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Many new and innovative types of restaurants have opened in the county in recent years, but there is something to be said for those that have been around a while.
The fact that the Calvert House Inn continues to survive through the recession proves that it has a loyal base of customers that are drawn to the quality of the food, said owner Fereydoun Salimi.
"I don't have the most beautiful furniture ... but the food you can always count on," he said.
The Calvert House Inn is certainly a regional classic; open since 1963, Salimi and his wife, Sousan, bought the business in 1982 and have developed it into a family-friendly fine dining establishment, with traditional Maryland seafood cuisine starring on the diverse menu.
They started their business with only one room, and soon expanded to three dining rooms; the third closed down 14 months ago, Salimi said, due to economic hardships. But they still have plenty of regulars, he added, some who come in three or four times a week. And the Salimis are not batting down the hatches by any means. They have plans for 2010, including renovating parts of the main entrance and kitchen to create a marketplace, selling his signature crab cakes, meats, baked goods and more.
Salimi also just started selling Capital City Cheesecakes in his dessert offerings, just one part of the continued expansion and development of his menu, which started very small and has now expanded to 17 sandwich selections for lunch, 14 different seafood entrées for dinner and much more.
One addition is the chicken kabob ($9.95 lunch, $11.95 dinner) and beef kabob ($10.95 lunch, $13.95 dinner), dishes from Salimis' native Iranian cuisine: marinated beef chunks or chicken breast grilled on skewers with onion, green pepper and tomato, served over basmati rice with roasted vegetables.
The Inn's refreshing signature salad, called "Calcuminto," nods at this heritage, too, with small chunks of cucumber, red onion and tomato in a light oil-and-vinegar mix with fresh mint.
That freshness is echoed in all the Inn's offerings. Everything in the restaurant is cooked to order from fresh materials — "the only frozen thing we have in the restaurant is ice cream," Salimi said. "Even the French fries are cut in the restaurant."
Although the desserts are mostly purchased from gourmet bakeries, Sousan Salimi makes her own wonderfully light chocolate mousse in-house.
Their most popular dish is, of course, the signature crab cake — a generous, perfectly broiled five-ounce cake of seasoned backfin lump crab meat — served as a sandwich ($10.95), platter ($11.95 lunch) or dinner entrée ($23.95). Steaks are also very popular, such as the New York strip steak ($14.95 for 8 ounces, $22.95 for 12 ounces) and the 8-ounce filet mignon ($23.95). Chicken dishes include chicken and broccoli ($9.95 lunch, $13.95 dinner).
But it's really the seafood that shines here, not only in the entrees but also in the salads and appetizers.
Alongside scrumptious vegetarian options like the orange, mango and walnut salad ($10.95) is the Nova Scotia, with fresh salmon and scallops over a bed of spinach, apples, almonds and alfalfa sprouts. Appetizers include classics like Oysters Rockefeller ($7.95), crab dip ($8.95), shrimp cocktail ($8.95) and stuffed mushrooms ($7.95) filled with crab imperial.
Dinner entrées include nearly every seafood style you can imagine: Cajun seafood platter ($14.95), fried shrimp ($15.95), surf and turf (petite filet mignon and lobster tail, $32.95), a creamy seafood casserole ($20.95) with fish, shrimp, crab and scallops sautéed in garlic, butter, cream and sherry, served over rice or pasta. And at the bar, a different menu entirely offers lighter but similarly filling fare, including appetizers, sandwiches, burgers and pizza.
With such a variety of fresh, flavorful options, there is something for everyone in this family gourmet restaurant. And should one choose to eat dinner sooner than later, every day from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. you can take advantage of the early bird special: a three-course meal, choosing from soup or salad, entree and dessert, for only $12.95.
Calvert House Inn
6211 Baltimore Ave., Riverdale
Phone: 301-864-5220
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
