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Pusser's Caribbean Grille is the only "true" waterfront restaurant in downtown Annapolis and the only restaurant offering authentically prepared Caribbean cuisine. Located in the Annapolis Marriott Waterfront Hotel on Ego Alley, Pusser's is a favorite waypoint for boaters as they make their way along the narrow passage in search of dockage and a great crab cake. As the sun began to set, with just a few days before Naval Academy graduation festivities began, we decided to arrive by land for a change.

The maritime décor and treasure trove of historical pictures of Annapolis completely separate you from the traditional "hotel entrance" look, providing a transition to a sophisticated yet casual restaurant-amazingly well designed.

On a beautiful spring evening, all the outdoor tables were taken, but since outdoor reservations are not accepted, what could we expect? Our hostess graciously seated us at a very nice table in the enclosed patio. Getting into character for my upcoming business trip to Tortola, I decided to familiarize myself with the notorious rum concoction Pusser's Painkiller, known for its potency throughout the Caribbean-and now Annapolis. There was even a special mug available to take home, commemorating my visit.

Manager Derek Frix describes Pusser's Caribbean Grille as a British pub-style restaurant inspired by the Pusser's Rum Company-makers of a 350-year-old premium rum brand that "fueled" the British Royal Navy until 1971. And what about the name Pusser's? Just a corruption of the word purser: the British Royal Navy officer who doled out the daily ration of rum to the ship's mates.

Award-winning chef James Eriksen II, having been with the establishment for the past 6 years, continues to offer a diverse and pleasing selection of appetizing fare, featuring fresh seafood prepared with traditional Caribbean flare. Haitian Creole seafood gumbo ($20.50), coconut shrimp ($19.95), and appetizers such as the jerk chicken and pineapple quesadilla ($8.95) and West Indian conch chowder are indicative of Pusser's creative menu, as are famous Chesapeake Bay favorites.

Though Pusser's boasts of its signature crab soups, Maryland vegetable crab and cream of crab having won honors at the local seafood festival, our daughter Katelyn thought the cream of crab was good at best. Gilles and I enjoyed the Tortola black bean soup-a vegetarian West Indian black bean soup flavored with cumin and topped with cheese, sour cream, tomato, and scallions (cup $3.95). We then shared an excellent interpretation of a Caesar salad before our main courses. It had perfect taste, coating, and texture.

For entrees, the tilapia Chesapeake, a dish we had not tried before, was delicious. The tropics meet the Bay with twin tilapia fillets surrounding jumbo lump crab imperial, baked and finished under the broiler with imperial sauce topping ($21.95). Sides of steamed vegetables and rice with black bean sauce complemented the dish well. The imperial was very rich and the portions very large, and the dish proved just as wonderful for lunch the next day!

Gilles can never pass up the tempting Olde English fish & chips-cold-water Atlantic cod dipped in beer batter and then deep-fried. Accompanied by fries, West Indian coleslaw, tartar sauce, and lemon ($15.95), this batch was one of the best he'd had in a very long time.

For dessert we opted for our favorite selections. Gilles enjoyed his favorite "light dessert," Key lime pie, a classic from the Florida Keys, which featured a rich and creamy filling in a graham cracker crust, topped with whipped cream ($5.25). Katelyn, tried and true, ordered the ginger coconut crème brulee-West Indian custard flavored with ginger and coconut, topped with a candied sugar crust ($5.25).

Though the wine list was quite modest, the wines were selected to actually complement the style of food, not because they are favorites or they received accolades from Wine Spectator. This makes selecting from the list easy, even for the novice connoisseur.

Pusser's Caribbean Grille serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day of the year and there is always something exciting going on at the restaurant-from dinner specials to live music, fun promotional events, and cooking classes. The lobster clambake dinner special, offered every Monday and Tuesday night, has proved popular among locals-enjoy a three-course meal, including a tropical salad, a 1-pound Maine lobster, steaming hot mussels and clams, red potatoes, corn on the cob, and a slice of Key lime pie for dessert for only $19.95!

If you are searching for a special waterfront destination in Annapolis for your next dining adventure, this is definitely one restaurant you must visit.

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.

Grilled Scallops with Green Curry Sauce and Fruit Salsa

What's The DISH?
The Silver Swan Bayside at Queen Anne Marina
412 Congressional Drive, Stevensville
(410) 643-2021
www.queenannemarina.com
By Patricia Dempsey

Imagine having your very own private dining room for entertaining guests: a private setting surrounded on three sides by water. Facing a small beach with views of the Bay Bridge, you look out on a narrow channel rimmed with rock jetties and marsh grass. There is such a place and it's called the Silver Swan Bayside. Formerly a restaurant, it reopened last May as a setting for private catered events both large and small. It is owned by Kathy O'Boyle and Peter McKoul; the kitchen and serving areas were renovated in the fall and winter of the 2005-2006 season to prepare for the transformation.

"We can entertain a small dinner party of twelve or accommodate a wedding reception of over 200," explains Cheryl Haendel, who moved to the area last winter from Cleveland, where she worked in a luxury hotel. Director of catering and banquets, Haendel works closely with Swiss-born chef Hermann Forster to create individualized menus for each client. Because the cooking is done specifically for each special event, the preparation itself can become a theatrical event. Chef Forster happily indulges clients who enjoy watching their food being prepared, Haendel explains. "For a crab feast on picnic tables, he will get the big pots and bring them outside to boil-everything he does is with a twist-never ordinary. It should be a pleasure to watch food being prepared," she says.

The grilled scallop dish Forster has selected to share with What's Up? Annapolis readers is an example of using simple, fresh ingredients and presenting a plate that contains a variety of textures and flavors that are certain to please.

Mild and sweet in flavor, scallops are a bivalve mollusk. While the bay varieties are seasonal, sea scallops both frozen and fresh are available year-round. Low in calories, they are high in protein, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids. The part of the scallop we eat, called the nut, is the white muscle that opens and closes the two shells.

This dish is served with a green curry sauce. It is interesting to note that the word curry comes from the Indian word kari, which means sauce and can mean any number of hot, spicy, gravy-based dishes that contain curry powder. The Silver Swan Bayside green curry sauce uses the tart flavor of a finely cubed Granny Smith apple and is balanced by chicken stock and heavy cream. The fruit salsa, with its tropical ingredients-pineapple, papaya, and mango-provides a sweet and tart counterpoint to the scallops and curry sauce.

Court of Shanghai's orange chicken with broccoli, bowl of rice, hot and sour soup, and mai tai.

Taste
Court of Shanghai
1971 West Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 266-5990

Ever notice how, whenever characters in a movie are under pressure, the food they turn to for comfort is not your standard chicken fricassee, mashed potatoes, or warm apple pie-American standbys? No, instead they're diving into paper cartons of kung pao chicken, lo mein, and pork fried rice-Chinese food.

There's nothing quite so soothing to the tired soul as a piping hot bowl of chicken soup with wontons or a plate of steamed rice, vegetables, and sesame chicken. For 33 years the Court of Shanghai Restaurant, in the distinctive A-frame building on West Street in Parole, has been serving up an array of Chinese food favorites to its loyal clientele-and to an expanding base of new customers as the city and county continue to grow. Open for lunch and dinner 6 days a week, this family-owned and -operated restaurant serves up the dishes most of us have grown up with: chicken chow mein, shrimp with lobster sauce, beef with broccoli, and moo shu pork. It also serves specialties that include Peking duck and Shanghai duet treasure-hot scallops and shrimp sautéed with water chestnuts and celery in a sweet-and-sour sauce.

Part of the fun of going to a Chinese restaurant is the tropical bar drinks we in the United States have come to associate with Chinese food. Court of Shanghai is no exception, serving a mai tai, a favorite rum drink featuring the flavors of orange and lime, that is both refreshing and potent. The most popular dishes, according to the staff, are the egg rolls, shrimp toast, sesame chicken, General Tsao's chicken, and orange chicken.

It's the orange chicken that gives me the most comfort. Covered in a deep-fried batter, the pieces of white-meat chicken swim in a tangy, hot, and spicy syrupy thick sauce, a nice counterpoint to the accompanying steamed white rice. Although this dish traditionally has heat, it can be requested with little or no spice. Just let the chef know your preference and the kitchen staff will be happy to oblige by omitting the red chili peppers. A small note on the menu says the kitchen also will prepare dishes not listed on the menu if you order them in advance.

The Asian palate revels in a counterpoint of tastes, balancing sweet, hot, sour, salty, and savory. The hot and sour soup, with its mix of vinegar, pepper, soy, sliced mushrooms, and scallions, does just the trick to create an array of taste sensations. It's my favorite soup to soothe a sore throat, and the spicier interpretations can do a good job of cleaning out the sinuses. Also recommended for those who favor heat are the Szechuan dishes-chicken, shrimp, beef, and pork-known for their fire.

On the milder side, the Shanghai Dynasty is a colorful mixture of jumbo prawns, beef, and chicken tossed with snow bean pods, broccoli, and carrots in a rich brown sauce.

Dinner entrees are priced from $7.95 to $12.95, with a few exceptions. The whole fried crispy fish is $18.95 and Peking duck served with eight pancakes and plum sauce is $25.95 Lunch specials, which include fried rice and egg roll, range from $5.50 to $6.95. Or sample an array of dishes at the weekday lunch buffet for $7.95.

Lunch is served from 11:30-3 p.m. Hours of operation are 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Monday through Thursday; the restaurant stays open until 10:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and is closed on Sundays. All menu items are available for carryout. Limited delivery is available for orders of $20 or more. Call (410) 266-5990 for more information.