Whenever my friends from out of town visit me in Ocean City, I always tell them, “Meet me at Seacrets.” A fascinating combination of live music, festive atmosphere, attentive staff, and delicious food, Seacrets is a marvelous escape for locals and vacationers. Now that football season is in full gear, three of my best friends and I visited Seacrets on Monday night for a fun-filled evening of wining and dining on “da bay, mon.” Carrie, Kristi, Natalee, and I were so excited to sample Seacrets’ new dinner menu in a mellow ambiance.
    As you enter the dining area on 49th Street and the bay, you feel as if you’re stepping into a tiki bar at a tropical resort. Panoramic water views illuminate the wall of windows, and sand softly cushions your feet. Palm trees and colorful lights accent the open scene, where reggae and beach music set the tone for a good time. We followed the hostess to an oversized wooden booth with unobstructed views of the tranquil bay, where the lights on the Route 90 Bridge glisten on the water. Our proficient server, Lydia, introduced herself and told us about the daily specials, which included Island Scampi—shrimp and blackened swordfish sautéed with mango and tossed with white wine garlic sauce and fettuccini.
    In addition to $5 Lunch Specials from Monday-Friday, Seacrets now offers dinner specials for under $13. Served with the starch and vegetable of the day, the dinner specials are Crab Cake on Monday, NY Strip on Tuesday, Ribs on Wednesday, Prime Rib on Thursday, and Fish Your Way on Friday. Plus, on Sunday, you can enjoy happy hour from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and half-priced dinner entrées. During football games on Sunday and Monday a special Tailgate Menu is available.
    As we perused the new menu, we were most impressed by the Panini Grill section. Grilled on fresh ciabatta bread, these hot sandwiches are irresistible. My mouth waters just thinking about the Honey Ham and Brie Panini—maple smoked ham, double cream brie, tomato, red onion, and Dijon mustard sauce. Rounding out the Panini selections are the Rueben, French Dip, Italian, Roasted Vegetable, and Chicken Bacon & Swiss selections.
    For our appetizers, we ordered the Nachos and Dotsy’s Delight. Served in an edible bread bowl with crackers for dipping, Dotsy’s Delight is the most creamy crab dip made from fresh local crabmeat. The Nachos are a generous proportion of tri-colored tortilla chips served with pico de gallo, jalapeños, and melted nacho cheese. Both of these beginning dishes are perfect for sharing. Other appetizers that I recommend are the Smoked Tuna, Clams Little Neck, and Seafood Skins, which are loaded with shrimp, scallops, crab, and imperial sauce.
    After we feasted on our appetizers, it was time to order our entrées. Bikini season is officially over, so there’s nothing wrong with ordering a 14 oz. Certified Angus steak, right? So, we selected the New York Strip, topped with whiskied mushrooms and onions. Additionally, we placed an order for my all-time favorite dish at Seacrets—the Shrimp and Scallop Rundown. A pasta lover’s dream-come-true, this fettuccine is tossed in roasted red pepper cream sauce and topped with jumbo shrimp, sea scallops, mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes. Other entrées—all of which are served with hot rolls, dinner salad, and starch and vegetable of the day—include Tuna, Crab Cakes, Baby Back Ribs, Prime Rib, Seafood Trio, and Chicken Chesapeake. The Catch of the Day is always a winner. From Blackened Swordfish to Grilled Halibut topped with Orange Honey Glaze, which was the Catch on Monday, the Catch of the Day is always fresh and prepared to please.
    For those of you in the mood for light fare, Seacrets offers an extensive “Cool Runnings,” “Hot Runnings,” and “Outta the Oven” menu. My absolute top pick from the Cool Runnings selections is the Montego Bay Chicken Salad. Consisting of fresh white meat, red grapes, celery, and onion, this chicken salad is the chunkiest I’ve ever tasted. From the Hot Runnings menu, I recommend the Pulled Pork Sandwich—served with a side of Cole slaw, of course—and the Spicy Chicken Breast, which is marinated jerk style. The Burger and Cheese Steak are popular too. Another Seacrets creation that I treasure is the Jamaican Pizza on the Outta the Oven menu. A unique blend of tomatoes, green onion, seasoning, and mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, each slice is zesty and satisfying. Also, try the Caribbean or Seafood Quesadilla.
    A variety of salads are also available, including Baja Chicken, Callaloo, and Kingston Cobb. Curious to sample the four different types of vinaigrette dressings, we each ordered one for our dinner salads: feta cheese, maple, fat-free garlic, and pineapple mango. Cream of Crab and Maryland Crab soups are offered every day at Seacrets, in addition to the Soup du Jour, which happened to be Broccoli and Cheddar on Monday.
    Our entrées were simply amazing. The 14 oz. steak was thick and grilled to perfection. A delicious blend of sautéed zucchini and squash and a heaping serving of fully loaded mashed potatoes, which includes butter, chives, garlic, and sour cream, were the extraordinarily satisfying vegetable and starch of the day. All four of us delighted in the creamy Shrimp and Scallop Rundown, which we gobbled down to the last forkful.
    The highlight of our evening was when the delightful manager, Christine, sent a complimentary slice of caramel apple cheesecake to our table for a sweet treat. One of the seasoned bartenders, Gary, makes a variety of homemade cheesecakes using fresh ingredients. Pumpkin and “Pain In Da Ass” cheesecakes are just a few tasty concoctions he’s whipped up for Seacrets. If you’d like a custom made cheesecake to go, stop into the bar and ask for Gary. He’s happy to oblige.
    “We should do this more often,” said Natalee as a piece of cheesecake melted in her mouth. A warm tropical reprieve from wintertime temperatures, Seacrets inspired us to agree to start meeting once a week for girlfriends’ wine & dinner gatherings. With the NFL football game broadcasting on high-definition flat screen televisions throughout the establishment, we also decided to move to the bar area and stay for a cocktail after dinner. After all, we needed to plan our Halloween costumes for Seacrets’ huge Halloween blowout on Friday.
    Seacrets is open every day, year-round, at 11 a.m. Happy Hour food and drink specials are served Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. One of my personal favorite events of the entire year – the Halloween Costume Party & Contest, takes place Friday, October 31. Come see for yourself the outlandish Halloween costumes, and maybe you’ll win the first prize trip for two to Jamaica.