St. Michael's, Maryland (part 1 of 2)

With a slight air of superiority, locals call St. Michael's "the town that fooled the British". During the war of 1812, the British planned to destroy the little town and all its expert shipbuilding facilities. The townspeople put out their lights and hung lanterns in the trees behind the town causing the British to overshoot. The British were fooled and the town was spared.

St. Michael's, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, is frequented today by tourists drawn to the water sports, history, fresh seafood, unique shops, and great restaurants. Being very close to home, we visited St. Michael's last weekend for a little anniversary trip. Incidentally, the quaint bayside town of St. Michael's was also named #8 in Coastal Living Magazine's top 10 Romantic Escapes in the US. Apparent to tourists is the pride that the locals take in their just under 1 square mile town! Enjoy this tour of some homes and storefronts in St. Michaels...

A fun use of fallen tree branches below...

One of MANY doggie hotspots in town. This is a very pet friendly town!

Purple hyacinth bean with a closer-up photo below.




Yes, it's a colorful and pretty planter, but imagine about six identical ones on a very large wraparound porch - cat lounging in the background.

Now here, I must stop and digress... I can understand why our waiter's friend, chef at another popular restaurant, actually eats here on his days off. Like Bloody Mary's? Try the stiff Chesapeake martini - sport of bloody mary with tabasco, horseradish, tequila gold, vodka, and garnished with a shrimp. I personally guarentee you'll be...happy...after the first couple of sips! Then, move on to your soup of roasted red pepper and tomato with lump crabmeat, a swirl of scallion pesto and creme fraiche. Now in our parts, appetizers are usually great, but most restaurants fall flat after the first course. At the Bistro, the duck confit was amazing, and the tres leches-inspired vanilla creme cake with caramel sauce topped off an evening of culinary perfection. And can you beat the flower box with it's great combo of succulent and vine?