The Tidewater Grille in Havre de Grace, Maryland (pronounced locally as “hava-dee-grace.” I know it’s incorrect, just ask Brett Favre) sits right on the mouth of the Susquehanna River, with beautiful views as it opens into the Chesapeake Bay. My evening Springtime visit with Kelly and her parents didn’t quite have the warmth to allow use of the outside patio overlooking the scenic vista, so we headed inside for a table in the dining room.
Arriving early for our reservation, we waited a few minutes in the entranceway area admiring the view of the railroad trestle over the Susquehanna and even catching a glimpse of a train as it passed overhead.
We were promptly led to our table in the middle of the “4 Seasons Porch” dining room. The polite hostess showed us our seats and our menus, and my eyes immediately found the impressive beer list. Serving mostly area brews (with a few Colorado selections as well!), The Tidewater offers a dozen or so drafts, with some seasonal selections, and about twice that amount in bottled brews. The menu also has a decent wine list, and an even better selection of signature cocktails. I mentally stashed away my beer selection for later, and opted for the TWG Margarita, made with Patron and topped with Gran Marnier, just the way I like! (check out MY margarita recipe!) Feeling festive as well, (it was Friday, after all!), Kelly and her Mom went for a carafe of Sangria. The Sangria was tasty and filled with berries, but lacked any of the citrus fruit that usually add to the juiciness. Kelly’s dad played it safe with a Yuengling draft, which, I assume, tasted like a Yuengling draft.
We were all bordering on starving, so we immediately requested an order of Bruschetta and some Crab Bites. We were served tasty warm bread right away, which kept us from getting cranky. (It had been a long day!) We then got to perusing the menu, which was accompanied by several seafood specials. Our drinks arrived and we placed our order, relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere of the dining room. It was a busy room with fairly tightly packed tables, but I don’t think anyone felt uncomfortable at all, and the noise level was not so much as to inhibit conversation.
The Bruschetta was delicious. It is available topped with crab meat, but we skipped that in favor of the Crab Bites. Mini versions of their Crab Cakes, they were just about perfect. I would definitely consider ordering a crab cake from Tidewater based on the taste I had!
Not long after our appetizers, our main courses arrived. I opted for the Rockfish special. Rockfish is one of my favorites, and I rarely get to enjoy it in my travels. The dish was described as sautéed with ham and lump crab meat, served with a helping of vegetables and rice pilaf. The rice pilaf was creamy and delicious. My vegetable serving was a healthy selection of fresh squash and cauliflower. My rockfish was cooked perfectly and topped with a very generous portion of crab meat. Unfortunately, the helping of ham was just as generous. I take the blame for not inquiring further into the preparation of the dish, but I had assumed there would be a light amount of ham for a bit of flavor. I was wrong, and, while I love ham, I was disappointed in the way it overpowered the dish. As I said, I love rockfish, and mine tasted a bit too much like ham to be appreciated. That being said, it was still a tasty and enjoyable dish, and while I didn’t get the rockfish experience I had hoped for, I still ate every bite!
Kelly’s dish was a Rainbow Trout topped with lump crab and hollandaise sauce. Also from the special menu and accompanied by the rice and veggies, this dish as well came with a very generous helping of crab meat. The fish itself had great flavor, but was just a bit dry. The sauce wasn’t quite what Kelly had expected as a lover of all things hollandaise, but overall it was a pretty good dish.
Kelly’s Mom had the Grouper Special stuffed with Crab Imperial. This dish was done perfectly, in my opinion. The Grouper was moist and flavorful, and, again, the Tidewater Chefs are not shy with the crab meat!
Kelly’s Dad opted for the Broiled Seafood Platter, which included a petite crab cake, a salmon filet, shrimp, and scallops with lemon and drawn butter. All were broiled to perfection, and we were especially impressed by the size of the salmon filet.
Once dinner was served we ordered a second round of drinks. The ladies went for another carafe of Sangria, and I switched to the Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. One of my favorites, it was a perfect brew to accompany my rich seafood feast.
Towards the end of the meal the band started playing, as I believe they do on most Friday and Saturday evenings. The band stage is in the adjacent bar area, however there is a partial glass enclosing, shielding some of the sound. While we did have to increase our volume a bit for the conversation, the music was a nice end to the meal, and we were able to listen to the band while still being able to hear one another around the table.
We were shown the dessert tray, which always makes me wonder why every restaurant doesn’t use this trick. It’s impossible to say no to sweets when they are staring at you. Kelly’s folks went for the rum cake, and Kelly and I shared some kind of chocolately-lava goodness, a la mode, of course. Always thinking ahead, Kelly had stashed away some of the berries from the Sangria, and we added these to complete the yummy dessert. Just a suggestion, Tidewater, fresh berries really made this dessert a winner!
Overall we had a great experience at the Tidewater Grille. The food was above average, although a few of the dishes didn’t get rave reviews for the pricetags they came with. Service was friendly but not always the quickest on a Friday evening. The biggest draw for this restaurant is the atmosphere, with a fun, lively dining room enclosed by glass so as not to take away from the best views of the Chesapeake in all of Havre de Grace. I would most likely return to The Tidewater Grille, but next time I would like to arrive by boat (boat dock available for customers!) and sit outside on the patio, enjoying the fresh night air while overlooking the Bay. All I need is a boat.