Backtracking ...

Day 34 of the T-90 Project

I ate at Choptank a few months ago shortly after it opened. Fashionista picked it because it was billed as a Chesapeake Bay-themed seafood restaurant. The Maryland native loves herself some crabs! Dinner was fun company-wise, but so-so food-wise. As soon as I'd written my rather harsh review, I received an e-mail from a friend I'd met once over dinner, apologizing for my bad experience at Choptank and hoping I'd return since her cousin is one of the owners.

AWKWARD!

I immediately read and re-read my review and felt horrible. My friends and companions from the evening assured me it wasn't too over the top and I was fair - mentioning some pros - though mostly cons. The owner even left me a comment on the post and he was so gracious and appreciative I couldn't believe it. How did I get so lucky? I've read some nightmare stories of the chef/owner vs. the bad reviewer and they usually do not end well (read Dirt Candy's response to a tough review in the Times written by Oliver Schwaner-Albright last year).

It was because of Josh Morgan's response that I was lured back to Choptank and I put it on my list of must dos before I moved west.

Fashionista celebrated her 30th birthday that Tuesday and we dined at Choptank on Wednesday. We had a wonderful feast. Our server took excellent care of us and it felt like we were in a different restaurant. I kept up my winning streak with choosing the biggest cocktails (Fashionista pointed out I somehow always luck out with the beverage buckets) and the crab dip came full circle from our first time - it was thick and warm and chunky. Not to mention the homemade potato chips dusted in an Old Bay-type seasoning would please any Cape Cod chip aficionado.

Other highlights included the steamers, the fish sticks, the ham and biscuit plate, the jumbo lump crab cake and the fried chicken.



Lion asked, "Was it really that different?" He didn't want me to feel guilted into changing my opinion just because his friend and co-worker saw my first review.

"Yes. The food and service were remarkably - 200 percent - better!"

"OK, then!" He said.

We all left full, happy and glowing from the great dinner. I felt a little bit like Ruth Reichl must have after her return to Le Cirque as herself and not some wild, ditzy tourist in costume. They definitely rolled out the red carpet for us, though it was clear to me it wasn't just for show. I watched Josh throughout the evening and he was a fixture in the dining room, checking on not only us, but all of the tables. He's a genuinely nice guy who cares and I hope his place thrives.