Hashtag FOMO The family and I stayed at a nearby AirB&B for a weekend getaway, so we decided to “head into town” for the afternoon. We vacillated a bit on where to do lunch, so we went to the nearest restaurant and rolled the dice. Unassuming from the outside, Reindeer Grill certainly seemed like a hole-in-the-wall, but inside gave homey, farmhouse-kitsch vibes. Our server, Jamie, was lovely- very personable and attentive. It was busy when we arrived, but you never would have guessed so from how she took care of us. Now, here’s the thing… Mansfield, Ohio is a bit of a hike from the Chesapeake Bay. That said, I was skeptical of the crab cakes (I grew up in Maryland, and have yet to find anything remotely close to the real deal). In fact, the menu has quite the variety of crab-centric offerings, so we asked Jamie about them; no harm, no foul, right? She raved and mentioned that they’re made from blue crab, all lump, no filler. Well, I’ve been bamboozled by that line, before. She finally sold us when she mentioned that the cook is from Maryland. “Ok, I’ll bite.” We ordered the balls for the table, a bowl of the cream of crab, and my M-i-L got the crab cake sandwich (also ordered the stroganoff, Philly mac & cheese, and a cheese pizza- all were phenomenal). While we waited, we chatted and speculated, downed some garlic knots (chef’s kiss), and carried on until our order was ready. The plates came out, and there they were in all of their glory- broiled to perfection (essential for a good crab cake). First morsel… remember the scene at the end of Ratatouille, when the food critic takes a bite and is immediately transported back to his childhood? That didn’t happen to me, but only for reasons my therapist can attest to. I was, however, reminded of “home” for the first time since I left the state back in ‘08. While nobody can top G&M (look ‘em up, you won’t regret it), Reindeer Grill may have been the closest. The moral of the story? For that, I’ll quote my girl, Val, from Broad City… “you never know if you never try and if you never try you never know.” And we have Jamie to thank, for twisting our arms! Would definitely go back- you know, as often as one does go back to Mansfield, Ohio… (no shade- just not the bustling metropolis folks think of when they ponder a weekend getaway)