Tucked away in the Clarion Resort Fontainebleau Hotel is an exquisite oceanfront dining establishment—Horizons Oceanfront. Offering panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, Horizons serves a distinctive seafood menu and extensive wine selection. The restaurant’s food and wine menus have each earned awards and recognition from renowned magazines and organizations, and its breakfast and seafood buffets are legendary.
    I dined at Horizons Oceanfront this week with my dear friend, Stacey Payne (Town of Ocean Pines). Two lovely hostesses greeted us in the elegant foyer that leads the way to the huge dining room. We were seated at a spacious table in front of a wall of windows directly overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Comfortable chairs and elegant details complement the large space, which includes a larger than life television screen and stage where live musicians entertain the nightlife crowds.
    Locally, Horizons Restaurant is celebrated for its All-You-Can-Eat Prime Rib, Crab Legs & Seafood Buffet. Served steaming hot, succulent Snow Crab legs are monstrous and melt in your mouth. Chef’s Specials include a Roasted Half Chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and ginger spinach and Grilled Salmon with braised broccoli robe. The chef at Horizons Oceanfront prepares Baked Flounder with basil-stuffed crab and truffle micro green salad. Another must-try dish is Shrimp Alfredo—fettuccini pasta tossed in a three-cheese cream sauce with shrimp. One of my favorite summertime entrées is Soft Shell Crab, golden fried and simply delicious. Patrons are also invited to select between a one- or two-pound cold water Maine Lobster served with drawn butter or stuffed with jumbo lump crabmeat, topped with Imperial sauce, and baked golden brown.
    As Stacey and I perused the appetizers menu, our server told us that the Catch of the Day was Halibut and the Chef’s Recommendation was Red Snapper. Our server, Earl, revealed to us that Horizon Oceanfront’s distinguished owner, Dr. Berger, selected Red Snapper for his dinner earlier in the evening. Served grilled with yellow tomato cilantro butter, Red Snapper is another feature of the Chef’s Specials.
    Several entrées on the menu caught our attention. Stacey mulled over the Shrimp Scampi—jumbo gulf shrimp sautéed in butter, garlic, lemon, and white wine, served over fettuccini pasta, and garnished with fresh lemon and parsley. She also considered the Surf and Turf, which is a tempting combination of a petite filet mignon and a cold-water lobster tail. I was interested in Filet Mignon and Orange Roughy Annapolis, stuffed with crab imperial and baked golden brown. Earl suggested two popular entrées—New York Strip Sirloin and Chicken Horizon—a tempting concoction of pan-seared chicken breast crowned with crabmeat and topped with almonds and sauce Béarnaise.
     For our appetizers, Stacey and I ordered Club Casino and Stuffed Mushrooms. Six top neck clams baked with bacon, garlic butter, breadcrumbs, and Swiss and Parmesan cheeses, the Club Casino appetizer is truly the best clams casino I’ve tasted. Crispy bacon and a unique blend of cheeses combine with garlic butter to make each clam good to the last bite. Glazed with imperial sauce, Stuffed Mushrooms are filled with so much lump crabmeat you can barely find the tasty mushroom caps in the warm dish. Other enticing appetizers at Horizons Oceanfront are Crab Dip, Shrimp Cocktail, Caesar Salad, Maryland Crab Soup, and French Onion Soup topped with croutons and Swiss and Provolone cheeses. The Ocean Club salad is a mix of chilled fresh greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, onions, almonds, croutons, and Mandarin oranges.
    For our entrées, Stacey ordered Imperial Crab “Maryland,” and I selected Jumbo Crab Cakes. Prepared from a classic recipe, Imperial Crab “Maryland” contains fresh back-fin jumbo lump crabmeat. My two fresh back-fin jumbo lump Crab Cakes were broiled and served with lemon wedges and tartar and cocktail sauce. Both of our entrées were served with baked potato and a vegetable medley. We both thoroughly enjoyed our selections, and agreed that the quality of food and service at Horizons Oceanfront is in a league of its own. For dessert, we shared a rich slice of Black Russian cake. Our choices included Lemon Lust, Bumble Berry Pie, Cheese Cake, Orange Sherbet, Ice Creams, Sundaes, and seasonal Fresh Fruit.
    Stacey and I also enjoyed a bottle of Meritage, Gollywobber Red from St. Michaels Winery. A fun picnic red, Gollywobber Red is served chilled and has hints of lemon and lime. Wine collectors at Horizons Oceanfront stock the restaurant’s wine room with selections from top producers in winegrowing regions around the world. They also focus on local wines from the Delmarva Peninsula. Each entrée on the menu includes suggested wine pairings, and the wine menu offers tasting notes. For a peek at the award-winning “The List,”— which boasts nearly 440 selections, including great depth in French Bordeaux and California Reds—ask your server.
    Each Sunday morning from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m., Horizons Oceanfront presents a Deluxe All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast Buffet including eggs, bagels, bacon, ham, pancakes, home fries, muffins, sausage links, fresh fruit, cold cereals, lox and cream cheese, cheese blintzes with blueberry sauce, and omelettes and waffles cooked to order.
    In the summertime, Horizons Oceanfront’s famous All-You-Can-Eat Prime Rib, Crab Legs and Seafood Buffet is offered daily. Roast Prime Rib of Beef, Glazed Virginia Baked Ham, Crab Legs, Fried Clams, Maryland Crab Soup, Oysters, Clams, Catch of the Day, Pasta, Fried Chicken, and much more make the Clarion Resort Fontainebleau Hotel a popular tourist destination.
    As summer approaches, Horizons Oceanfront will soon premier a summer food menu and wine list. The restaurant offers 30% off dinner entrées from 5-7 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday, and 20% off dinner entrées from 5-7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Food is served until midnight, and happy hour takes place every day from 4-7 p.m. Open to the public, Lenny’s Beach Bar & Grill serves a grill menu until 8 p.m., and offers a generous kid’s menu.
    Horizons Oceanfront offers a selective fixed-price menu, one for two courses and one for three courses; and the dining establishment will participate in Ocean City’s Restaurant Week, June 5-19, 2011. For reservations, please call (410) 524-3535.