Chief’s, Your Neighborhood Bar, Tall Timbers, St. Mary’s County, Maryland

Our next foray in our exploration of St. Mary’s County restaurants led Nancy and me to Chiefs, Your Neighborhood Bar. Chief’s isn’t in our neighborhood and we aren’t surveying bars, as such, but Chief’s is next to — and connected with WJ Dent and Sons. No less than Paul of St. Mary’s reports that WJ Dent’s is the leading purveyor of that delicacy, Maryland stuffed ham. Paul of St. Mary’s’ view is supported by a major 2018 New York Times article on Andy Dent and Maryland stuffed ham.

My first experience with Maryland stuffed ham was at the Calvert County Fair, as lovingly detailed here. Both the corned ham and the stuffing were delicious individually and in combination, and I was eager to try more. So off to Chiefs we went. It’s in Tall Timbers, and you pass it on the way to The Reluctant Navigator.

You enter Chief’s from the rear of WJ Dent, a small country store based around a butcher shop and deli counter. The place was purchased in 1978 by Chief WJ Dent after he retired from the Navy, and it’s still run by the family.

Once inside Chief’s, you discover to your mild dismay that it’s very nice, very clean and well lit, not a bar atmosphere at all. It’s an L shaped spaced with, of course, a bar with tall chairs, and two dining areas.

Service was prompt and friendly, and I ordered the Stuffed Ham Eggrolls with Texas Mayonnaise to start,

and a Stuffed Ham Sandwich on white potato bread with mustard, with a side of cole slaw.

Nancy ordered the Chief-sized Flounder Dinner, blackened, (Chief size is one piece of flounder, Senior Chief is two pieces)

with a side Caesar salad and a side tossed salad.

The cherry tomatoes on the cucumber tickle me. 

First the egg roll. It was delicious, with that great tangy flavor that draws me back to stuffed ham. The Texas Mayonnaise seemed to be a mixture or mayonnaise and sriracha or some similar pepper sauce, much like the Captain’s Kitchen’s excellent sauce. I loved it. Nancy had a No Thank You nibble that managed to avoid any stuffed ham. She said it tasted like egg roll — fried.

Nancy was thrilled, however, by her flounder. It was “beautiful” and tasted as good as it looked, with honest blackening seasoning applied with a judiciously liberal hand. I got a taste and agreed that it was fresh, expertly cooked, and delicious. Nancy also liked her two side salads: “fresh and simple.”

And I liked my stuffed ham sandwich, a huge bargain at $8.50. There was so much ham, indeed, that the stuffing was a touch overbalanced, and I think that next time I’ll ask for a little extra stuffing. That said, it was an excellent sandwich, one that I certainly recommend.

Indeed, I recommend Chief’s for the seafood as well as the stuffed ham. A good idea is to stop by The Reluctant Navigator for a dozen oysters and then go to Chief’s for some stuffed ham. And some blackened flounder or a soft shell crab, and get someone to check out their pizza and burgers. Chief’s offers a rich, full life. Give it a try.

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