Flying Solo

Our foodie hits the streets for a solo expedition

I MADE MY WAY down to Ocean City for a solo weekend for the first time in four years.
It meant a lot of things – I had free reign of the remote, could eat whatever I wanted and call it a meal, and got to pick all of the places to eat said meals.
I am of the opinion that there are never too many omelets and that ice cream can absolutely be subbed in for dinner. That’s how I ate two omelets, an ice cream sandwich, hot chocolate, and a pulled pork plate over a three-day span.
When I got in town, I went right to OC Surf Cafe, 715 East 8th Street. They had just reopened for the season the week prior and I’ve been anxiously awaiting their omelets and potatoes since they closed for the season last year.
I ordered a cream cheese and tomato omelet. The waitress brought out a cinnamon muffin sprinkled with powdered sugar, which I promptly inhaled.
I have specific tastes when it comes to my breakfast potatoes – they need to be as close to french fries as possible. This is part of the reason Surf Cafe is one of my favorite breakfast spots – sunny atmosphere, surfboards, art all around, and crunchy breakfast potatoes. The omelet was well worth the wait. It’s creamy, tangy, and delish… a pleasure for your eyes as well as your stomach. One slice into the omelet and the melty cream cheese oozes out, making the platter a creamy, buttery dream, and you know you’re in for a good breakfast.
I wandered into the Famous Cookie Creamery, 1242 Boardwalk, for “dinner” on their opening day. I was still full from my omelet but my excitement level trumped any full feeling. This place has been on my radar since they announced the new store location a few months ago.
Famous Cookie Creamery serves two Philly favorites, Famous 4th Street Cookies and Bassetts Ice Cream, and combines them to make delicious treats. This isn’t the company’s first location down the shore… they’ve had a store on the Wildwood Boardwalk for a few years.
When I walked in and started looking at the menu, one of the scoopers asked, “Do you want a free sample of our Cinnamon Toast Crunch shake?”
I must have looked startled because he followed that with, “The people who were here last ordered one and there’s some extra left over.”
Of course I want to try it!
He hands me a cup and I sip it and begin to look at my cookie options.
“It’s good, isn’t it?” he asked, nodding towards my sample. “It’s like drinking a bowl of cereal.”
It was exactly like that, rich, creamy and just plain good. Now on to my “entrée” – the cookie sandwich.
Chocolate chip. Peanut butter chocolate chip. Snickerdoodle, No need to pick just one… the sandwiches at FCC can be made with two different cookies. Mind. Blown.
I picked a peanut butter chip and chocolate chip cookie and chocolate ice cream for my sandwich. Though the peanut butter swirl ice cream was a close second.
This is one of the best things I ever ate.
I kept trying the different ends of the sandwich to see which cookie was better but they were in a melded-together heap of deliciousness. The ice cream was rich and the cookies were calling my name for the rest of the weekend.

After a few hours spent at Girls Weekend on Saturday, I was hungry again. I decided it was time for my first trek to The Hula Restaurant and Sauce Company, 940 Boardwalk, for the season.
I ordered the pulled pork. Pulled pork has to check off a couple of boxes for me. It needs to be slightly crispy and coated with barbecue sauce.
Hula delivered.
The pulled pork was slightly tangy and had some deliciously crispy pieces, which went well with the tortilla chips. Their barbecue sauce is made in house and so is the salad dressing – light and flavorful. If you get hooked on it like I have, you can take a bottle home.
On Sunday, I trekked over to breakfast at Jon and Patty’s. This Asbury eatery, with its adorable outdoor seating, is pretty popular, so I put my name in for a table and walked around the avenue getting a little shopping in. I popped into Stainton’s
and talked to Bridget, who manages the place. She was getting the shop ready for the new season but stopped to give me some good advice.
“Get the hot chocolate,” she said.
As soon as I was seated, I ordered the rich, warm cup of hot chocolate.
“Whipped cream?” my waitress asked.
Oh, yes. Earl, the man behind the drink magic, was moving nonstop behind the bar. Soon enough, the hot chocolate floated to my table, and it was as pretty as it was delicious. The whipped cream looked like a flower on top, and the chocolate drizzle and confetti sprinkles gave it an extra kick of sweetness.
My savory bacon and cheddar omelet had caramelized onions folded into it and then was coated with cheddar cheese sauce. The potatoes were nice and crispy, just how I like them.

Find this story and more in the May issue of Ocean City Magazine.