John Steven Ltd.

John Steven is one of those local reliable restaurants with good food and good drinks for all occasions. Nothing beats a bad day with one of its crabcakes, platter of oysters and a local beer, in the same way it entertains a group of friends or feeds out-of-town visitors. Located on the corner of Thames and Ann Street in Fells Point, John Steven maintains a quiet dining room and tented outdoor patio, as well as a lively dive bar with its own menu.

The menu changes depending on the season and availability of various foods. The soft-shell crab sandwich and entree are excellent, except only available in winter and spring before the shells harden. Oysters are always in season and are drawn from the colder northern regions of Nova Scotia and PEI during the summer months. Fish is grilled and rests in a rich sauce, which some may mistake to be drowning in butter – though it is meant to be on purpose.

Their meats are prepared American-style, tender and with balanced side dishes of seasonal vegetables and potatoes. For starters, there's a mini-crabcake, crab dip, crunchy calamari, or succulent sea scallops (among other items). The main dining room is a converted townhouse living space with fireplace, wood tables, wood floors and shuttered windows that look out onto the water. Outside, the patio space is a relaxing atmosphere though its temperature depends strictly on the current weather.

Brunch is a popular weekend option and outdoor tables, whether on the patio or out in front of the bar, are highly coveted on warm days. Sip bloody marys over a crabcake benedict while watching the boats in the harbor.

The bar menu is a variation of the pricy dinner menu and sometimes offers excellent dishes not on the dinner menu. The atmosphere is very different, with small wood tables, music and an occasional group of overgrown frat boys drinking shots and beers. Most of the very young crowd tend away from John Steven, probably because of its restaurant emphasis. But don't be fooled: it can be a rowdy good time in the bar.

- by Rin-rin Yu, Baltimore Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Rin-rin Yu

Rin-rin is an award-winning writer and journalist based in the Baltimore-Washington area. Her work has appeared in China Daily, DAYSPA magazine, Luxury Home Design, Aquatics International, Not For Tourists and other publications. Rin-rin has also worked for ABC News, WHDH-TV (NBC) in Boston and Hanley Wood Business Media. She has a master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She is an avid world traveler and maintains a travel blog, www.mytravelhats.com.