Maggie’s Restaurant is a Westminster staple.  We went there after my son’s preschool graduation ceremony, so there were quite a few of us including my wheelchair bound son.  Maggie’s staff was friendly and accommodating and we were seated in a beautiful spot outside.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, but with such a large group we all had the chance to order (and taste) a lot of what looked good on the menu.

We started with some mushrooms and I ordered a bowl of Cream of Crab Soup.  Now I’m the kind of person that orders the same dishes when I go to a particular restaurant, either their specialty or something I’ve come to love from them.  But sometimes I do order very common (often common to Baltimore) dishes just to get a gauge of a place compared to others.  Usually I order things that I feel really can’t go wrong like chicken strips, but often I will try out offerings that can really characterize a Baltimore or Maryland institution like crab cakes, shrimp salad or pit beef (and you really can nail these dishes or really fail sometimes in my eyes).  Maggie’s nailed the Cream of Crab, with huge chunks of jumbo lump crab meat piled on top.

My brother ordered the Carolina Style Ribs, slow roasted with a sweet glaze and my wife ordered the Shrimp Salad Sautee that was perfectly seasoned over fresh and crisp vegetables.  I couldn’t decide between crab cakes or a burger, so very uncharacteristically I ordered a combination of the two.  Eureka!  The Surf & Turf Burger was excellent.  Savory crab cake on top of a juicy beef patty.

And now my mouth is watering as I write this and look at these gorgeous pics!  The next time you are in Westminster and have the time, stop in at Maggie’s for some great cooking.