#WINDmageddon at OMG

At the end of February, Simone saw PhoWheels DC's Instagram post that said that they were going to be serving dinner in Silver Spring on the first Friday night of March. We both love PhoWheels DC and the deliciousness that they serve from their food truck, so Simone knew that Damien would be on board for a trip. Unfortunately, extreme wind and wind gusts hammered the DMV area that day and changed everyone's plans, including ours. Since PhoWheels DC did not open for service because of the weather, we decided to venture to a brick and mortar restaurant instead. We met up at Old Maryland Grill in College Park, MD for some happy hour and dinner fun. Old Maryland Grill, affectionally known as OMG, is a relatively new restaurant at The Hotel at the University of Maryland. OMG is owned by Mike Franklin, who also owns Franklin's Restaurant, Brewery, and General Store down the street in Hyattsville, MD. Neither of us had been to OMG yet, so we were excited to check it out.

OMG is a large restaurant with a semi-formal decor and warm ambiance. It is a restaurant that calls for casual clothing, yet the ambiance would be a nice setting for a date, work happy hour, or family dinner. One of the signature features of OMG's decor is their big, red, U-shaped corner booths that line one of the walls of their main seating area. They are a vibrant pop of color that really liven up the space. The restaurant also has lots of exposed brick walls, as well as traditional wood furnishings and gold accents throughout it, which reminded Simone of several old school Maryland restaurants (does anyone remember Bennigans?!). We decided to sit at the bar because the key to surviving adulting is happy hour. For our drinks, Damien ordered the Franklin's Private IPA and Simone had their berry-flavored Maryland Crush, which was OMG's of-the-day Maryland Crush. Since OMG is owned by the same folks as Franklin's Restaurant, Brewery, and General Store, a good number of their beers on tap are Franklin's beers. Damien is a fan of Franklin's beers and IPAs, so the Franklin's Private IPA was the obvious choice. Many of OMG's beers on tap are from Maryland breweries, which is really awesome and a fun way for locals to check out beers from the state. Our bartender told Simone that their of-the-day Maryland Crush featured a "unique" berry---this unique berry was simply raspberry. But it was delicious and quickly devoured. The bits of fruit in the crush were welcomed to Simone but may not be for everyone. Later in our visit, Simone opted to abandon the happy hour specials to try the House Riesling, which was tasty but not as sweet as Simone had hoped.

We started our food adventures by sharing a few items from OMG's Tavern Menu, including the Crab Dip, Baltimore Shrimp Salad Sliders, and the Cured Meat and Seafood Board. The Crab Dip was flavorful and delicious. The hallmarks of a good crab dip are the use of fresh crab meat and the presence of more crab than filler. The chefs at OMG definitely showed that understand this fact, as they hit it out of the park in terms of the flavor in this dish. We only had two minor criticisms of this appetizer. First, it was a very small serving, which was a shame because it was really yummy. And second, the dip was not served with enough bread, and the chefs needed an inordinate amount of time to prepare more, so our server gave us crackers instead. If you love crab and cheese, order OMG's Crab Dip and never look back. The Baltimore Shrimp Salad Sliders were very fresh and tasty. Large chunks of fresh, chopped shrimp served as the primary ingredient in the sliders (thankfully there were no frozen baby shrimp used which would have made these two Marylanders very sad). Initially, Simone assumed the Baltimore Shrimp Salad Sliders would be served warm, but the temperature of the sliders did not detract from the fresh and well-seasoned shrimp mixed with chopped vegetables and a light and flavorful aioli. If you love seafood, shrimp, and/or tuna salad, then these sliders will leave you feeling love. Damien's dad is a huge fan of shrimp salad, and so he is hoping to bring him to OMG as soon as possible. And finally, the Cured Meat and Seafood Board was also rather delicious. The beautiful board featured a unique mix of sweet, savory, and salty items including Fried Shredded Duck, Bluefish Trout Pate, Trout Pate, a variation of Prosciutto, and Smoked Beef, all accompanied by a Cranberry-Raspberry-hybrid jam and Apple Butter. The duck was salty and delightful, the two fish pates were both unique yet tasty, and the prosciutto and smoked beef were a perfect balance to the spreads. The Cured Meat and Seafood Board was a surprisingly fun and tasty appetizer, and one that we would definitely order again.

After another round of drinks, we decided to hang out some more and order more food. This was also right at the point in the evening where happy hour was ending, and we were grateful to our server for mentioning that to us. We ordered the Sweet Corn Hushpuppies, Roseda Farms Cheeseburger Sliders, and a side of Maryland Boardwalk Fries. Simone isn't a fan of hushpuppies (weirdo), so they belonged to Damien while she enjoyed the sliders. The Sweet Corn Hushpuppies were outstanding. They were expertly breaded and fried to perfection, and had a really great sweet flavor to them. And the accompanying pepper jelly was the perfect blend of sweet and heat and provided a rich depth of flavor to every bite of this dish. The Roseda Farms Cheeseburger Sliders were enjoyable, but pretty standard and nothing to write home about. In retrospect, Simone would have ordered another round of Crab Dip instead of these sliders. We both really enjoyed the Maryland Boardwalk Fries, which were definitely well seasoned and tasty. These fries were the perfect way to end our night enjoying a Maryland flavor journey.

Overall, we would give Old Maryland Grill a 4 out of 5. The food, drink selections, and service we received were all really good. Their happy hour menu was rather impressive, and we definitely enjoyed the bar area, decor and ambiance. If you are a fan of fresh seafood, then OMG should definitely be on your list to check out. The only minor drawbacks of the restaurant are the small serving sizes for certain dishes and the fact that they are still new and trying to figure out their rhythm. Until next time, we hope you enjoy a great meal soon!

Baltimore Shrimp Salad Sliders

Cured Meat and Seafood Board
(Starting at 3o'clock then going clockwise: Fried Shredded Duck, Bluefish Trout Pate, Trout Pate, a variation of Prosciutto, and Smoked Beef, all accompanied by a Cranberry-Raspberry Jam and Apple Butter)