Fine Tournament Dining

As is the case with all fine tournaments, we end our journey gathered around a fine meal enjoying the camaraderie of our fellow shooters. A “tip-of-the-hat” to Brad and George Hopkins for providing an exceptional meal, far in excess of traditional tournament food.

Appetizers were walked around as if we were attending an art auction in Manhattan. Thick cucumber slices were hollowed and generously filled with the most mind-blowing chicken salad ever sampled by this writer. The combination of the crisp refreshing cucumber crunch into the viscous sweet and savory chicken salad was something I will long remember.

The main dinner menu included perfectly grilled herb crusted Certified Angus Prime Rib of beef, grilled Jerk chicken breast with fresh melon and pineapple salsa, baked potato, sweet and fresh from the farmer’s fields that morning.

A framed menu announced the fare at multiple buffet tables allowing the smooth and efficient flow of hungry shooters past silver chaffing dishes, pleasantly plated extras and plenty of opportunities to grab seconds, including doubling down on the perfectly grilled herb crusted Certified Angus Prime Rib of beef.

FishWhistle at the Grannary on the Sassafras River in Georgetown, MD was the restauranteur responsible for this over-the-top dinner service…note the picture of the first 7 oversized herb crusted Certified Angus Prime Rib of beef, lovingly nurtured to grilling perfection on the FishWhistle portable grill.

In Summation

spicy cabbage & pepper slaw, sliced Redman Farms bright red tomatoes with fresh basil & olive oil, local corn on the cob picked

My takeaway from this Hopkins Game Farm experience is very positive as it successfully combined Maryland’s geography, culture, and history bringing forward the best elements of the mid-Atlantic, northeastern, and southern regions of the country. Where else but Maryland can you experience three regions in one stop.

Maryland’s economy benefits from the state’s proximity to the federal government in Washington, D.C., with an emphasis on technical and administrative tasks for the defense/aerospace industry and bio-research laboratories, as well as staffing of satellite government headquarters in the suburban or exurban Baltimore/Washington area.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Maryland households are currently the wealthiest in the country, with a 2013 median household income of $72,483 which puts Maryland ahead of New Jersey and Connecticut, which are second and third respectively. It nice to live in an area where all boats rise with the economic tide.

As I load up my truck, it is always bitter sweet to leave a venue providing so many wonderful experiences, as I take solace in knowing there is always another tournament in my future. Until we meet again on “The Great American Sporting Clays

Odyssey”...enjoy the moments life brings you. n