On the day before Christmas Eve, we were drawn to our old stomping ground of
Annapolis, MD
to meet up with some old friends from our high school and college years, who had recently made the venture home to celebrate the holidays.
In particular, our long-time friend John had made the hike all the way from
Darwin,
Australia; and our long-time friend (and regular Bob Ganoosh commenter) Adam “Barget” made the trans-continental flight from
Los Angeles.
Such an important reunion required a special venue: someplace with excellent food and drinks; someplace lively but not too loud, so that we can talk and catch-up; and of course, someplace that wouldn’t break our budget.
Sadly, we chose
Cadillac Ranch, which failed all of these criteria.
As we walked into the dark restaurant we were immediately struck with the question: “what is the theme of this restaurant, anyway?”
The restaurant is dimly lit, accented by neon lights and pictures of rock bands.
Hundreds of old license plates line the ceiling, and a mechanical bull is situated in the back corner.
Music was playing, but was drowned out by audio of the Pittsburgh Steelers beating up on the Carolina Panthers. Is this a
Texas steakhouse?
Is this a rock-and-roll bar?
Our server didn’t know and neither did we.
As we waited for the rest of our party to arrive, we ordered two plates of Texas Wings ($9.95) –
Buffalo and Barbeque style – and an order of Loaded Fries ($7.95).
The kitchen tested our patience as we waited about 30 minutes for these to arrive, but once the appetizers finally graced us with their presence, they did not disappoint.
The wings were decent, offering nothing to write home about but also nothing to complain about.
The Loaded Fries were phenomenal, covered generously with cheddar cheese and chunks of bacon – by far the best item we ordered that evening.
With the prices of these appetizers being quite reasonable given the quantity and quality, this course was undoubtedly the apex of our dining experience.
As the rest of our party started trickling into the restaurant, my end of the table nursed soft drinks while the other end tried out a few cocktails.
With steep drink prices even by
Annapolis standards (Natty Boh’s were $4.50 and signature cocktails were $10.00), alcohol drinking didn’t last long.
Our server’s attention to drink refills was respectable, although her attention to her friends sitting at the nearby booth was greater.
For dinner our group ordered a variety of entrees, including several of their various burgers ($8.95-9.95), the Smokehouse Chicken sandwich ($9.95), and the Philly Cheesesteak ($10.95). Nobody ordered a steak because, frankly, we already had a feeling that the food would not be worth the price (steaks are $19.95-28.95). The burgers were somewhat boring, and more well-done than ordered – Shawn had to send his back (see Editor’s Note below). The Smokehouse Chicken had minimal flavor and was quite dry. And the Philly Cheesesteak was also surprisingly bland and dry. At the end of this course, we each had to come to terms with the fact that we would soon be parting with ten bucks that could have been much more wisely spent.
We initially planned to coerce girls into riding the mechanical bull.
But given the mediocre dinner, confusing atmosphere, and the lack of affordable adult beverages provided by Cadillac Ranch, our game plan was modified as follows: pay the bill and move down the street to
Gordon Biersch Brewery, ASAP!
However, our plan was delayed.
Obtaining our server’s attention in order to procure the bill took about 15 minutes, and then waiting to give it back to her took another ten.
It seemed as if the server knew that she no longer needed to earn her commission, having already charged our large party of 13 an 18% gratuity on the bill.
As we ventured down the street, fighting off the cold winds and contemplating the Australian exchange rate, we were just happy to be moving on. Gladly, like our favorite holiday stories told this time of year, this story too has a happy ending. We ended the night by drinking several delicious microbrews and cocktails – at Gordon Biersch!
Editor’s Note: This visit was Shawn’s 2nd visit to this Cadillac Ranch location, and the 2nd time that he had to send his burger back for being more well-done than her ordered. It should also be noted that the host was reasonably accommodating when we called-ahead for a table one-hour early; however, they would not accept reservations.
Cadillac Ranch
Various Locations including:
410-224-0263
5-Star Rating
Food: *1/2
Service: **1/2
Ambiance: **
Price: $$ - $$$ ($9-30)
We would like to give a Stephen Colbert-style "wag of the finger" to the relatively-new 13.5% Wine Bar in Hampden. At the time of our initial review, shortly after the restaurants grand opening in July 2009, we had nothing but praise for both the food and drink. However, while the wine selection continues to impress, the food menu has taken a turn for the worse.
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