Meat

A Chestertown man pleaded guilty this week in a New York federal court to trafficking live snapping turtles that he processed in Queen Anne's County and then sold as turtle meat. Michael V. Johnson, 57, faces a maximum of one year in prison for turning the wildlife into food at his business in Millington called Turtle Deluxe Inc., according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York in Buffalo. During 2007 and 2008, the statement said, Johnson purchased common snapping turtles — considered protected wildlife under New York law — from sellers in several states, brought them back to the Turtle Deluxe facility to sort and weigh and then paid the vendors based on weight.

The roast in the R.B.'s Beef & Cheddar ($7) is stacked so high that, with the curved roll, the sandwich is nearly round — and not much smaller than a softball. Maybe the best way to tackle this sandwich at Banksy's in the Lake Falls Village shopping center is to open it up and fork out some of the beef. Not only does this make it easier to eat, but you enjoy the treat of an exceptional roast. It needs no other adornment. Sliced thin and layered fold after fold, the Beef & Cheddar's meat combines quality and quantity.

Remember the Maryland crab cake? It no longer exists. It has been replaced, in the hearts and appetites of Baltimore restaurant diners, by a thing called the jumbo lump crab cake. Tastes change. The crab cake once was a humble second-day meal, composed of the gleanings of a crab feast - flavorful claw meat and, if you were lucky, unbroken pieces of backfin. The restaurant crab cake of today, almost without exception, is made with jumbo lump, a packing category that didn't even exist a few generations ago. And there's another major difference: In the old days, the crab cake served in Baltimore restaurants was made from Maryland crab meat.

Hey lady, want a cow? Sure, who wouldn't want a cow, or a pig for that matter, but, gee, it's not like I have a meat freezer. The idea of one's own personal livestock, grown by a responsible farmer, is appealing. But there are typically two deal-killers -- the expense and the required freezer space, even a side of beef, half the cow, yields somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 pounds. Meat clubs, or meat shares, are a way of letting consumers cut their commitment to a whole-animal purchase.

Mission BBQ celebrates America, from its heroes — firefighters, soldiers, police — to its food — barbecue. With a familiar restaurant concept, a handsome interior design and a short menu, Mission BBQ is a welcome change of pace in chain restaurant-heavy Glen Burnie. While not bad, the barbecue could be better. Still, it's a concept you could see expanding to other counties, and eventually, states. Mission BBQ feels familiar in a fast casual way. It's set up like a Chipotle or Qdoba — you order at a cash register and wait for your food at a pick-up station.

The Corner BYBO has announced the first dinner of its Gastronaut Society The winning Hampden bistro opened in late winter with a four-square Belgian-influenced menu by Chef Bernard Dehaene. From the start, exotic meats were part of the package. In the early days, you'd have to know to ask about them. Then, in August, Corner BYOB announced the details of an exotic meats club, the Gastronaut Society, with an annual subscription rate of $50. Dehaene and owner Cecile Fenix have now announced the first dinner of the Gastronaut Society.

Need to get something off your chest? Tell us and you could see your rant in a future issue of b. Send your rants to Twitter ( @bthesite ), text "RANT" to 70701 or call the hotline at 410.332.6660. I wanna say thank you to the person who found my license and mailed it back to me. Good to know somebody here has common sense. Have you noticed Subway commercials always make it look so good? And advertisers on the radio talk about “meat piled up,” but when you get there, they don't want to give you any meat.

We've gotten used to discovering charming, individually owned dining rooms in strip centers. So it was kind of fun to visit Drover's Grill & Maryland Wine Co., in Mount Airy in western Howard County. It stands alone, resembling a rancher with an outdoor dining patio. Inside the eatery are a bar and a charming 44-seat dining room. It's the sort of room that comforts yet makes you feel somewhat special, a little bit of Provence in a very-much-Free State restaurant. In the center of the room is a display of Maryland wine - the only kind Drover's provides (from about 30 vineyards)

Friends and fans of Owl Meat Gravy will gather in Little Italy on Sunday, Aug. 21 in the lounge at Chipparelli's for a  celebration of his life and writing. The informal event will begin at 7:30 p.m. and all are welcome to attend. Bob Swank, best known for his masterful writing on electronic media under the name Owl Meat Gravy died in his Little Italy home late last week. Swank wrote, post, tweeted and updated regularly from his perch at Chipparelli's . "We want everyone from all facets of his life to attend," said Carson Jacokes, a bartender at Chipparelli's who helped plan Sunday evening's gathering.