Bulrushes, Prince Frederick, Calvert County, Maryland

Nancy and I have been to Bulrushes a couple of times now. On our first trip we simply were looking for a new place to have lunch in Prince Frederick, just lunch, nothing special, and settled on Bulrushes. It’s a pleasant place, nothing fancy or elaborate, but preternaturally clean.

There’s plenty of room, and the dark ceiling softens the light. You order at the counter and they bring the food to your table.

We were very happy with our selections. Nancy ordered a salad topped with shrimp.

Isn’t that pretty? Nancy was very pleased with her salad. Each of the elements was both fresh and tasty. Just look at the caramelization on those shrimp! I ordered a stuffed ham sandwich with mustard and a side of potato salad.

My sandwich exceeded expectations. It arrived grilled and hot enough that, as you can see, I opened half to let it cool. Both the corned ham, which had been given a nice grill, and the stuffing hit the spot, and the mustard I’d requested turned out to be a good, bold Dijon. It wasn’t entirely clear whether that good bold flavor that makes a great stuffed ham sandwich was due to the spice from the stuffing or the Dijon mustard. Either way, this was a top notch sandwich.

Equally impressive was my side of potato salad. It included a little cheese, spring onions, and bits of freshly cooked bacon. The potatoes weren’t overcooked, and the salad wasn’t overdressed. This was a great side dish. 

We enjoyed the meal, but took our time about going back. There are just so many places to eat — it takes time to get to them all. When we returned, we both ordered breakfast for lunch. Nancy ordered a vegetable omelette with cheddar cheese, which she liked a lot.

I ordered eggs over easy with sausage and a biscuit and, what the heck, a side of scrapple.

I often order sausage rather than bacon because inn too many places the bacon isn’t properly crisped. I should have known that the bacon at Bulrushes would be crisp, and I should have asked, as I usually do, whether the sausage was patties or links. I much prefer patties, especially with a good crust. These were links, and while they were perfectly good and very nicely seasoned, I did kick myself. The scrapple, however, brought me back to good terms with myself. I’m new to scrapple, having had my first taste only recently at the late, legendary Linda’s Cafe. This scrapple was actually better than Linda’s, or perhaps I was just more aware of the flavors. I noticed the sage more, and that faint liver background thread that you get in a good pâté campagne or South Carolina hash. It was complex and delicious, with an excellent crust.

The owner/chef, Bobbie Bonner, came out and stopped by the tables. I had read of his triumph at a major food event in Dallas — 1,000 chefs and his asparagus soup was chosen Best in Show. He’s a very affable and engaging person, and we got to talking about food. He brought out a taste of his cream of crab soup for us. He’s proud of it, and I can understand why. The soup is delicious, with multiple layers of flavor that blend beautifully. He revealed that he uses a moscato rather than sherry, a bit of Old Bay, some jalapeño mellowed by being cooked down, and half and half. Boy, is it good! I tried to stop by on the following Monday for some more, but, as I would have known had I bothered to check, Bulrushes is open Tuesday through Sunday from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. You can expect another report after I get a chance to explore the menu more. Stay tuned.

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