O'Learys Seafood has the feel of a secret neighborhood restaurant.
You feel as if you're going to a down-home eatery only the locals know about and don't really care to share with outsiders. To some extent, that's true.
The restaurant has long been a popular place for good seafood among Eastport residents. About a year ago, new owners bought it and began experimenting with different dishes.
Fear not. Offering up a killer combination of succulent, fresh seafood, cozy ambience and excellent service, O'Learys remains a great dinner place.
My boyfriend and I arrived at 8: 45 p.m. on a recent Friday. (We had to change our 8 p.m. reservation at the last minute, and the manager who took our call was tremendously gracious, though it was clear the restaurant was having a busy night.)
We were seated in a corner table just beyond the hubbub. Our waitress, Gretchen, was bubbly, funny, attentive and made us feel relaxed right away.
We split the O'Learys BBQ Shrimp ($8.95), which Gretchen recommended but warned that we might find on the small side. The shrimp -- which were swimming in a spicy barbecue sauce with a good portion of tasty, crisp pineapple slaw on the side -- were delicious, but there were only three, and they were tiny.
It was not worth the $8.95.
The menu offers fresh fish with a choice of four methods of preparation, lightly blackened with Creole cream or sauteed with roasted garlic beurre blanc and pine nuts, for example. But we decided to try some dishes about which the chef -- who is also a co-owner -- had made the decisions.
My partner chose rockfish topped with lump crab meat and sherry Dijon cream ($25.95). The large portion of rockfish came with spinach and mashed potatoes and was delicious.
I went with a special that night, Arkansas paddle fish ($25.95), which was topped with a potato crust, baked and served with creamy lobster sauce. The fish was fresh and tender, and so were the shrimp and lump crab bits that came with it. The dish also was artfully arranged with zucchini strips.
We cleaned our plates so well that Gretchen quipped, "You really didn't like that at all, did you? I can tell."
We ended the meal with coffee and a bourbon pecan tart with whipped cream ($5.95) that was wonderful, though a little soggy in the middle.
O'Learys Seafood Restaurant
Where: 310 Third St., Annapolis, 410-263-0884
Hours: Dinner, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Prices: Appetizers, $6.95-$14.95; entrees, $18.95-$29.95
Credit cards: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Diners
Rating: *** 3/4
Ratings: * culinary wasteland **** culinary heaven
Pub Date: 3/11/99