Shuck It, Shake It, Smoke It @Wit on the Water

If you've never been to Wit & Wisdom in the warmer months, they have a terrific 85-seat patio overlooking the Harbor. Chef Zack Mills and lead bartender Aaron Joseph have combined their considerable forces in creating a special Wit on the Water menu featuring the three things we enjoy most in the summer: shellfish; barbecue; and cocktails. "Shuck it, smoke it, shake it," as the menu is titled.

We were there recently and tried a number of things. We'll start with the shellfish, which included:
--Blue Crab Cocktails, Flying Dog orange ale vinaigrette, avocado
--Scallop Ceviche, citrus & horseradish vinaigrette
--Steamed & Chilled Half Maine Lobster, yuzu creme fraiche
--Court Bouillon Poached Shrimp, Old Bay Cocktail Sauce

Foreground: crab salad; Right: ceviche; scattered elsewhere: lobster and shrimp

From the "smoke it" portion of the menu, we tried:
--Oak Wood Smoke Catoctin Mountain Pulled Pork, House-made Barbecue sauce, corn bread
--Smoked War Shore Oysters, Herb & Old Bay butter
--Grilled Half Maine Lobster, drawn butter

We also tried several cocktails, including:
--Orchid Punch: Clyde May's whiskey, white orchid tea, apple-citrus syrup, lime
--Charm Peace: roasted tomato-infused Stoli Elite with basil-infused Dolin Blanc dry Vermouth
--Hon Punch: reposado tequila, lime juice, lavender mint tea, and kumquat sacrum
--Country Ride: roasted sweet corn-infused Blanco Tequila, lemon juice, and agave syrup with Old Bay rim and cilantro garnish
--Honeydew and Cantaloupe "boozy pops,"

Hon Punch, Orchid Punch

Country Ride

Charm Peace

Boozy Pops

The grilled items were our favorites. Somehow lobster is more lobster-y when it's grilled, and the grilled oysters topped with a slick of Old Bay-flavored butter were delish. In fact, we demurred at the idea of oysters to begin with, as we had dozens of them at home. But I'm glad we tasted the War Shores. Now I know how to treat oysters on the half shell next time we have some. The pulled pork, in a lightly sweet, very tomatoey sauce, was excellent, but my favorite part of that dish was the lightly lemony cornbread. Citrus was an unexpected touch that made it unique.

The seafood was all impeccably fresh and perfectly prepared. The scallop ceviche was tender and tasted like more, and the poached shrimp was some of the best I've eaten. As for the cocktails, they were full of innovative ideas, like corn-infused tequila. My favorite was the Charm Peace, which was like a Caprese salad in a glass...all it needed was a little ball of mozzarella....

It didn't hurt that we had the most gorgeous early summer day to enjoy the patio, that, coupled with good company and fine food made for an enjoyable evening outdoors. The only regrettable thing was not being there on the weekend and missing whole pig roasted on the new la caja china roaster. Next time....



Posted on Minxeats.com.