Lunch – Easton Maryland

…continuing with our September 2023 road trip exploring the Delmarva Peninsula.

When I made the reservations for our stay on the west side of the peninsula, my decision was based on both location and cost.  I didn’t initially expect Easton Maryland to offer much for wandering tourists like ourselves.  After planning what I expected to be the most interesting and rewarding part of our adventure in this area, I finally went back to see just what Easton had to offer…and I was pleasantly surprised.

Easton is the county seat for Talbot County Maryland.  The town has a population of about 17,400 making it one of the larger cities on the lower Delmarva Peninsula.  The town was founded in 1710 on 2 acres of land that cost 15,000 pounds of tobacco.  After a courthouse was built, a tavern/inn followed to accommodate those who had court business.  Stores and homes followed.  The village was initially called “Talbot Court House”.

As we cruised toward the center of Easton, I spotted the town’s old Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railway depot…later served by the Pennsylvania Railroad.  There seems to be some disagreement as to when the widely flaring protective eaves was built. 

One source stated that this depot was built ca. 1920 by the Pennsylvania Railroad…but I’ll go with what the plaque on the building reads.  It states that the depot was built in 1906…during the time that Easton was served by the long gone Delaware and Chesapeake Railroad.  In any case, I was happy to find the old postcard showing the depot back during the time when trains were critically important.  Passenger service ended in 1949 and freight service was discontinued in 1953.

I’d done a bit of research and one dining option I’d zeroed in on was Doc’s Downtown Grille.  It is in the historic center of Easton.  I couldn’t find any history about the building Doc’s occupies...but...

I did discover that the building to the right of Doc's Downtown Grille dates back to 1877, when the first floor was built.  The Shannahan and Wrightson Hardware Company added a second floor in 1881 and the third floor in 1889.  It’s a good example of a Victorian style commercial building.  This was the largest hardware and farm implement store on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.  Love this photo of a tractor being transported on an early flatbed truck...

Sorry, but I digress whenever my mind wanders and I find something that grabs my attention.  Back to our lunch!

The interior of Doc’s Downtown Grille was cozy and warm…and quite busy as we showed up for lunch a bit after the normal lunch hour.  The long and narrow dining area plus the large wooden bar add to the ambiance.

Bill had to have oysters as his appetizer.  It was six oysters for $10.00, not the highest price for this seafood delicacy that we encounter on our road trip.  Bill thought that they were pretty good too.

For Bill’s entrée, he chose the Fried BBQ Pork Shanks and Cheddar Grits. ($18.00) The pork shanks were tossed in a house-made BBQ sauce.  Believe it or not, this pile of food was featured on the “Small Plate” portion of the menu! 

My lunch choice was the Hot Honey Old Bay Chicken Sandwich. ($15.00) The fried chicken was tossed in the sauce and then served on a toasted potato brioche roll with lettuce and tomato.  It was sided with ranch dressing and house made chips as my side.  While it was a good sandwich, I had expected a bit more of a spicy heat ‘pop’ than it had.

Laurie and her sister, Bonnie, decided that they weren’t too hungry so they split this large Prime Rib Dip Sandwich. ($17.00) This sandwich consisted of thinly sliced slow roasted beef prime rib with caramelized onions, Swiss cheese and horseradish mayonnaise on an herbed focaccia roll.  It was accompanied with that bowl of coleslaw.  It was more than enough food for the ladies!

Both the food and the service were solid…and we did like this cozy downtown dining spot.  To learn more about Doc’s Downtown Grille, just go to Doc's Downtown Grille | Easton MD | Facebook.

As we began wandering around the center of Easton, exploring and browsing through shops, I took note of one more gastronomic find.  This is the Wardroom Bistro and Grocery.  We had just eaten so we just took a look around, drooling a bit but not really considering the possibilities.

The Wardroom is a market…with a wine shop, an in-house cheese monger, it has a charcuteries case, offers house-made pasta and gnocchi and, as you can see from the second photo above, it has a bakery...we love great bakery bread!  The Wardroom is also an Italian restaurant offering brunch, lunch and dinner. 

We missed the opportunity to eat here during our stay.  We were sidetracked by the plethora of other dining opportunities in the area.  I know what Laurie would have ordered for her evening meal at the Wardroom…the Linguine Fra Diavolo with Maine lobster, Calabrian chili, San Marzano tomatoes and basil. ($40.00) I would have been torn between the Four Cheese Ravioli ($23.00) and the Fettucine Bolognese. ($28.00)

You can check out what The Wardroom Bistro and Grocery has to offer by checking out their website at Welcome | The Wardroom | Epicurean Market in Easton, MD.

That’s it for now… The next post will be focused on history and historical structures.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave