“This is the best place in Ocean City to watch football,” said my friend, Katie Quinn, when we arrived at Seacrets on 49th Street and the bay this week. Indeed, Seacrets’ huge indoor nightclub, the Morley Hall, boasts countless high-definition, flat screen televisions, plus major food and drink discounts during football games. Seacrets is also a hotspot during Delmarva Bike Week. Over 14 vendors, designated bike parking, and live entertainment by the Jim Long Band, Verdict, and Thrill will keep the crowds happy all weekend long. Sunday is the final round for the legendary Miss Seacrets bikini contest.
    Katie and I met our friend, Jill Ferger, at Seacrets to preview their fall menu. Offering more delicious culinary creations, like Chicken Chesapeake and Shrimp and Scallop Rundown, the menu is slated to premier on September 28. Jill, Katie, and I sat at a comfortable booth in Seacrets’ tiki dining room. Indoor and outdoor tables provide direct views of the bay. Dubbed Jamaica, USA, the atmosphere at Seacrets is incredible with colorful lights, gorgeous views, and happy reggae music setting the vibe. “This would be such a fun place to work,” commented Katie.
    Our server, Savannah, agrees. She’s worked at Seacrets for several years, and she’s the ideal person to ask for menu recommendations. For starters, she suggests the Fish Taco and Jerk Chicken—the house specialty that is marinated for 48 hours in “de Seacret sauce.” She also suggests Crab Toast, which is loads of crabmeat, imperial sauce, and shredded cheese baked on pizza crust. Smoked Tuna—5 ounces of fresh yellow fin smoked, sliced, and served with a Dijon sauce—is another lip-smacking appetizer, as are Fries, Jalapeño Poppers, Steamed Shrimp, Fried Oysters, Little Neck Clams, Buffalo Wings, and Fried Mac and Cheese Wedges. Jerk Chicken can be added to the Potato Skins, or you can order the Seafood Skins for a taste of shrimp, scallops, crab, bacon, scallions, imperial sauce, and shredded cheese. Another popular munchie at Seacrets is Dotsy’s Delight—creamy crab dip served in a bread bowl.
    Cream of Crab Soup, Maryland Crab Soup, and Seacrets Soup Du Jour are the perfect comfort foods on an autumn day, while the salads are large enough to eat as a meal. My favorite is the Kingston Cobb salad—pineapple, mangos, hard-boiled egg, cherry tomatoes, red and green peppers, avocado, and red onion topped with pineapple mango vinaigrette. The Callaloo salad consists of baby spinach, dried cranberries, sugared walnuts, red onion, cherry tomatoes, crumbled bleu cheese, and crispy bacon. For a taste of Mexican flavor, try the Baja Chicken or Taco Salad. The Black & Bleu and West End Caesar are two more delicious salad choices. Under Seacrets’ combo option, any soup may be paired with the house salad or select sandwiches.
    Jill was tempted by the two Quesadilla options on the menu. The Caribbean Quesadilla is an irresistible combination of jerk chicken, island salsa, and shredded cheese baked in a white tortilla shell and served with sour cream and guacamole. The Seafood Quesadilla adds shrimp, scallops, fresh crabmeat, and imperial sauce to this fantastic recipe. After Savannah told us that the Fish Taco is the size of an overstuffed burrito, we decided to order one to share as our appetizer. We devoured every forkful of batter-dipped haddock wrapped in a chipotle tortilla with island salsa, shredded cheese, lettuce, and spicy cilantro chili dressing.
    Dinners are served from 5-10 p.m. with dinner salad and bread. The new winter menu is lengthy, with classic offerings like Crab Cakes, Prime Rib, and New York Strip. My favorite entrée of all time is Seacrets’ Shrimp and Scallop Rundown: fresh sea scallops and jumbo shrimp sautéed with mushrooms and sundried tomatoes and tossed with fettuccine and roasted red pepper cream sauce. The Seafood Trio combines a jumbo crab cake, sautéed shrimp, and the fresh catch of the day. An 8-ounce cut of fresh yellow fin tuna may be blackened or grilled and topped with garlic butter. Chicken Chesapeake, a popular entrée, is a grilled chicken breast topped with broiled jumbo lump crab imperial and broiled to a golden brown.
    The sandwiches at Seacrets are amazing, and all Cool Runnins and Hot Runnins are served with fries and a pickle on your choice of bread. I absolutely love the Montego Bay Chicken Salad sandwich—chunks of fresh with meat chicken tossed with red grapes, celery, and onion. Ham, salami, cappicola, pepperoni, and provolone cheese comprise the West End Hoagie. For vegetarians, Seacrets offers the Hot Veggie Rollup. The Jamexican is a black bean burger covered in pepper jack cheese and layered with guacamole and salsa. Tuna, Burgers, Hot Dogs, Chicken Breasts, Crab Cake, and BLTs top off the sandwich selections.
    Seacrets also presents a delicious Panini Grill menu. Panini sandwiches are warm, enormous, and served on grilled ciabatta bread. Maple smoked ham layered with double crème Brie, tomato, red onion, and Dijon mustard sauce are the ingredients in the Ham and Brie Panini. An Italian Panini and Chicken, Bacon, & Swiss Panini are additional mouth-watering options. The Reuben Panini is your choice of turkey or pastrami with melted provolone, Thousand Island dressing, and crispy Cole slaw. The Prime Rib French Dip is slow roasted and served with Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, and tiger sauce.
    For our main course, Jill ordered the Spicy Chicken Breast sandwich, Kate selected the Jerk Chicken Cheese Steak, and I opted for the Jamaican Pizza. Grilled juicy and tender, the Spicy Chicken Breast sandwich is marinated jerk style, and tastes even better when you add cheese and bacon. “This is so full of flavor, and it’s a unique recipe,” said Kate, as she savored the spices on her traditional chicken cheese steak, sautéed with Seacrets’ famous jerk marinade and served on a toasted sub roll with lettuce, tomato, provolone cheese, and honey mustard. I added jerk shrimp to my pizza, which is made with tomatoes, green onions, shredded cheese, and seasonings. All three of us were 100 percent satisfied with our delicious dinners, and we’re eager to return to Seacrets to indulge in their winter menu.
    Seacrets is open every day, with happy hour from 4-7 p.m., Monday thru Friday, but the restaurant will reduce its hours to Thursday thru Sunday after November 1. That’s when splendid specials will start, too. A kids menu, dessert menu, and specialty drinks menu are also available. See Seacrets’ advertisement in this issue of Coconut Times, or go to www.seacrets.com <http://www.seacrets.com/> for more details. Make sure you rev into Seacrets on Friday for their Darkside Party, and throughout the fall season.