A special that night was grilled tuna fillet. It was ordered medium-rare and came medium-well, served on a pool of what looked like the "sweet remoulade." Not a good idea.
Also stay away from the Maryland crab soup unless you like yours very heavy on tomato in the broth. It was almost tomato soup with vegetables and crab.
Scallops, stuffed with crab meat and topped with imperial sauce, were more accurately the Riptide's version of crab imperial with a few scallops hidden inside. (Well, how would you stuff a scallop anyway?) It was too salty to eat. The bad news for me was that our server gave me the leftover stuffed scallops by mistake, while my guest got the leftover steamed shrimp to take home. (I know, I know. I should have checked.)
Dinners come with two sides. This evening, they included a good squash mixture and crisp french fries. You can have a house or Caesar salad in place of the two, but salad dressings and sauces don't seem to be the kitchen's forte, so I'd recommend the sides. We also ordered green beans and the house-made coleslaw ("cut long," our server told us), but the kitchen was out of beans, and the coleslaw never arrived. Come to think of it, the bread we ordered never arrived either. You're probably beginning to get my drift about the service: extremely good-natured, not very polished.
If you have room for dessert, the dark chocolate cake with chocolate icing was very fresh and supposedly house-made. (Riptide must have a master baker in the kitchen who knows how to ice professionally.) I liked the apple pie, which would have been even better if it hadn't been warmed up in the microwave. Our server was a big fan of the fried ice cream, but don't let anyone talk you into it. The batter is much too heavy.
So, not everything works. On the plus side, Riptide by the Bay is an excellent place to get crabs in Fells Point; it has a pleasant atmosphere and an enthusiastic staff; and you can get a crab cake sandwich with applewood-smoked bacon on it. There's plenty to like here.
elizabeth.large@baltsun.com
Riptide by the Bay
Address:: 1718 Thames St.,
Hours:: Open for lunch and dinner daily
Prices:: Appetizers, $6.95-$12.95; entrees, $13.95-$26.95
Call:: 410-732-3474
Outstanding: **** Good: *** Fair or uneven: ** Poor *
Food ** 1/2 (2 1/2 stars)
Service ** (2 stars)
Atmosphere *** (3 stars)
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Check out restaurant critic Elizabeth Large's daily blog (baltimore sun.com/diningatlarge) for restaurant news and notes and reader feedback. Don't miss Top 10 Tuesdays.
