It’s fun to go to Annapolis, but the town is a madhouse during Boat Show Week . . . You can’t pay Dining Companion to drive anywhere near there. But, there’s something about the restaurants of Anne Arundel County that put you in a relaxed, “Jimmy Buffett state of mind”. Many have a view of the water, Maryland’s favorite Old Bay seasoning abounds, and there’s never any attitude. One Sunday morning, we felt like having seafood without a hassle as a side dish. So, we went on over to Edgewater’s Yellowfin Steak and Fish House for a relaxed time and terrific food. Many of the tables are by the large picture windows, overlooking the South River and the marina.
It was one of those mornings, like the Doors’ lyrics, “Woke up this morning, got myself a beer.” In this case, it was a big Bloody Mary brought promptly. Yellowfin usually serves theirs with Absolut Pepper, but a recent blind taste test at the New York Times put Smirnoff as #1 for mixed drinks. So, that’s what I ordered. The Bloody Mary was rimmed with Old Bay, had some black pepper and horseradish, and was garnished with lime and two stuffed green olives. If you haven’t had a Bloody Mary in Maryland, this is a classic example.
Many of the items on the menu had a pan-Asian theme or fusion influence. “Starters”, which range from $7-15, included a “shrimpitini cocktail”, edamame and smoked salmon. We ordered the crab and artichoke dip. You may think, “Oh, how pedestrian. I don’t need Tamar and Dining Companion’s take on dip.” But, it’s a good benchmark for a restaurant. I can tell from the dip how seriously the place takes presentation, originality and also, execution. Yellowfin’s dip was excellent! It had a couple of cheeses not usually included, such as gruyere. The consistency was thick and creamy, without being a melted glop of cream cheese. It was garnished with fresh parsley and served with French bread garlic toast slices.
It was a warm day, so I didn’t feel like soup, but the waiter pronounced the “Drunken Blue Crab”, a Maryland-style vegetable crab served with sherry, to be the best ever. Though it may be heresy in Maryland, I prefer my sherry with a cream of crab soup.
As a (further) appetizer, we ordered from the sushi/maki section the “Rainbow Tower”. Now, this is where you realize that the chef behind the scenes is an artist and you aren’t just to be eating pub grub. Three kinds of sashimi are sandwiched between toasted tortilla squares: crab with diced yellow pepper, salmon with fresh salsa and tuna. Everything was so perfectly fresh and mild, it truly was “melt in your mouth”. There was a little spicy cream sauce glazing the triangular-shaped plate.
All brunch entrees at Yellowfin are served with roasted potatoes, fresh fruit (today’s mix was cantaloupe, red grapes, pineapple and strawberries), fresh mini muffins, croissants, freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee. The muffins were freshly baked and there was a terrific selection, including lemon poppy seed and blueberry. I’m a sucker for anything that’s house made! They serve the muffins with a crock of soft butter, which is such an improvement above unwrapping a million tin-foils.
For you morning people, Yellowfin offers a huge selection of eggs Benedict, including Chesapeake with crab, Nova Scotia with salmon, tenderloin, vegetable and Mexican.
For an entree, I ordered the Canadian blackened salmon. This dish is served with striped squid ink ravioli, stuffed with lobster and big lobster chunks on top. The sauce is a lobster-infused cream sauce. On the side was a generous portion of lightly grilled asparagus. Everything was done just right; like Dining Companion said, “Any part of the entree was good enough to stand on its own.”
Dining Companion was torn between breakfast and lunch, so he ordered the crab cake and eggs. A nice-sized grilled cake made with fresh lump crab was served with eggs, polenta, potatoes and fruit. He was very pleased.
Our server was very friendly and attentive; he even came over to tell us a funny story about counterfeit bills. We were so full that we turned down his offer to get us some coffee. I would definitely return to this place where summer vacation never seems to end.
Yellowfin Steak and Fish House
2840 Solomon’s Island Road
Edgewater, MD
410-573-1313
Sunday Brunch 11-2
Luxe & Down-Home Cuisine/Culture/Travel/Style 