Spring brings 18TWENTY into one of its strongest stretches of the year.
The sunroom and waterfront patio open out toward the Thompson Creek. The menu tilts toward oysters from Chesapeake growers, rockfish from the Bay, and produce from Eastern Shore farms. Spring cocktails are light and refreshing. It’s a season the kitchen and the dining room have been building toward since November.
18TWENTY is the farm-to-table restaurant at Kent Island Resort, a 220-acre estate on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The dining room sits inside a historic Manor House — the restaurant takes its name from the decade the building was constructed. From most of the Washington, D.C. metro, the drive is under an hour across the Bay Bridge. From Baltimore, forty-five minutes. From Annapolis, twenty.
The following is a guide to spring dining at 18TWENTY: the menu, the wine program, the weekly specials, and how to turn dinner into a proper evening, inspired by Chesapeake Bay.
A WALK THROUGH THE SPRING MENU
Most tables begin at the raw bar. The oyster offerings features three Chesapeake growers — Orchard Point, Sweet Jesus, and Salt Shaker — shucked to order and served on ice. For larger parties, the Seafood Board ($48) brings together Crab Salad with toast points, Shrimp Cocktail, oysters, lobster, and seared scallops on one plate.
You can’t visit the Eastern Shore without indulging in local soup delights. The crab soups are a point of pride. Cream of Crab is the classic sherry-broth preparation topped with lump crab. Maryland Crab Soup is the tomato-and-vegetable counterpart. Both are available in cup or bowl.
Small plates for the table bring out the kitchen’s hand with Chesapeake seafood. The Chesapeake features roast oysters topped with crab imperial. The Rockefeller pairs oysters with Pernod and parmesan creamed spinach. The Seared Scallop arrives over asparagus cream with leek straws and bacon dust.
Among the crafted specialties, the Creekside Rockfish is the signature spring dish — striped bass, Maryland’s state fish, finished with roasted corn, ham, and tomato in a parmesan cream. For larger appetites, the Cioppino Capellini brings lobster, crab, shrimp, and scallop together in a pan stew over capellini pasta. The Veal Osso Bucco is slow-braised with sofritto in white wine and finished with gremolata. The Shrimp Imperial, marinated and served with imperial crab, gives the kitchen another chance to show off local seafood.
For diners looking for prime cuts, the selection runs from a 6 or 8 oz Filet Mignon to Porterhouse, Wagyu Strip Loin, Bone-In Cowboy Rib Eye, Worcester Pork Chop, and a 10 or 14 oz Prime Rib. The Creamed Spinach & Boursin Soufflé, Blue Crab & Cheese Gnocchi, and Grilled Lemon Asparagus with Hollandaise are the house sides that earn the most reorders.
Vegetable-forward guests are well served by the Fire Roasted Cauliflower Wedge, which sits alongside the specialties rather than among the side dishes — roasted chickpea and tomato sauce, garlic spinach, treated as a main course in its own right.
THE WINE AND BAR PROGRAM
18TWENTY’s wine list is organized around what pairs well alongside each menu item, with approximately thirty bottles across whites, reds, rosé, and sparkling, most available by the glass.
Whites run from a Domaine Hubert Brochard Sancerre and a Roc de L’Abbaye Pouilly Fumé out of the Loire Valley, to Jordan Chardonnay from the Russian River and Cambria Estate from Santa Maria, with a Chateau St. Michelle Riesling from Columbia Valley for guests who favor something off-dry. Reds include a Cecchi Chianti Classico, a Beronia Rioja Crianza, Pinot Noir from MacMurray Ranch and King Estate, Cabernet from Jordan and Stags’ Leap Winery, and a Joseph Drouhin Cote-de-Beaune for guests after Burgundy.
Rosé is represented by Jean Luc Colombo’s Cape Blue from Provence. Sparkling runs from Lunetta Prosecco and Wycliff Brut to a Veuve Clicquot by the bottle.
The bar also pours $10 specialty cocktails, a rotating draft list (the drafts are local — servers can share what’s pouring that week), and a standing bottle and can selection that includes Dog Fish 60 Minute, Crooked Crab Boysenberry Maple Pancake Punchline Imperial Breakfast, and Sam Adams Seasonal.
WEEKLY SPECIALS
Three weeknight offerings run through the year and are part of how the restaurant’s local regulars build their week.
Locals Happy Hour runs Tuesday through Thursday, 4 to 7 PM, in the main dining room and on the patio opening May 5th. $10 specialty cocktails. $2 off all wines by the glass. $6 bottles and cans. And a BOGO appetizer deal — buy one, get the one of lesser value free.
Wine Wednesdays run all night every Wednesday. Every glass of wine and select bottles are half-price.
Prime Rib Thursdays feature a 10 oz Prime Rib, slow-roasted, at $25, one of the best values on the weekly menu.
THE SETTING
The dining room at 18TWENTY is warm and upscale-casual, with a fireplace that runs through the cold months and, in spring and summer, a sunroom and waterfront patio that open outward toward the cozy creek. The Manor House where the restaurant calls home dates to the 1820s, and the restaurant takes its name from the decade.
The 220 acres around the restaurant are part of the dining experience. Trails run through the property’s forest. Nearly two miles of shoreline trace Cox and Thompson Creek. A cupola at the top of the Manor House offers 360-degree views of the estate and the Bay beyond. Guests are welcome to walk the grounds before or after a meal, and in warmer weather, many do.
Private dining rooms inside the Manor House are available for rehearsal dinners, board dinners, and smaller gatherings. The culinary team also caters off-site events across Queen Anne’s County and the broader Annapolis corridor.
For guests coming from further out, dinner at 18TWENTY pairs naturally with an overnight stay in the Manor House. The property has 24 individually furnished guest rooms, each with a view of the estate or the water.
Two hotel packages are built around the restaurant. The Culinary Escape package pairs a room with a $75 food and beverage credit at 18TWENTY — enough to cover a bottle of wine, a full appetizer course, or a generous share of the bar tab. The Romance on the Shore package adds a Champagne welcome and a custom dessert display to your room on arrival. Direct bookings through kentislandresort.com secure the best available rate and first access to seasonal offers.
HOW TO BOOK
Reservations at 18TWENTY, particularly on weekends and through the spring, are strongly recommended. Book through OpenTable, or call (410) 643-5757. Parties of eight or more, private dining requests, and catering inquiries go to our Catering page or contact events@kentislandresort.com.
Location: 18TWENTY at Kent Island Resort, 500 Kent Manor Drive, Stevensville, Maryland 21666.
Current hours: Tuesday and Wednesday, 4 to 8 PM. Thursday, 8 to 11 AM and 4 to 8 PM. Friday and Saturday, 9 AM to 9 PM. Sunday, 9 AM to 8 PM. Closed Monday.
Getting there: Under an hour from Washington, D.C. across the Bay Bridge. Forty-five minutes from Baltimore. Ten minutes from Annapolis.