Mark’s Score 8.6
No conversation about Easton is complete without talking about the Tidewater Inn. The Inn dominates downtown every bit as much as the town’s famed courthouse (see Easton post). I fell in love with the Tidewater on my first visit to the Eastern Shore a decade ago.
The Tidewater was built by Arthur Johnson Grimes in 1947 on the site of the old Hotel Avon, which was destroyed by a fire in 1944. The hotel has established itself as one of the “finest hotels of the Mid-Atlantic,” and it has become a popular venue for weddings and corporate retreats. In 2009 the owners began extensive renovations.
The Hunter’s Tavern is the inhouse restaurant at the Tidewater Inn. Hunter’s Tavern is a bit of an institution and a gathering place in Easton and its Sunday brunch has become a bit of a local legend.
I have eaten here on a number of occasions, but there are so many excellent restaurants in Easton, I don’t visit frequently. I stopped by the other day because they were serving a duck au jus sandwich on their lunch menu. I love duck and you don’t see it on menus very often. So, when a restaurant serves duck, I make an effort to visit. For those of you who may not be aware, the Delmarva is on the east coast migratory flyway, and the Chesapeake is (or at least was) full of sea celery, the favorite food of canvasbacks. Canvasback ducks are supposedly the best eating ducks in the world. With the advent of the railways between New York and Washington in the 1830s, the Chesapeake Bay became a center of sport and commercial duck hunting. Chesapeake canvasback was a luxury staple on menus in the finest restaurants in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington through the late 1800s.
After my bi-weekly run to St Michaels for Bordeleau Winery, I stopped at the Hunters for lunch and ordered the duck au jus. Thankfully, in the most recent refurbishment the owners decided to continue with the tavern’s sophisticated hunting lodge décor. During the 1800s, the Chesapeake was littered with “gun” clubs. Barons of business and law would take the train down from Philadelphia, New York, and Washington and spend the weekend staying in elegant hunting lodges. By the 1890s there were more than 20 gun clubs clustered along the northern bay.
I ordered a German Riesling to accompany the duck, and it proved to be a perfect match. The duck was succulent and subtle in its flavor. It was also juicy without being greasy (always a risk with duck). The sandwich was served with a cup of au jus (to be honest, they could have been a little more generous with the au jus) and perfectly cooked and salted fries.
It was St Patrick’s day and the restaurant was crowded, consequently the service was a bit slow, but that was a minor inconvenience that can be overlooked. Hunters admirably carries on the luxury hunting lodge experience of the Chesapeake Bay. If you haven’t eaten here you should for that experience alone
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