boatyard bar & grill

getting out of the district these days can be a challenge if your resources are limited.  money, time off from work and travel companions all weigh into the planning process.  recently, i needed a break.  searching the map much like prince akeem in coming to america, i scoured quick getaways that would not empty the bank.  annapolis, maryland made the cut.  why  annapolis is one of those places that are close to downtown washington (30 miles), quaint in architecture and enough history to keep your mind racing for a quick weekend trip.  two days away was all i needed and on this saturday morning, i packed up the car for an overnight trek to annapolis. the best way to get a full visual of a city for me is to take a broad tour of the scene, which is why discover annapolis tours came in handy.  they offer a trolley tour that takes you around the town to see everything from the william paca house and garden, home of the declaration of independence signer, to the banneker-douglass museum.  annapolis is small so this hour-long tour will give you just the overview you will need to explore the area independently. talking about annapolis without talking about the naval academy is like talking about washington and not acknowledging the capitol, you cannot do one without the other.  i learned this early on during my visit, the u.s. naval academy is the towns pride and joy.  rightfully so, the naval academy is a site for sore eyes:  bancroft hall’s pristine rotunda, the midshipmen in uniform and a wall of fame that makes you wonder why army comesbackevery year for such a beating.  the deep history of preparing young men and women for the u.s. naval officer and marine corps is embedded in each and every corner of this campus.  the school prides itself on excellence and exudes it through the numerous accolades that could take you days and weeks to learn all of it. bancroft hall at the u.s. naval academy has its own zip code. after a day of taking

good atmosphere, good food. in town on a business trip and a co-worker suggested this place. it's a fun lively place... perfect if you're casually dressed.

crab cakes were great. meaty, no filler. just like the menu says. will gobacknext time i'm in town.

our new fave. movingbackto annapolis after a 20 year hiatus and wondered in here when our 1st choice was full(busy art walk evening). we opted to sit at bar and were very profesionalyy served by the charming bar tender and food delivers as well. yummy oysters, soup was dee-lish, best softshells i have had in a while, all in all a very positive experience!

overall, the crab cake is spectacular. the crab flavor comes through, with a nice bready texture to accompany. spicing is a bit salty, with some spice on thebackend. lemon does a decent job of mellowing it out. still doesn't take away from the experience, which is nothing short of excellent.

pretty alright. i used to work at a hotel in annapolis and always recommend people go to the boatyard bar & grill, sight unseen. i had never been there before, this was 3 years ago.

i went for the first time today, i see why i subconsciously sent people here.

i got the titanic (wedge salad), my honeybaby and i shared the calamari, both were banging in space. they make their own blue cheese and that stuff ain't no joke, the best bc i've had.

for meals, i got the ocean city inlet flounder club - flounder is a boring fish, so it sucked, if it was catfish it woulda been good. she got the crab melt or something and absolutely loved it.

wait staff was fast, i never had less than a half glass of water at anytime, but then again this was noon on a tuesday during non-tourist season (i hate tourists, so yeah, i hate you)

anyway, the boatyard is a hit, i'll bebackin the winter.

not worth the wait.. the only redeeming aspect of this utterly disappointing experience was the bloody mary that served to calm my nerves after waiting 20 min in the july sun only to be greeted by an obviously discontented and abrupt host. once seated it became apparent that our waitress was also less than enthused to be at work that day. her vapid air and forced smiles were a clear indication that she had yet to find her calling. had i been an eighteen year old boy i may have been able to overlook such a glaring lack of interpersonal skill and been instead entertained at watching her clean tables while her ill fitting shorts rode up to reveal even more of her ass cheeks. still, i maintained hope that the food would be worthy of the overwhelmingly positive reviews. alas fellow reviewers, i've never felt so mislead. i ordered the "annapolis eggs" which described a typical eggs benedict with a particularly sumptuous hollandaise sauce, grilled asparagus spears, and of course, to justify the annapolis portion of the title, lump crab meat. i usually experience the heart dropping disappointment of a culinary disaster after my first bite of whatever i was hoping to enjoy. yet the let down of this meal was instantaneous upon seeing the two pathetic shriveled asparagus spears thrown on top of two unusually small eggs which were resting on some pale, dried out tomato slices that look liked they were fished out of the bottom of a subway bin. after the initial wave of nausea passed at seeing such aged produce on my plate, it occurred to me that the "lump" crab was merely a sprinkle of a few shreds of meat that looked to serve more as garnish than actual ingredients. my initial reaction was to reject it outright before ass cheeks mcgee could flee to the kitchen but i felt obligated to try it anyway if only to be validated in asking for my money back. the first and only bite was just that validation. the eggs; overcooked. the sauce; over salted. the tomato; eeeww. and the fine people at thomas' were good enough to see that the english muffin was eatable. so there i sat with this thirteen dollar pile of inadequacy on a plate staringbackat me for fifteen minutes while i drained my bloody mary with intent and waited for waitress to grace us once again with her limited attention. she did offer me her condolences when i expressed my disappointment but it did nothing to salvage the sad experience of this overrated, unfulfilling boatyard blah. the whole thing sent me runningbackto chick and ruths for what is truly a delicious eggs benedict bursting with baked jumbo lump crab cake and flowing with a delicate yet flavorful hollandaise.

delish!. my husband and i went for lunch today and we both loved it and already decided we'll be goingbackagain. the crab dip was amazing for an appetizer and i got the crab cake sandwich and he got the fish and chips topped off with a couple of beers. the service was great and the restaurant has a cool atmosphere. i definitely recommend it!