We spent a few nights in Annapolis Maryland to celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary this past week. Parking is nearly impossible, so make sure your hotel/inn has parking or a valet service. Trust me that trying to find parking is a huge pain in the butt and not what you want to do be doing when you should be relaxing with a drink in your hand.
We asked a few locals where to go eat, and Carrol’s Creek Cafe was mentioned several times, so off to dinner we went.
The first thing you are going to notice when looking through the menu is that there is a beer menu and a wine menu, but no Whiskey menu. The nerve.
For dinner my wife chose the Sautéed Chicken Breast and couldn’t eat it. The first bite was fat and gristle and she spit it out. She said the chicken was rubbery and had an odd texture. The mushroom sauce she loved, and ended up using bread the sop that up. The chicken she couldn’t eat. No, we did not send it back or ask for it to be taken off the bill.
My dinner on the other hand was amazing. I had a shrimp cocktail for starters and it was nicely seasoned with old bay. For my main course I had the Sautéed Jumbo Shrimp and pasta. The shrimp and pasta and lemon basil cream sauce was just heaven.
The main issue is that while my wife loves the beach, she can’t eat seafood. Absolutely hates it. So she got chicken at a seafood restaurant and it was not edible. I on the other hand had shrimp and shrimp (yes I was craving shrimp) and it was to die for. Remember that if you are heading there for dinner with non seafood eaters.
When it came time to order my drink, I asked if they had Blanton’s and the server wasn’t sure. After confirming they didn’t have it, I asked about Basil Hayden’s, and while he didn’t think they had it, after going to the bar, I got lucky with my second choice.
So I went with my old standby the Basil Hayden’s Manhattan.
While my shrimp and pasta was amazing, my Basil Hayden’s Manhattan was just bad. I ordered a second to see if maybe the first was just a bad pour but the second was just as bad. Whatever vermouth they were using was super acidic and didn’t have any sweetness – which I did clarify on the second order to make sure the bartender knew I wanted it sweet, not dry. What came out was the exact same thing as the first.
While I’d go back to Carrol’s Creek Cafe for seafood, it’s not a stop I’ll make with my wife as their non seafood options weren’t great. It is also not a restaurant I’ll be heading to when I want my Whiskey Fix. As a Whiskey Place, Carrol’s Creek Cafe earned itself a 21/100.
My dinner was great, and our server was juggling a very busy seating section while making it look easy as he made sure everyone had what they wanted. My rating is driven by their lack of a Whiskey Menu and the horrible Manhattan, and when it comes to Whiskey, its a “Will Never Go Back” score.
| Place | Location | Score | Price Scale | Drink |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cinder Bar | Clarksboro, NJ | 96 | High Cost | Manhattan |
| Saltgrass Steakhouse | Orlando, FL | 91 | Moderate Cost | Manhattan |
| The Irish Whisper | National Harbor, MD | 90 | High Cost | Irish Whiskey |
| McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steaks | National Harbor, MD | 80 | High Cost | Manhattan |
| The Dead Rabbit | New York, NY | 75 | High Cost | Multiple |
| Iron Hill Brewery | Wilmington, DE | 71 | High Cost | Kentucky Connection |
| Cadillac Ranch | National Harbor, MD | 70 | Moderate Cost | Multiple |
| Harry’s Savoy Grill | Wilmington, DE | 67 | High Cost | Manhattan Boulevardier |
| Ted’s Montana Grill | Newark, DE | 66 | Moderate Cost | Newly Fashioned |
| Creekside Inn | Woodstown, NJ | 65 | Low to Moderate | Manhattan |
| Alewife | Richmond, VA | 63 | High Cost | Manhattan |
| roanoke | Chicago, IL | 55 | High Cost | Black Manhattan |
| Blue Line Lounge & Bar | Chicago, IL | 53 | Low Cost | Manhattan |
| Da Andrea | New York, NY | 50 | High Cost | Manhattan Negroni |
| Iguana Cafe | Chicago, IL | 45 | Moderate Cost | Manhattan |
| The Greene Turtle | Newark, DE | 40 | Moderate Cost | Manhattan |
| Restaurante Montserrat Manor | Punta Cana, DR | 35 | High Cost | Manhattan |
| Dave & Buster's | Deptford, NJ | 30 | Moderate Cost | Manhattan |
| Cock'n Bull | Lahaska, PA | 26 | High Cost | Manhattan Old Fashioned |
| The Brass Tap | National Harbor, MD | 25 | Moderate Cost | Manhattan |
| Carrol's Creek Cafe | Annapolis, MD | 21 | High Cost | Manhattan |
| Big Fish Grill | Wilmington, DE | 10 | High Cost | Manhattan |
| The Legend | New Castle, DE | 5 | Low Cost | Manhattan |
| TGI Fridays | New Castle, DE | 1 | Moderate Cost | Manhattan |
Cost Scale
Up to $30 per person – Low Cost
$31 to $50 per person – Moderate Cost
$51 and above per person – High Cost
