Liquid Assets, 9301 Coastal Highway, Ocean City, Md.
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
Menu: https://la94.com/ocean-city-maryland-restaurant-menu/
Suitable for: Vegetarians, vegans, lovers of high-end coastal cuisine
As many of our longer-time readers know, LeeLee and I travel to Ocean City, Md., every year for our beach vacation. Over the years, we’ve cultivated quite a few standbys we always find ourselves gravitating back to (Pablo’s Bowls and Mother’s Cantina come to mind), but we’re always looking to branch out and try new restaurants. One such place — Liquid Assets — has been on our to-do list for years, but for a variety of reasons (restaurant wait times, traffic, just running out of days in the week) we’d never made it there.
This past June marked our 20th wedding anniversary, and it was on the accompanying beach trip where we decided: No more excuses. We were going to Liquid Assets and we were going to feast.
So we hopped on the OC Beach Bus, paid our $4 fare (it beats an Uber — and we intended on enjoying some beverages, so we didn’t want to drive), and set our sights on the stop at 94th Street, where we crossed Coastal Highway and made our way to Liquid Assets.
Now, Liquid Assets is many things to many people. In one area, it’s a bar, where folks can post up after work or after a long day of sunbathing and enjoy a glass of wine, a craft cocktail or a hearty beer. In another area, it’s a package store, offering up a wide assortment of beers, wines, and liquors in all price points. In a third, it’s a tasting table, where you can watch the chefs work their magic. But we chose what was behind Door Number Four: A cozy seat in a cozy dining room, with stone walls and low lighting, perfect to settle in and enjoy what was sure to be a luxurious dinner.
One thing that had always attracted us to Liquid Assets was its fun and festive vegetarian and vegan options. From cacio e pepe to a deluxe grilled cheese, the offerings are interesting and plentiful. But what really piqued our interest on this evening was the vegan surf and turf — vegan crab cakes and meatloaf with potatoes, gravy and all the trimmings. I mean, who does that? Liquid Assets, that’s who.
We started the evening with cocktails — a martini and an old fashioned, I have to say, often I’m loath to order cocktails out and about, knowing there are so very many ways they can be disappointing, but Liquid Assets did right by us. The drinks were strong, sure, but they were bursting with flavor, so much so that I wanted at once to gulp them down and savor them forever.
On to the food: On this night we both elected to have the surf and turf, so after a lovely appetizer of Humboldt fog and Manchego cheeses, crackers, fruit and nuts (the cheese is not vegan, but the board was a treat), we dove right in. In due course, and with a wine pairing of pinot noir for LeeLee and cabernet franc for me, our entrees were delivered, and our hearts sang at the sight of them. The crab cakes were succulent — a perfect blend of protein and fillings — and the meatloaf was decadent, both hearty and silky. The mashed potatoes — so often an afterthought — sang with complexity, duetting beautifully with the mushroom gravy that graced the surface.
LeeLee finished every morsel on his plate, but I held back a bit, knowing I’d have to roll home if I finished everything off. And so later on in the evening I found myself boarding the Beach Bus again with a to-go box, which we happily finished the in our suite following night. A perfect snack to remind us of a perfect night!
There were so very many other menu items I want to try at Liquid Assets — and best believe that I will! I believe this restaurant has now found itself in the company of our other yearly go-tos — and for good reason. We’ll definitely be back.
:)