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Simple. Fresh. Local. That’s how Bobby Jones, general manager, chef and owner, labels The Point Crab House and Grill, which celebrated its grand opening Labor Day Weekend. Docked in Ferry Point Marina off the Magothy River in Arnold, the red-roofed restaurant is both an ideal neighborhood gathering spot and perfect boaters’ destination.
The menu – inspired by dishes Jones enjoyed as a child at his grandmother’s Fourth of July parties – dishes up 100-percent local ingredients in Maryland favorites including crab cakes and fish tacos, as well as unique dishes like the Eastern Shore salad.
“Everything is made from scratch – we make our own stocks, breads, dressings, sauces, soups – everything,” Jones emphasized. He explained he also puts unique twists on iconic dishes, citing the all-grown-up BLT as a prime example. The succulent sandwich features thick applewood bacon crusted with fresh rosemary and black cracked pepper, Eastern Shore beefsteak tomatoes, butter lettuce and garlic mayonnaise on toasted sourdough.
Jones also recommends the tomato salad and deviled eggs, and always saves room for the nutty buddy sliders – a traditional crab house delicacy garnished with a Baltimore flair. Vanilla ice cream is secured between two Berger cookies by thick slabs of peanut butter, and rolled in candy-roasted peanuts.
The husband and father of two takes great pride in his home state, and is devoted to showing off its fare through sourcing all of his produce, seafood and meats locally. “Food from Maryland is great, and when you’re out of town you want to try that area’s food,” Jones said.
Economically, he favors local ingredients out of a passion for supporting the community. “I’ve always preferred to work with smaller local businesses because I am one, and it doesn’t make sense to buy lettuce from California when we have amazing produce within 20 miles,” he illustrated.
Evident through menu items like Mom-mom’s Maryland Crab Soup, The Point Crab House is a family affair for Jones: his wife, Julie, manages the “front of the house” while his mom experiments with dessert recipes, including the chocolate-chip-cookie ice-cream sandwich.
Along the river, an unassuming wooden bar with steel stools for 30 and about a score of tables are enclosed by garage-door-like windows which meld outdoor and indoor seating into one dining space during warmer months. Pale blue walls are modestly adorned with life-size black and white photos of the watermen and farmers Jones so deeply respects. Outside, large picnic tables perch under umbrellas along the water, inviting boaters to come ashore.
At 14, Jones found humble beginnings in the restaurant industry as a dish washer at Hemingway’s Restaurant, and grew as a chef and manager at The Narrows Restaurant and Busch’s Chesapeake Inn before opening a restaurant on the Eastern Shore with his wife.
When he’s not in the kitchen, Jones is likely cheering his children on in sports or enjoying a weekly family dinner with his mom. “If I’m not here, I’m thinking about a recipe or going out to eat to try other restaurants,” he added.
The Point Crab House and Grill is located at 700 Mill Creek Road in Arnold, and is open Sunday-Thursday from 11:00am-10:00pm and Friday and Saturday from 11:00am-11:00pm.
“We’re all about neighbors, families, friends, flip flops and cold beer,” Jones smiled. “My heart’s in the kitchen, and I love the whole business.”
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