock to pan and cook an additional hour. Strain the broth into a saucepan and thicken to gravy consistency over low heat. Once ready, pour over the rolladen. A typical serving is two rolladen per plate, served with cooked red cabbage and spätzle, traditional German noodles, available at most grocery stores, in the international aisle.

Chile Relleno with chicken

Taste
Jalapeños
25 Forest Dr.
Annapolis, Maryland
(410) 266-7580

The vision of flowing water captured inside glass and framed by a wrought-iron gate and the sound of flamenco music greet you as you enter the dining room of Jalapeños. You have entered another world far different from the plain rectangular shapes of the shopping center buildings in Forest Plaza off Forest Drive in Parole, far different from the expansive black asphalt parking lot and the rows of parked cars. In my mind's eye, Jalapeños should be located off a garden square and down a cobblestone street in an old-world-style city of Mexico or Spain. But those of us who live in Anne Arundel County are fortunate that this charming restaurant is accessible to us for lunch and dinner without hopping on a plane and leaving the United States for another country. Jalapeño's provides Latin flavor to diners in a relaxed atmosphere that will have you returning again and again for another taste.

Serving a combination of Mexican and Spanish cuisine, owners Gonzalo Fernandez and Alberto Serrano have created a dining establishment that serves the kind of meal you want to linger over, Latino comfort food that includes rice, beans, and homemade salsa, along with exotic combinations of fresh fish, lamb, chicken, and shellfish. Fernandez was born in Anduras,in northern Spain, while his partner, Alberto Serrano, is from Mexico. The menu includes the old standbys fajitas and enchiladas, along with the three variations of Spanish paella. But there are also some more unusual items on the menu, such as trucha campesina ($14.25), trout sautéed with mushrooms, artichoke hearts and capers finished with white wine and lemon and chuleta de cerdo ($15.50), a center-cut pork chop marinated in vegetable and sesame oil, garlic, shallots, peppercorns, honey, and thyme, then grilled and topped with caramelized onions. A dinner entrée of enchiladas, served with either a traditional Oaxacan dark mole sauce or with a tomatillo sauce, is available with your choice of chicken, beef, or chorizo (spicy pork sausage) at $11 and the fajitas brought sizzling to your table run from $11.95-$15, depending on your choice of chicken, beef, or shrimp. Whether you choose the paella Valenciana ($20), paella Catalana ($24), or paella marinera ($24), you will find it perfectly spiced and delicious.

Jalapeños offers a full wine list, as well as wines by the glass, domestic and imported beers, and special margaritas.

The appetizer list is long and extensive, allowing those who wish to make a meal out of multiple small plates of food, tapas, full reign to indulge. The small plate prices range from jamon y queso, cured Serrano ham and manchego cheese dressed with olive oil, for $5.50, to chuletitas a la riojana, lamb chops stewed with dried fruits, rosemary, and vinegar sauce, for $9.

Recently I took a break during a hectic day to indulge myself in lunch with a colleague. We started out by sharing an order of ceviche-shrimp, scallops, and calamari marinated in a citrus sauce with olive oil, cilantro, and garlic. Served in a chilled pedestal glass and topped with fresh leaves of cilantro and sliced lime, it was refreshing and delicious. On previous visits I have tried the gazpacho, a wonderful summer soup made of blended tomato and vegetables, as well as the sopa de posole, a traditional Mexican soup of corn, chicken, cilantro, and onion.

The pescado al nopal is on both the dinner and lunch menus. Grilled fresh fish crusted with oregano and served over grilled onion and cactus is topped with green and red tomato sauces. We opted to split that dish along with a chile relleno with a pork stuffing that proved to be a spicy blend of chorizo. The fish was light and tender. The chile relleno was bold and spicy. Both dishes were presented beautifully. Sour cream was drizzled on top of the chile. The fish was served atop a bed of rice and beans. The lunch menu includes fish tacos and flautas, not offered as dinner choices. Both lunch and dinner menus include some tempting dessert treats. My favorite,flan de caramelo, is light in texture, soothing, and rich.

Lunch is served Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m; dinner is served 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 4 to 9 Sunday. Reservations are recommended. Occasionally evening entertainment, such as flamenco dancers, is featured. Call the restaurant for more information.

-Nadja Maril