Buckets Bar and Grill, Lusby, Calvert County, Maryland

Boy, am I getting behind! With the holidays and trips to Key West and all over North Carolina and Arizona, things have slipped. Here’s a very good one (blush!) from a meal before Christmas. Tardy as it is, read on, and prepare to be surprised.

We went back to Buckets for lunch with the whole family. I wrote about a first visit by Michael and me (see here), and pointed out Buckets’ odd location in a building behind a beer-centric convenience store at 12020 Rousby Hall Road in Lusby.

Inside, Buckets is spacious and comfortable. I believe it changed ownership not long before our fist visit, and it seems to be transitioning from Bar to Grill. It was well-lit, all decked out for Christmas, and Ella and Lily were charmed.

We placed an order for wings with blue cheese dip almost before we sat down. I wrote about the wings and blue cheese dip when Michael and I first went. The wings are very good and the blue cheese dip is far and away the best I’ve had. It may be getting even thicker and more flavorful, and it’s made from real blue cheese — quality blue cheese. The wings and the cheese alone are worth a trip.

The server was very friendly, and particularly nice to Ella and Lily. Ella ordered a small pizza, and Lily ordered the kids’ cheese quesadilla, which came accompanied by sour cream and salsa, and that’s crumbled bacon under Lily’s hand.

Now that’s not a standard kids’ quesadilla. Look at the tortilla, so nicely toasted. Did it also spend time on the grill? It was a big hit with Lily, and perhaps with Liza (Mom) who seems to have been playing backup to the girls.

Michael ordered the anaconda cheeseburger with bacon and grilled onions, which may have been a special.

That is a burger of beauty. Look at the crust, the result of a good smash on a hot griddle, the melted cheese, and the crisp bacon. Michael gave it a big thumbs-up.

Nancy, the healthiest eater I know, ordered blackened rockfish with green beans, and was presented with a nicely cooked slab of fresh rockfish and still-crisp green beans that had been tossed lightly in butter. Those are generous portions of good quality ingredients, and Nancy loved it.

As if to balance the healthiness of Nancy’s meal, I followed the servers suggestion and ordered the Reuben. Despite her strong endorsement, I had misgivings. I rarely if ever have ordered a Reuben outside of a Jewish-style deli. She told me, however, that the owner had smoked the corned beef out in back, and the word “smoked” hit me at a vulnerable point. I added a side of jalapeño macaroni and cheese.

Let’s first take a look at the meat.

That was excellent corned beef — well, actually I think it’s pastrami, having been smoked, but call it what you will, it was cut in good thick slabs that were tender as can be. It made a fine Reuben, one that exceeded my expectations, elevated though they had been by the server. And that’s a proper balance between the sauerkraut and the corned beef. My hat is off to Buckets.

The macaroni and cheese, which may have been a special, was very special! The jalapeños added a lot to the flavor and texture of the dish, of course, but the real hit was the addition of blue cheese to the mix. Wow! Sensational.

We all enjoyed our meals and left well pleased. After I thanked the server, as I always do, on the way out I noticed a couple of apparent managers or owners discussing business. I walked over and told them how impressed I had been with the meal, and especially the Reuben and their use of blue cheese. Buckets is getting better and better. You need to get familiar with Buckets. Good things are going on there, and you’ll want to see what they’re doing, and what comes next. Get excited!

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