West Ocean City has the best destination for comfort food and friendly faces. Starting with a phenomenal breakfast served from 6:00 AM to noon on Monday through Friday, and until 1:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday, and ending with lite fare until 11:00 PM, the 19th Hole Bar & Grille is a locals’ hotspot from dawn ‘til dusk. Owned by Roberta Hennessey and Bill Cook, the restaurant at the corner of Route 611 & Sunset Avenue reminds me very much of the television show Cheers, where everybody knows your name.
    Golfers flock to the 19th Hole for a big breakfast before tee off. Breakfast Platters include two eggs and your choice of bacon, sausage, ham, scrapple, home fries, grits, and toast. Pancakes, Waffles, French Toast, Country Ham & Eggs with home fries, Sirloin Steak & Eggs with home fries, are other delectable breakfast items. You can create your own monstrous Omelet or try the Crabmeat Omelet with crabmeat, cheese, and grits or home fries. Or, try a hearty breakfast sandwich to start your day. My favorite breakfast item on the menu is Chesapeake Crab Cake Benedict.  I absolutely love the Maryland twist to poached eggs with hollandaise sauce.
    After the hustle and bustle of breakfast fades, the 19th Hole keeps going strong all day and night. For lunch, you must try one of the restaurant’s burgers. When my boyfriend, Joey Steward, and I enjoyed a meal at the 19th Hole this week, he tried the Hurr Burger—a beef patty stuffed with bacon and onion and topped with onion rings, provolone and pepper jack cheese, and a special sauce that has a zesty bite to it. This burger is a hot mess, and Joey devoured it. He let me take one big bite, and I’m sold. Other must-try burgers on the menu include the Shore Burger, which is topped with Crab Dip; the Guacamole Burger, which is topped with guacamole and fresh salsa; and the Aussie Burger, which is topped with egg and avocado . The Steak Burger includes onion tendrils and special steak sauce. All of the burgers at the 19th Hole are hormone free, certified Angus beef. The Bison Burger is locally grown and cooked to order.
    Joey and I also ate two orders of wings. If you love hot wings, you must go to the 19th Hole. If you can eat one order of the Death Wings without any help, you can join the Wall of Flame—a huge wallboard that currently lists only three names. Ken Federighi, a professional wing eater, is Number One. The Death Wings are made with ghost pepper, which I’m told are the hottest peppers in the world, even hotter than habanero peppers! I’ll be the first person to admit that I would cry and sweat profusely if I attempted to eat even one Death Wing. So, Joey and I shared an order of Garlic Parmesan and an order of Old Bay Wings. The Wings at the 19th Hole are crispy and served with celery sticks and Bleu Cheese dip. Other fantastic flavors of Wings are Jerk, Teriyaki, Garlic Butter, and Mango Habanero.
    From 4:00 to 9:00 PM, dinner is served from the “Back Nine” menu. A blend of beef, veal, and pork, the 19th Hole’s Meatloaf is a top seller. Crab Cake and Hand Cut New York Strip (eight, 10, 12, or 16 ounces!) are popular dinner items too. Prime Rib au jus is served nightly, as is the Signature Dish—crab, shrimp, and scallops in a creamy Cajun sauce over pasta with garlic bread.
    The sandwiches at the 19th Hole are worthy of accolades too. From the “Front Nine” menu, I ordered the Turkey Reuben, and it was so delicious. Turkey, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, 1000 Island dressing, and rye bread is one of my favorite combinations. The sandwich is also available with corned beef, and you can substitute the sauerkraut with Coleslaw to turn the Reuben into a Rachel sandwich. Crab Cake, Shrimp Salad, and Grilled Chicken Breast are a few more satisfying sandwiches on the menu. The Prime Rib is prepared with onions, provolone cheese, and sautéed mushrooms. The Snug Harbour sandwich is a concoction of cheddar cheese, crab imperial, and tomato on an English muffin. [Head Chef] Jake’s Cheesesteak is house-marinated rib eye with provolone and American cheese. It’s fresh, never frozen. All sandwiches are served on your choice of a wrap, pretzel roll, Kaiser roll, or Poor Boy roll.
    From the “Tee Shot” menu, you can indulge in a variety of appetizers like Nachos, Crab Dip, Clams Casino, and Crabby Pretzel. I recommend the Coconut Fish Bites and Chicken Quesadilla. Of course, you may want to order the Maui Wowie Shrimp just because it’s fun to say out loud. The fries and potato chips are all homemade at the 19th Hole. Served warm, the fries and chips are available in plain or sweet potato flavors. Other side items on the menu are Coleslaw, Potato Salad, Mac n Cheese, and Onion Rings.
    Chili and Soup of the Day will warm you up on a cool day, while a healthy salad will refresh you on a hot day. The Fairway salad is a mix of cherry tomatoes, smoked gouda, toasted walnuts, romaine hearts, and sundried cranberries. The Seafood Salad includes grilled shrimp and scallops with mandarin oranges and sundried cranberries in citrus vinaigrette. Try the Cobb Salad for a blend of chopped romaine, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, and grilled chicken. Grilled Salmon, Chicken, or Flank Steak can be added to any salad for an extra “wow” factor.
    Happy Hour is served from 3:00 to 7:00 at the 19th Hole with $5 food and $2 drink specials. On Friday, enjoy an extra hour of happy hour until 8:00 PM. Saturday is $5 Cosmos all day, and Sunday is Happy Hour from 11 AM to 7 PM. On Monday, enjoy $4 Crushes all day. Two-dollar Tuesday presents $2 domestic drafts all day. Wednesday is the day for $3.25 rails, and Three-dollar Thursday brings $3 domestic bottles all day.
    The 19th Hole is also a hotspot for live entertainment scheduled by bar manager Matt. Check the advertisement in this issue of Coconut Times for this week’s lineup. Kid’s menus are available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The 19th Hole offers onsite and offsite catering. Call 410-213-9204 for more information. Or, just walk through the door at the 19th Hole. Manager Tabby and Roberta will welcome you with warm smiles and friendly greetings, and they’ll stop by your table to chat with you too.