Stoney’s Seafood House at Clarke’s Landing, Hollywood, St. Mary’s County, Maryland

I’ve reported on Stoney’s at Clarke’s Landing before, but I’ve been meaning to get back. It has a wonderful location at 25480 Clarke’s Landing Lane at a point of land on Cuckold Creek. (This is a family blog so we”ll say no more.) Anyway, it’s just off the Patuxent, and you can sit outside and look down over the water to the long arch of the Governor Johnson Bridge and Solomons.

It was a big morning for the girls, shopping at the Community Yard Sale at Smile Store next to St. Peter’s and staying within a clear budget. Next came time at Cove Point Park playground, followed by a brief return to base to spread the new toys around, and finally lunch. Off to Clarke’s Landing.

The restaurant has three areas, a spacious indoor area with a bar and a television, a glass enclosed area overlooking the water, and a partially covered outdoor area by the water. It was a gorgeous day, temperature in the upper 70s with bright sunshine, plus we managed to get the perfect table, shaded and waterside.

After getting drinks, we ordered. I was eager to try their blackened rockfish gyro, which Liza also chose.

Nancy ordered a salad topped with blackened rockfish, while

Michael went with the Super Burger with bacon.

You can’t really tell from the photo ,but it’s an eight-ounce patty.

Ella (6) chose her usual chicken tenders with fries but with great enthusiasm as they came with Oreos. Lily (4) ordered a crab cake. The server looked at Liza with incredulity. Liza shrugged. The server shrugged and said, “You go, girl.” Lily has advanced tastes in food. Some are simple (candy), but all are decided. My nephew Jimbo often noted that his son, Eli, always ordered from the adult side of the menu and, truth be told, except in a barbecue place, when I was a boy I always ordered a steak with a baked potato and salad with roquefort dressing. We take Lily to seafood places at some risk.

Lily’s unorthodoxy in ordering was justified by her vigorous assault on the crab cake.

So how did the rest of us like your orders?

First the rockfish. Rockfish, also known as its cousin, striped bass, is the pride of the Chesapeake. Cooked fresh, it’s hard to beat. At the same time, rockfish is a delicate fish, and can dry out easily. Stoney’s, at least the one in Clarke’s Landing, consistently cooks it perfectly, without a hint of dryness. They also use an extraordinarily good blackening season mix, three good layers of flavor above anyone else this side of New Orleans and, indeed, the woman in charge is from New Orleans. On the gyro, the chunks of feta cheese and the lettuce offered a contrast to the fish, and the drizzle of sauce was genius.

Nancy certainly felt that way as she kept saying, “This is so good!” as she ate. Liza and I were equally enthusiastic . Meanwhile Michael observed that his burger was “excellent.” It was, he said, loosely packed and tasted as if had been cooked on a charcoal grill rather than on a flat top in a restaurant.

I try to be positive about restaurants, and about everything, really — to look for the positive, the silver lining in every cloud. Still, Clarke’s Landing meal, and this was typical of their product, would have every pessimist seeing roses and skittles. Don’t believe me. Go there and try for yourself.

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