Published
November 5, 2009
Martinsburg Journal – The Weekender

Hagerstown, MD – When it comes to seafood, freshness is key – and that’s something some landlocked seafood restaurants have a hard time replicating, especially this time of year.

Thankfully, those looking for delicious, quality seafood that tastes like it just arrived at market at an affordable price have to look no further than Schula’s Grill and Crab House.

Located at 11205 John F. Kennedy Drive in Hagerstown, MD., it may look unassuming from the outside. But the first thing you may notice upon walking into the restaurant is its spacious, clean atmosphere. The floors, as well as all of the table and chairs, are all beautiful hardwood. After a few minutes inside, it’s not hard to lose yourself in the atmosphere, imaging that just outside is the boardwalk complete with the soothing, rhythmic sound of ocean waves crashing against the shore instead of the parking lot alongside busy Robinwood Drive.

The other thing you will quickly notice is the service itself is exceptional. Within moments of sitting down at our table inside the packed dining room, our drink orders arrived promptly.
For appetizers, my guest and I ordered the cream of crab soup, while a second guest ordered the fried calamari.

Featured prominently on the restaurants’ menus is a promise from the Sciulla Family, the restaurant’s owners, that they are committed to bringing patrons the highest quality, freshest product available daily. That became clear by our first bite.

For starters, the cream of crab soup featured hearty chunks of real, quality crab meat-quite the opposite of many a restaurant crab soups that so often feature piecemeal, straight from the can, imitation crab chunks no bigger than a chick pea, or small, stingy strands of crab barely noticeable to the tastebuds.

It was also while quickly eating the deliciously creamy, seasoned soup that I noticed the first of the little authentic touches you’ll find while eating a t Schula’s. I’m told from New Englanders that partaking in any seafood-based cream soup, or “chowda” as it is often called, you must have oyster crackers. Saltines, I’m afraid, do not suffice. When I just so happened to notice the oyster crackers sitting next to my cup of soup, I knew instantly only good things would follow.

Now, on to the calamari. While squeamish, less adventurous eaters may not be able to overcome the idea of eating fried squid, it’s quite a tasty treat if prepared right.

Sampling a few piec es from my guest’s plate, I was pleasantly surprised. The problem with fried seafood too often is the batter itself is too heavy or thick, distracting from the overall taste of whatever the fried, battered shell is meant to contain. The calamari at Schula’s was quite the contrary, as the conservative use of a light batter let the full taste of scrumptious morsels shine through. Most importantly, the calamari was juicy and just tender enough to be chewy, but not rubbery.

Upon completing our appetizers, Schula’s prompt service again surprised, as no sooner had we finished than our main courses arrived.

Since I was in Maryland, I opted to try Schula’s Collossal Crab Cake, a half pound of jumbo lump crab meat prepared in a special blend of spices. It certainly lived up to its name, as did the onion rings that I ordered as a side that were as large as a hockey puck.

Schula’s commitment to freshness to my continued enjoyment again rang true as I took my first bite of my crab cake. There was not one speck of filler to be found in Schula’s crab cake, unlike pretend, so called crab cakes. You find at many a restaurant. I almost felt guilty as I quickly devoured the large chunks of crab meat found in the cake, itself more like a giant ball of pure seasoned crab meat that would take probably hours of tedious shell cracking to produce by hand.

One of my guests chose the lobster ravioli special that night as her main dish. While an appetizer, she found it as delicious and filling as a full meal itself, not to mention it was garnished with a jumbo shrimp the size of two big thumbs pressed together.

My other secret gourmet guest chose the deep fried haddock, which is served with fries and coleslaw. Sampling a rather generous hunk, the fish itself was marvelous. Juicy, it almost melts in your mouth on first bite. Again, one could tell the fish was fresh, since ill-prepared fried fish comes off as flaky and unappealingly dry.

The meals were so delicious that we joked with our server that we were in a race to see who could finish first. Unfortunately, we were too full to sample dessert, but the half- dollar sized peppermint patty chocolate covered mints provided with our check was one last special touch that topped off a night of amazing food. Schula’s is a dining experience that no true seafood lover should miss.

Schula’s features a dinner, as well as a lunch take-out menu in addition to in-house eating. All-you-can-eat-crabs are available to go by the dozen or the bushel.

A full menu is available at www.schulasgrillandcrab.com
Landlubbers need not fear, as the menu also includes salads, pasta, steaks and other meat cuts, as well as sandwiches and a kids’ menu.

Lunch hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Dinner hours are 3 to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 3 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Private parties are welcome

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Herald-Mail Restaurant Review - July 19, 2009

Grill and Crab House is Simply Magnificent!
By Omni Vore

Food: 5 Stars (out of 5)
Service: 5 Stars (out of 5)
Ambience: 5 Stars (out of 5)
Value: 5 Stars (out of 5)

Schula's Grill and Crab House is an authentic seafood restaurant. It was like seafood restaurants we loved in San Francisco, Boston, the Bronx and Hawaii. Yet, Schula's is in Rosewood Commons east of Hagerstown, over the mountains from Chesapeake Bay.

On a recent visit to Schula's my companion, the professor, and I ordered soup, appetizer and entrees, then reminisced about seafood restaurants we had known and loved.

Our soups arrived first. The Professor ordered New England clam chowder which had carrots and celery and clams and a hint of bacon in its creamy broth. It was served with the proper oyster crackers.

My creamy crab soup was astounding. The generous amounts of lump crab in the soup pleased me.
We did not need an appetizer, but we were enticed by the steamed clams. We asked for them to be simply steamed without the white wine sauce. That was no problem , as the clams were made to order. We received a dozen hard-shelled top neck clams of such fine taste, I wished the moment could last. We drank the buttery broth and our only desire was for some bread to sop up this delicious sea potion.

The Professor told me all about the clams he had eaten in his youth in New York City. I was surprised at how much he knew about the different kinds of clams and how to prepare them.

Our entrees arrived - a shrimp and bacon club sandwich for the Professor and a surf and turf sandwich for me.

First, we ate the fries, for they are best piping hot. These were great fries, meaty and crisp and not too salty. A bottle of malt vinegar had appeared without our asking and we doused our fries.

The professor ate his shrimp and bacon club with gusto. The white bread was grilled and the sandwich consisted of grilled butterflied shrimp and fresh-cooked bacon with lettuce and tomato. "It's like a BLT only better," he said.

My surf and turf was a surprise. The roll was shaped to hold two patties and it looked somewhat like a large pair of sunglasses. Under its grilled cover sat a 3-ounce hamburger patty on the left and a a3-ounce crab cake on the right. Their contrast in color, texture and taste was magnificent.

I ate the crab cake first, for it is my true love. I melted at the taste of large lumps of fresh crab. Halfway though I thought to ask for tartar sauce. The waitress brought the sauce quickly but not before I had finished this quintessential crab cake. Oh, well. The tartar sauce was more like a marie rose sauce, a classic 1970s condiment with a touch of ketchup, but then it also had relish and a taste of dill.

The burger portion of the sandwich was grilled to perfection. The beef was coarsely ground and the taste was fresh and meaty. The pickle had a crisp clean bite and could have come fresh from a New York deli.

And then we saw the coleslaw sitting apart in its white bowl. How had we missed the coleslaw? This slaw was made with cabbage, carrots, and a mayonnaise dressing. The Professor stated his preference for a sour cream-and-yogurt dressing, just like his mother made. I remembered my great aunt making coleslaw dressing with Hellman's mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar and sugar. Coleslaw is one on those comfort foods whose variations are endless and Mom's is always the best. Schula's coleslaw was good, though we both wanted onions in it.

There was a dessert menu which included Key lime pie, but we had eaten our fill for this day. The Professor wandered over to the bar area of the restaurant and came back with a report.

"They serve Blue Moon Belgian-style wheat beer. It is served with a slice of orange." When I asked what a wheat beer was he said, "blue Moon is brewed with white wheat and oats and features a crisp wheat finish and the perfect combination of orange peel and coriander."

Is there no knowledge which is foreign to you?" I teased him.

"I read it on the back of the label," he confessed.

And he then instructed me on the differences among pilsners and lagers, porters and ales and steam beers.

"we will come back to the bar for more steamed clams and Blue Moon beer, " he decided, and I was more than willing to agree. The taste of clams had triggered my desire for more and soon.

While he had been exploring the bar area, I looked around the restaurant. The back wall, painted a raspberry shade, held a model of a marlin. High windows looked out on South Mountain and there was a framed photograph of a long seashore.

Over in the corner by the swinging doors to the kitchen hung a huge roll of butcher paper. On Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, there is all-you-can-eat crabs and that is when the butcher paper covers the simple wooden tables.

Prints of bamboo were on the wall and service people wore Hawaiian shirts.

Overall, Schula's had a feeling of space and air, of cleanliness and order, almost like a walk along the shore at dusk.

DINNER HOURS Mon.-Thurs. 3 pm - 9 pm Fri.-Sat. 3 pm - 10 pm Sun. 1 pm - 8 pm

LUNCH HOURS Mon.-Sat. 11 am - 3 pm Sun. Dinner Only