The first real splurge of the trip.
This meal comes with a hefty price tag for a brunch item ($23), but hey, it was vacation, and we were on the Eastern Shore.
The Crab Cake Benedict is, as you might have guessed, an Eggs Benedict with crab instead of Canadian bacon. This dish is often simply referred to as a Maryland Eggs Benedict, but THIS dish goes a bit further: everything is different except the poached eggs.
As described on the menu, the Crab Cake Benedict comes with house-cured bacon, arugula, heirloom tomato jam, and tomato hollandaise. This is almost entirely correct, but instead of the tomato jam, they had regular tomato slices (not complaining), and I wouldn’t really call the meat “bacon.” I think it would be more accurate to call it cured pork belly. Sure, that’s where bacon comes from, but I don’t know.
That said, the pork belly was delicious. Chewy and even a little crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle. Like, melts-in-your-mouth soft. The crab cake was pretty much all crab. The poached egg was perfectly soft, and I’m cursing myself that I didn’t get a shot of the runny egg, also fondly referred to as the “money shot.” The tomato hollandaise was savory and acidic thanks to the tomato sauce and/or tomato soup they added to it.
The dish is a salty one, so make sure you’ve got your water filled up. But that isn’t to say that the dish isn’t delectable.
Bistro St. Michael’s has an ostensible French flare to its cuisine, and I’ve read some great reviews of its Monte Cristo sandwich, so consider getting that if you come here for brunch or lunch. It’s located right on the edge of the main road that cuts through the town of St. Michaels.
Peripheral Chew 