Yeah, I know, “no brainer Jonathan” you say, “everyone knows it’s great to get away without the kids”.  Coordinating these weekends is very difficult when you don’t live around the corner from Granny and Nana.  But, when you can coordinate them, the getaway is great!  The quality and quantity of one-on-one time with your spouse is priceless – not to mention very romantic!

Deriving its name from the Episcopal church and Parish established there in 1677, St. Michaels, Maryland is a small Eastern Shore town of approximately 2000 lying along the shore of the Miles River, a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.  The town itself was established as a speculative development in the 1770s by James Braddock.  Yes, they had speculative development in the Chesapeake going back 230 years!  The town developed out of the thriving tobacco and shipbuilding industry of the Chesapeake Bay.  Playing a role in the War of 1812, the Battle of St. Michaels was small, but important battle against the invading British.  With the decline of shipbuilding after the war, the oyster and crabbing industry sustained the town until tourism became its biggest industry.

The combined history of oystering and crabbing along with tourism has established St. Michaels as a wonderful culinary destination, as well as one of the top 10 romantic destinations as noted in Coastal Living Magazine.

Mardi and I discovered both aspects of St. Michaels with a mid-January visit.  Mid-January!?!? Yep, it was cold, quiet, cozy and most great restaurants still were open before shutting down for the rest of the winter season.  To complement our short overnight stay at the Five Gables Inn and Spa, which we found to be cozy, comfortable, convenient and empty in January, we enjoyed the casual but fantastic fare at Ava’s Pizzeria and Wine Bar.  How can a pizzeria be a culinary destination?  By serving some of the best gourmet pizzas using local produced ingredients.  My prosciutto and artichoke margarita style pizza paired with a Dogfish Head 90 minute I.P.A. was a culinary delight!  The pizza was light and flavorful. (Dogfish Head IPAs deserve their own blog posting.  Known as probably the best IPA in America, the 90 Minute IPA is fantastic!)

We also were able to enjoy the entire Inn at Perry Cabin restaurant to ourselves for a very fine dinner of scallops and tenderloin of beef.  The wine selection was great and, given that we were one of only two couples in the entire place, our table next to the roaring fire in the ten foot wide fireplace made for another great romantic dining experience. 

Not many shops were open in mid-January.  But, we did spend some time at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, and we were so glad we did.  Not growing up around anything maritime oriented, we both found the sprawling museum devoted to the boating and fishing industries of the Chesapeake very intriguing and interesting.  Some of the best photo opportunities of the weekend were at the museum and I highly recommended it as a good basic introduction to the Chesapeake.  Our two favorite displays included the Chesapeake “now and then” display of aerial photography and the “big guns” waterfowl hunting exhibit.  Mardi likes big guns!

Leaving town to head home, we stopped at our final culinary weigh station (pun definitely intended!), Scossa Restaurant and Lounge in Easton, Maryland.  Easton is another great historic destination on the Eastern Shore that we hope to come back to and explore.  Even though the service was a bit lacking at Scossa, the northern Italian cuisine was fantastic!  I had a fine plate of crispy sweetbreads with butter and sage.  I took a chance on the sweetbreads and they were tender, flavorful and really a delight!

Our short but wonderful trip to St. Michaels, Maryland was great.  I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quick getaway from the hectic western shore of Baltimore, DC and the like.  You’ll slow down and be able to enjoy the food, drink, history and vistas.

I’ve posted a gallery of photos from the trip on our SmugMug site.  Enjoy!