East County Times Dining Guide

By The Docks features Daily Lunch and Nightly Specials



 

 

3321 Eastern Blvd
Middle River, Md 21220
410-686-1188

By Allson McAlister

If you reside in the Essex-Middle River area, chances are youve already discovered the scrumptious crab cakes served up daily at By the Docks Restaurant & Lounge and are a regular customer. If youre a fan of crab cakes, you definitely need to try these, as By the Docks has become known for their deliciously huge crab cakes. Its by far the restaurants best selling dish, according to Brooke, our server for a recent mid-week lunch, and as evidenced by the several diners around us who ordered them. While famous for their crab cakes, By the Docks also features awesome steaks, tasty seafood and tantalizing pasta dishes. (Brooke recommended the ravioli.) In fact, the extensive menu caters to all tastes and preferences. From appetizers, soups and salads to sandwiches, chicken dishes and the aforementioned seafood and steak entrees, youre sure to find plenty of items to please your palate at By the Docks. The entire menu is online at www.bythedocks.com, if youd like to check it out. As a first time visitor, I was immediately impressed with the restaurant. The handsome, polite and charming host Stephan ensured we would be well taken care of during our visit. The lovely Brooke was knowledgable of the various menu items and was quick to offer suggestions when asked, and she was very attentive to our needs. When a dirty dish had no time at all to linger on our table, it became clear providing great customer service is a priority here. The restaurant itself exudes a wonderful ambiance and is beautifully decorated in a nautical theme, with pictures of docks and boats placed on the walls throughout. Piped-in music of todays more popular tunes is a welcome feature. The owners - Tommy Georgakopoulos, Elias Korologos and George Anagnostou - clearly know what it takes to run a successful restaurant. Theyve got years of experience under their belts and hold ownership in other area restaurants. By the Docks opened in May 2005, and theyre obviously doing something right. To begin our meal, we tried the soup. I had the cream of crab, while my dining companion opted for the Maryland crab. Both were really tasty, seasoned just right with big chunks of crab meat, and we quickly finished off our bowls. My co-worker ordered a garden salad with shrimp, and we both gasped when it arrived at the table. The salad was practically overflowing with shrimp! Though the restaurant makes their own Greek salad dressing and offers a delicious raspberry vinaigrette dressing, my dining companion went with her favorite - Ranch dressing. She declared the salad really good and was amazed by the number of shrimp on top. For our entrees, I went with the shrimp salad sandwich and my co-worker just had to try the infamous crab cake, so she ordered the crab cake sandwich. Remember the overflowing shrimp salad? Well, the shrimp salad sandwich was served the same way. The amount of shrimp was so generous that the sandwich could not contain it all. Served on a Kaiser roll, the shrimp salad, featuring big, juicy shrimp, was scrumptious. And the crab cake was huge, perfectly browned and utterly delicious. My co-worker said she did not encounter even one shell throughout the entire cake. She could understand why the crab cakes are so popular! Both sandwiches are served with a side, and we both chose French fries. Boy, were these good fries! Big, steak-cut fries, they were cooked just right and extremely tasty. We both enjoyed them. In fact, we both enjoyed everything about our meals at By the Docks. I even love my pickle! exclaimed my co-worker. Office Manager Irene Chrissomalis noted, The old chef is back! We decided in the beginning to forgo an appetizer so wed have room left for dessert. I ordered the rice pudding and my co-worker got the cheesecake. The cheesecake was creamy and delicious, while the rice pudding could be described the same. We were both very satisified, literally and figuratively, with our visit to By the Docks. Im looking forward to my next visit already! Open from 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. seven days a week, By the Docks is located at 3321 Eastern Blvd. in Middle River. Featuring daily lunch specials and nightly specials Monday - Thursday, By the Docks can also accommodate private parties of 50 - 55 people. Featuring delicious food in a great atmosphere at reasonable prices, a visit to By The Docks should definitely be on your To Do list. For more information, call 410-686-1188 or visit www.bythedocks.com.