Annapolis, MD --

Picture yourself walking through the old world charm in downtown Annapolis, walking the banks of the Chesapeake or taking a trip to Key West, Charleston and San Francisco all without leaving Maryland. If you want to do all that in one evening, plan an evening for dinner at Ports of Call Annapolis and the journey you will embark on will leave you in dining bliss.

When you first walk inside of the Ports of Call located in the Doubletree Hotel Annapolis, it is reminiscent of the dining of yesteryear on a luxury cruise ship or on a Pullman car. The dark wood trim lining the restaurant and the dimly lit lights ensure a great ambiance for your dining pleasure. Its appearance just says, “First Class,” and the food says it even more.

For example, Annapolis' sailing and boating enthusiasm is showcased via the vibrant colors of an Annapolis staple, the U.S. Naval Academy. Wooden sailboats replicas are used as decorative items throughout, and random plank flooring is reminiscent of wooden boats that lined the harbor back in the early years of the yachtsmen. Each table top features nautical maps of such port cities as Boston, Charleston and San Francisco. You can find a different place to sail to each night of the week.

While most restaurants in the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland place a heavy focus on anything that contains its famous blue crab, Ports of Call realizes that it is important to focus on both out of town travelers and locals. Part of the buzz over the diverse menu starts with award winning chef Nicolai Vuxinic, who has a passion for great food with a flavor.

"My vision is to offer Annapolis a restaurant with energy and vitality,” says Vuxinic, who brings 18 years of culinary experience, having worked in the kitchens of Colorado's Loews Giorgio and Pinehurst Country Club, and the Ritz Carlton in Missouri. "I celebrate Ports of Call with simple, straightforward ingredients to complement their own flavor ... such as Citrus Grilled Mahi Mahi paired with a crisp Napa Valley Chardonnay or bold Australian Shiraz."

So after a brief description of the restaurant from General Manager Jessica Jackson and a chance to look over their extensive wine menu, we set sail for what we believe is sure to become one of the best destinations in Annapolis.

If you’re a wine connoisseur, this is the place for you. Boasting the area’s most extensive “wine by the glass,” list, which means not 2, 5 or even 10 types of wine are available by the glass, all of them are available. This means that you don’t have to spend 50 or 60 dollars for your favorite bottle wine, only just to have a glass or two.

Ports of Call’s huge wine list and the chic bar that sits in front of the restaurant compliment each other very well. Both offer vast selections and again with the windows opening to the patio, it is like stepping on deck of luxury ship. From the bar, there are eight specialty drinks, seven signature martinis, which includes the Port City Martini, which is filled to the brim with Grey Goose, Chesapeake Bay Bloody Mary Mix and served in an Old Bay Rimmed Glass. This is sure to set your bearings in the right direction.

After a glass of wine or a cocktail, we highly recommend taking the winter chill off with Chef Nicolai Vuxinic’s 2006 award winning Plantation She Crab Soup, which took top honors at Maryland Seafood Festival. As many of us native Marylanders know, this contest is the Heisman Trophy for chefs in the state and it carries huge bragging rights all the way from Baltimore to Ocean City.

The soup, unlike many we have tasted, features a crab blast in each bite. There is barely any room to fit the cream on the spoon, as it is loaded with extensive pieces of lump backfin crab meat. This is one of the best values on the menu at $6.00 for a cup and $8.00 for a bowl.  No Old Bay needed here.

If you like southern flavor, nothing says Deep South like a good stew and Vuxinic has created another unique taste in the Queen Street Frogmore Stew. If you like shrimp with spice and broth all in one setting then dip your biscuit in, because the crab andiuoule Sausage, sweet corn, green onions and red potatoes offer a huge portion. Very spicy, but one you will want again during your next visit.  Served in a big ole’southern style pot the stew is a bargain at $24.00.

Keeping with the crab flavor, we moved north from Charleston up to the Chesapeake Bay for some appetizers. We decided on the St. Michael’s Blue Crab Dip, which again is another one of the chef’s signature recipes topped with melted cheddar cheese and garnished with fresh fruit and lightly toasted French bread. If you like plenty of crab, get ready as this one hits you like a ton a bricks when it comes to the flavor. While none of our staff can say we had the experience getting hit by a ton of bricks, but if you did, it is something you would remember for a long period of time, so is the dip.

If you like crab cakes, then the Maryland Crab Cakes are a must. Prepared and packed full of lump crab, other restaurants in the area take notice because Ports of Call takes all the crab the watermen have brought from the Eastern Shore you will know why. This is another must have at $26.00

Continuing to navigate the East Coast, we ventured 1000 miles south on the menu to southern most point before you fall off into the Atlantic Ocean in Margartiaville, Key West, Florida.

Just like vacationing to Key West, Ports of Call menu selections might have you conjuring up fond memories of a fabulous Key West sunset, walking down Old Town lane smelling the jasmine, or singing along downtown to a popular duo at one of the bars on Duval Street. This is how close to authentic Ports of Call comes with their menu selections.

From the Key West port, no one can miss the Coconut Shrimp dredged in sweet toasted coconut butter and served with an orange and mango sauce. For $10.00, this is a taste not to be missed. Watch closely, you might just see Jimmy Buffett walk through the front door, as the flavor says tropical paradise.

Ports of Call delightfully prepares the most sought after fish in the Keys, tuna. WOW, they do it well with their Pepper Crusted Caribbean Ahi Tuna. The sushi grade tuna is rolled in crushed peppercorns seared and served rare. Mouth Watering! A lot of tuna, so bring your appetite too. The tuna is served to perfection for $25.00.

For our next journey we turned the menu around and headed for the Port of San Francisco. With six different menu items to choose from, the flavor from the west is authentic as the seals lying in the San Francisco Bay or the sounds of the cable cars rolling past you on the cobblestone streets. The Avocado and Mango Crab stack combines a different flavor that most restaurants in the area would love to have. Stacked with jumbo lump crab meat hand tossed in Dijon mustard remoulade and layered with fresh avocado and mango, the presentation takes the cake for this item. It was so stunning; we didn’t want to knock it over to taste it.

Lastly while in San Francisco, you can not miss the chef’s specialty, the Sesame Ginger Salmon. It is glazed and broiled to perfection then topped with a sesame coating.

While there is not a port listed on the menu from Texas on the menu as of yet, anyone would gladly go inland to have the 20 ounce Bone In USDA prime Cowboy Ribeye Steak topped with maitre’d butter. This is a steak that would make cattlemen jealous from Abilene to Fort Worth. Three selections of steaks include the New York Strip and Filet Mignon for those with a beef craving.

No voyage at Ports of Call is finished without trying some of their homemade deserts. The Carolina Bread Pudding, Vanilla Crème Brule and Chocolate Decadence are for those who love sweats and want to talk about them the next day.

For the business travelers who have come to Annapolis/Baltimore/Washington area, you no longer have to look for a different dining choice each night. With the unique 10 percent off option that Ports of Call is offering for selecting one of their featured port on the following evenings, the difference is just one night away. This is the scheduled port of the day.

Sunday--Chesapeake Bay
Monday--San Francisco
Tuesday—Key West
Wednesday- Charleston
Thursday--Boston

While some restaurants might hold 200-300, this 78 seater, offers a comfortable dining experience from 6:30am until 10pm Sunday through Thursday and until 11:00pm on Friday and Saturday. It offers a great place for dinner or drink with a casual atmosphere that is going to become a favorite with the local seafood lovers and business travelers will not have to run all over Annapolis and the surrounding areas to find what we believe is the freshest restaurant to hit this area in a number of years and oh yea, there is parking too. No more searching for a spot for hours or running out to charge your meter, just sit back and relax, because you nationwide cuisine journey is now boarding, don’t miss the boat, or you will be sorry you did.

Ports of Call is located at 210 Holiday Court, off Route 50 at exit 22, three miles from Historic Downtown Annapolis Waterfront District, and the Maryland State House and United States Naval Academy.

For more information or additional information contact the restaurant at (410) 573-1350 or visit them online at www.portsofcallannapolis.com