Ahoy there, Mateys! All ye Pirates and Mermaidens: hear this! Get yer arses over to the Mutiny Pirate Bar and Island Grill as fast as yer craft will take ye!
Goals for the Voyage:
1) Plunder.
2) Meet new people.
3) Learn new and useful skills.
The above was paraphrased from a sign hanging on the wall near our table. I'm afraid that I forgot to bring our camera or I would have taken a picture. Or several dozen. The decor at the Mutiny is only one of the many, many things to love about this hidden gem.
And well hidden it is, deep inside a residential neighborhood in Glen Burnie, so off the beaten path that we were wondering if our GPS could be mistaken. But once you find it, you will be glad you did.
The staff are all very friendly and helpful, guiding me away from the bathroom marked "Pirates" while I was standing outside the door, trying to decide whether or not I was one of those. Then I saw the sign for "Mermaids". And inside the bathroom was another sign on a stall door which read, "Dragons Be Here: Out of Order." I decided not to check.
I had purchased a Living Social awhile back for a 3-course meal which included signature cocktails. The meal cost us $40 for 2 people. I thought this sounded like an awesome deal. But that was before I tasted the food in this establishment. Now I know that the deal was spectacular!
We started by ordering our signature cocktails. These are all made with rum, as rum is the obvious specialty of the house. There is a separate menu for the 145 types of rum available. I ordered a Ting and Sting (around $8) which involves grapefruit soda and lime with rum. Mr. Balancing Act got the Zombie (about $9), but I was responsible for drinking most of that, too, as he was the designated driver.
We needed appetizers and we needed them STAT, to start soaking up the alcohol. Luckily, our mussels (about $9) and deep fried pickle spears (around $6) arrived in short order. Yes, that's right, my husband ordered the fried pickles. The mussels were perfect for me, enough protein to allow me to safely sip my cocktail without falling off my chair. They came with thin slices of toasted baguette, slices of andouille sausage, and a tomato beer broth. The battered and deep fried pickle spears sat in a thick, thousand island dressing: salty, crunchy, juicy, and totally mouth-watering. Hubby was in heaven.
For our main courses, we were given the option of one of the specials in addition to all the regular entrees. I ordered the special ($15) which was crab cakes, cole slaw, fries, and a remoulade sauce. I am passionate about crabcakes, and these babies did not disappoint: creamy, moist, lightly fried to golden brown crust, barely a hint of filler to hold them together. The cole slaw was a unique concoction heavy on the whole grain mustard. The fries were about as skinny as fries can get without disappearing completely. But their flavor was massive: seasoned to perfection with plenty of salt and black pepper, crisp, with just enough skin left on. The sauce was a delicious accompaniment. I literally scooped up every drop.
Mr. Balancing Act chose the Bluebeard Burger (about $10), topped with blue cheese, which also came with a mountain of fries. He didn't let me taste it, but he enjoyed it thoroughly. He ordered medium and medium is what he got. I was happy to notice that it came with both lettuce and tomato already applied. One of my (MANY) pet peeves is having to order lettuce and tomato on a burger.
At this point our bellies were already stretched and protesting, but we still had dessert to order. We both went for the Rumchata Cheesecake, even though there were offerings that included chocolate. There was also a Key Lime Pie that was not an option for our fixed price menu. The cheesecakes were thankfully very small, so tiny, in fact, that I was able to consume the entire thing. As you can see, I did not hold back at all during this cheat meal. And every morsel was truly worth it.
It is extremely rare, perhaps unheard of, that I can wholeheartedly recommend a restaurant for absolutely everything that they do. But Mutiny Pirate Bar and Island Grill is the shining exception in a sea of mediocre chain restaurants. This place does everything right, from the fun and amusing decor to the friendly and attentive service to their outstanding culinary prowess to the affordable and really quite reasonable prices. If you are looking for a special place to have a unique food-and-drink experience, I would highly recommend a trip off the beaten path. Visit during the holiday season and receive a special gift from your server!
hocofoods@@@
Goals for the Voyage:
1) Plunder.
2) Meet new people.
3) Learn new and useful skills.
The above was paraphrased from a sign hanging on the wall near our table. I'm afraid that I forgot to bring our camera or I would have taken a picture. Or several dozen. The decor at the Mutiny is only one of the many, many things to love about this hidden gem.
And well hidden it is, deep inside a residential neighborhood in Glen Burnie, so off the beaten path that we were wondering if our GPS could be mistaken. But once you find it, you will be glad you did.
The staff are all very friendly and helpful, guiding me away from the bathroom marked "Pirates" while I was standing outside the door, trying to decide whether or not I was one of those. Then I saw the sign for "Mermaids". And inside the bathroom was another sign on a stall door which read, "Dragons Be Here: Out of Order." I decided not to check.
I had purchased a Living Social awhile back for a 3-course meal which included signature cocktails. The meal cost us $40 for 2 people. I thought this sounded like an awesome deal. But that was before I tasted the food in this establishment. Now I know that the deal was spectacular!
We started by ordering our signature cocktails. These are all made with rum, as rum is the obvious specialty of the house. There is a separate menu for the 145 types of rum available. I ordered a Ting and Sting (around $8) which involves grapefruit soda and lime with rum. Mr. Balancing Act got the Zombie (about $9), but I was responsible for drinking most of that, too, as he was the designated driver.
We needed appetizers and we needed them STAT, to start soaking up the alcohol. Luckily, our mussels (about $9) and deep fried pickle spears (around $6) arrived in short order. Yes, that's right, my husband ordered the fried pickles. The mussels were perfect for me, enough protein to allow me to safely sip my cocktail without falling off my chair. They came with thin slices of toasted baguette, slices of andouille sausage, and a tomato beer broth. The battered and deep fried pickle spears sat in a thick, thousand island dressing: salty, crunchy, juicy, and totally mouth-watering. Hubby was in heaven.
For our main courses, we were given the option of one of the specials in addition to all the regular entrees. I ordered the special ($15) which was crab cakes, cole slaw, fries, and a remoulade sauce. I am passionate about crabcakes, and these babies did not disappoint: creamy, moist, lightly fried to golden brown crust, barely a hint of filler to hold them together. The cole slaw was a unique concoction heavy on the whole grain mustard. The fries were about as skinny as fries can get without disappearing completely. But their flavor was massive: seasoned to perfection with plenty of salt and black pepper, crisp, with just enough skin left on. The sauce was a delicious accompaniment. I literally scooped up every drop.
Mr. Balancing Act chose the Bluebeard Burger (about $10), topped with blue cheese, which also came with a mountain of fries. He didn't let me taste it, but he enjoyed it thoroughly. He ordered medium and medium is what he got. I was happy to notice that it came with both lettuce and tomato already applied. One of my (MANY) pet peeves is having to order lettuce and tomato on a burger.
At this point our bellies were already stretched and protesting, but we still had dessert to order. We both went for the Rumchata Cheesecake, even though there were offerings that included chocolate. There was also a Key Lime Pie that was not an option for our fixed price menu. The cheesecakes were thankfully very small, so tiny, in fact, that I was able to consume the entire thing. As you can see, I did not hold back at all during this cheat meal. And every morsel was truly worth it.
It is extremely rare, perhaps unheard of, that I can wholeheartedly recommend a restaurant for absolutely everything that they do. But Mutiny Pirate Bar and Island Grill is the shining exception in a sea of mediocre chain restaurants. This place does everything right, from the fun and amusing decor to the friendly and attentive service to their outstanding culinary prowess to the affordable and really quite reasonable prices. If you are looking for a special place to have a unique food-and-drink experience, I would highly recommend a trip off the beaten path. Visit during the holiday season and receive a special gift from your server!
hocofoods@@@
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