One of my best friends recently left DC to live in lovely Annapolis, giving me the opportunity to go up and visit her as often as possible. A couple of weekends ago, we took advantage of a beautiful day and met up for a waterfront brunch.
Carrol’s Creek Cafe has a prime location with beautiful views of Spa Creek. We’d been planning on eating at another restaurant, but when we say Carrol’s Creek’s outdoor seating, we quickly changed plans.
We were quickly seated in a shady table outside and ordered a round of brunch cocktails to kick off the meal. Lauren and I opted for crushes – orange for her, key lime for me – and our friend Brittany went with a classic bloody mary.
We were starving and couldn’t make up our minds what to order. So we did the logical thing and started with crab dip while perusing the menu. What is brunch on a patio in Maryland without crab dip? This version featured artichoke hearts, bell peppers and Parmesan.
This was pure decadence, and I was a big fan of the chunks of artichoke hearts in the dip. However, my dining companions wished for a little more crab flavor.
We also ordered the fried calamari, lightly dusted with seasoned rice flour, fried crisp and served with tamarind and smoked chipotle sauce.
The calamari was nice and tender, and I liked that they didn’t overdo it with a thick breading. Unfortunately, the sauce was a little too sweet for our taste and the breading quickly became a bit soggy.
Things improved with our entrees, thankfully. Lauren went with a salmon salad, complete with a heaping portion of fish. Brittany loved her crab cake platter. I was craving comfort food, so I ordered the seasonal vegetable and mushroom risotto served in an acorn squash.
This dish got me excited for fall and all its squashy goodness. The risotto was rich and creamy and the Portobello mushroom on top was seasoned so well it tasted almost like a steak.
We enjoyed this brunch at a nice, slow pace catching up on each other’s lives over a bottle of wine. Our server was great and never rushed us, even though we were sitting in one of the restaurant’s prime tables. While all the food didn’t knock our socks off, we left full and happy with our Vitamin D fix for the day.
For more Annapolis recommendations, check this out.
I have been to (and even briefly lived in) DC numerous times and yet I have yet to make my way over to Annapolis. When I do make my way over there, I will need to head to Carrol’s Creek – that Calamri looks divine!
Yes, Annapolis is so much fun! Try Cantler’s too!! And a walk around Ego Alley is a must 🙂