The Greene Turtle: A DMV Treat

     If you're in search of an inexpensive night out with some friends and some delicious food, look no farther than the Greene Turtle. Located only in Maryland, Upper Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia, The Turtle is a restaurant every Marylander can take advantage of.

Mmmm Wings! Photo Credit: Stef Yau

     In Maryland there are 25 locations and they are spread throughout the whole state. In my opinion its an underrated restaurant. The places are always very family friendly atmospheres and always offer a great opportunity for a night out. The Greene Turtle is a greats sports bar scene as well. For local Maryland sports it's almost there will be a crowd gathered supporting whatever team may be playing.

     The menu is pretty deep and offers a bunch of seafood options which is my favorite part about eating there.They also have delicious "bar food" type dishes as well, wings, burgers, pizza, etc. As you can tell if you read my blog from a few posts ago, you can see that I love crabs. Being a Maryland based restaurant they have no shortage of crab featured dishes.

     Depending on your mood I don't think you can have a bad meal at The Greene Turtle. Personally I recommend the Chicken Chesapeake or the Chesapeake Burger (Both have bacon and crab meat....no brainer's.) Choosing the right appetizer is often the toughest choice you are faced with at the restaurant. The Crab Dip is to die for!

Crab Dip        Photo Credit: Imjustmatthew

     Enjoy all of your meals with a wide variety of alcoholic beverages if you're of age of course.

  

Photo Credit: Burt Everson

The Greene Turtle also has a genius business idea of weekly, competitive trivia with good prizes which keep a steady crowd of regulars. 
 
 


View the whole menu here and get a head start on ordering, but it will still take you a minute to decide once you are there and see the wait staff carrying the other dishes around. You can also see which restaurant is closest to you because it shows you the exact mileage from your zip code! Be sure to get one of their great shirts while you're there!
  
     Whether you're in the mood for a nice family dinner, gathering your friend group for a sporting event, or a night out in a slow town The Greene Turtle is an inexpensive option for all of the above. So go out and try it for yourself!

M&T Bank Stadium

College Football Game at the Stadium

     M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore is most commonly known as the home of the recently crowned Superbowl Champions, The Baltimore Ravens. The stadium is a majestic place. It is beautifully structured and the turf is new and is great looking. The sea of purple seats make me feel at home whenever I'm there because I am an avid Ravens fan.

     I had the pleasure of visiting the stadium a few times over this past NFL season, including Ray Lewis' last home game in the playoffs vs. The Colts. As a fan, there is nothing more awesome than attending a home game. The atmosphere is unreal.

     Along with Raven's games the Baltimore stadium holds home to a few other events. Around the state it is the hallowed grounds for high school football state championships. I never made it to play there but I did get to watch my high school play for it when I was a freshman. As a high school football player that's the ultimate goal, to play down at M&T Bank. To see my older friends playing out there was an unreal experience that I'll never forget and I can't imagine how they felt being out there.

Army vs. Navy Lacrosse Game at M&T Bank

     Besides the state championships the stadium has held the Men's College Lacrosse National Championship multiple times as well. This is a great location for the event as Maryland is a hotbed for the sport and the fans come out in huge numbers over Memorial Day weekend. They also host a few other lacrosse events which vary every year and season. On a warm day as a lacrosse fan it's a great scene to catch some good games.

Jay-Z and Justin performance! Photo Credit: Linda Marie

     Over the past few summers the stadium has hosted a few international soccer matches and this year is no different. In late July there are two days of soccer games at M&T Bank Stadium. Also this summer there is even a Monster Truck Rally in July.

     In August the stadium brings the Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake concert to town. This by music standards is a huge concert which will likely be sold out.

     M&T Bank Stadium is a great Maryland Treasure that should be experienced by all. Even if you don't like the Ravens maybe your team is playing them and you want to check them out, do it! Maybe you're a fan of soccer, or lacrosse, or high school football, or Monster Trucks, or Jay-Z whatever it is, M&T Bank is a great venue and a guarantee to be a great experience. 

Maryland Blue Crabs: The State Food

Photo Credit: Tony Weeg

     With summer quickly approaching and warm weather right on the horizon, in Maryland, that means one thing, CRABS. The Maryland Blue Crab is a delicacy and revered as a God like substance in the state. On a weekend in the summer you can surely smell the aroma of steamed crabs and old bay rising from the backyard picnics of about half of every house in any given neighborhood.

     To an outsider, the Crab eating process is tedious, complicated and God forbid you have any small cuts on your fingers because the Old Bay burn would wish you were an amputee. But to a local, the way you break the shell and what meat you eat is unique to the individual. Also to a local, it is something to look forward to for weeks and even months. The winter is death anticipating the arrival of crab season. It is the best season.

     Unfortunately the price for a bushel or two isn't as cheap as a college kid would hope for. That's why buying a bushel is a great bonding experience and an excellent opportunity to gather family and friends for no reason at all except to eat delicious food.

     If you're born and raised in the state you probably even have a friend or two who own a boat and go crabbing for their own keeps. Not only is dragging the line and pulling up the cages a fun time that gives you the satisfaction of catching your own food, but it also saves you the money of having to buy any crabs. Catching them is obviously the hard part, once you have them you just throw them in a large metal pot over a flame in boiling water and a mixture of other unique ingredients. Each crabber has their own blend of whatever makes the crabs they catch delicious.

Photo Credit: Mary Hollinger

    If you can't get out to the Chesapeake area to catch your own bushel, finding a place that sells them is as easy driving around or using the phone book (people still use those right?) or the Internet. Wherever you are I'm sure there's a place close enough to you that has them for a reasonable price.

     With crabs coming back into the food chain in the summer I can't wait to get back to Maryland to chow down on the finest thing the Chesapeake bay has to offer. If you stop in Maryland in the summer be sure to try it for the first time. There's no shame in not knowing how to pick a crab or use a wooden hammer although you might get a few strange looks from the locals. Enjoy the state food!