s    When you take your friends and family to the boardwalk this summer, make plans to have dinner at Marina Deck restaurant on Dorchester Street and the bayfront. Sitting on a deck overtop of the bay, the restaurant is ideally situated downtown with more than 100 free parking spots for customers. Downtown Ocean City is presenting free fireworks on the beach every Tuesday, and free family-friendly concerts on the beach every Wednesday. So, keep in mind the Marina Deck restaurant when you’re planning your family outing to the boards.
    The outdoor dining area at Marina Deck is on the dock of the bay, literally, with impressive fishing and leisure boats bobbing in the tide and proudly hailing the American flag. Indoors, glass sliders directly overlook the bay, which quietly swishes below the deck. Aside from creating the atmosphere of dining on a boat, Marina Deck is locally famous for its lobster. Kids and adults are invited to try their luck at the lobster claw game. The chef will personally steam up the prize for winners who successfully nab a live lobster from the game. Broiled Lobster Tail is a winning entrée on the menu, and can be prepared in lemon herb butter or stuffed with crab imperial. Daily specials frequently include one-and-a-quarter pound Lobster dishes, as well.
    All You Can Eat meals at Marina Deck are a huge crowd pleaser. Try the Crab Clusters—monstrous-sized crab legs, steamed to perfection and served with drawn butter. Served “in season,” the Steamed Blue Crabs are a must-try All You Can Eat special. Each AYCE meal, including Steamed Shrimp, BBQ Pork Ribs, and Fried Clam Strips, is served with hushpuppies.
    On the Fish Menu, you may order Flounder prepared fried, broiled, or stuffed with crab imperial. Tuna Steak is lip-smacking good, served in two four-ounce, sashimi-grade Ahi steaks, broiled, char-grilled, blackened, or Cajun style. The Fish of the Day varies, and includes such scrumptious selections as Yellow Fin Tuna.
    My “foodie” friend, Courtney Taylor, and I ate dinner at Marina Deck this week. Our server, Melanie, has been a loyal employee of Marina Deck for nearly a decade. While she described the daily specials, owner Dennis joined us at our waterfront table to recommend his top-rated menu selections. From the Entrées menu, he suggests the Marina Deck Crab Cap, which is a portabella mushroom cap topped with spinach, a five-ounce crab cake, and spinach cream sauce. He also recommends the Broiled Seafood Feast—Flounder, Scallops, Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, and Stuffed Shrimp. Your choice of fries, baked potato, applesauce, coleslaw, garlic mash potatoes, or fresh vegetables, plus a salad and fresh coconut and blueberry muffins accompany each dinner entrée—including Scallops, Fried Oysters, Crab Legs, Crab Imperial, and Fried or Stuffed Shrimp. Dennis encouraged Courtney and me to try the Spinach and Tropical Salads with our meals.
    Marina Deck serves up classic seafood entrées, such as Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes, BBQ or Coconut Shrimp, and Soft Shell Crab Platter. Unique recipes on the menu are Shrimp Frenzy—Coconut Shrimp, Steamed Shrimp, and Shrimp Kabobs with green peppers, onion, bacon, and garlic—and Oysters Imperial, which are baked on the half shell, stuffed with crab imperial, and broiled in lemon herb butter. Add-ons enhance every entrée. Try complementing your main dish with Broiled Scallops, Stuffed Shrimp, Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes, or Coldwater Lobster Tail.
    Marina Deck also offers beef, pork, pasta, and poultry entrées, including Filet, Prime Rib, New York Strip, Baby Back Ribs, Pork Porterhouse, Seafood Alfredo, Pasta Primavera, and Chicken Alfredo. The Stuffed Chicken Breast is a six-ounce boneless breast stuffed with broccoli and Cheddar cheese, broiled, and covered with Alfredo Sauce. An Eastern Shore legend, Chicken Chesapeake is a breast stuffed with crab imperial, broiled, and topped with Cheddar cheese. Another must-try entrée is Twisted Shrimp Scampi broiled in spicy garlic, red pepper, Parmesan cheese, and herb sauce over penne pasta.
    If you stop into Marina Deck for lunch on the bay, try an overstuffed Hot or Deli Sandwich. Burgers, Shrimp or Chicken Salad Sandwich, and Turkey Breast Panini are just a few delectable options. Crab Imperial Twins are topped with mild cheddar cheese and baked on a toasted English muffin. Tex-Mex Chicken, Soft Shell Crab, and Fried Oyster are other recommended sandwiches at Marina Deck.
    On the Snacks & Appetizers menu, Dennis gives top accolades to the Buffalo Chicken Dip—a blend of cheese, Buffalo sauce, and chicken topped with cheddar. He also raves about the Seafood Skins and the Crab Bruschetta—a blend of tomatoes, garlic olive oil, Romano, Parmesan, lump crab, and yellow sun dried tomatoes on ciabatta bread.
    Taking his good advice, Courtney and I began our meal at Marina Deck with an order of the Seafood Skins and the Oyster Trio. I can honestly say that the Seafood Skins at Marina Deck are the best I’ve ever tasted. Deep fried potato skins are topped with meaty shrimp, humongous scallops, and crabmeat, and blended with creamy seafood sauce, cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheeses. This appetizer is smothered in cheese, but it’s the creamy seafood sauce that earns the dish an A+.
    The Oyster Trio is a juicy plate of Oysters Imperial, Oysters Rockefeller, and Oyster Bruschetta. If you’re new to seafood or acquiring a taste for fresh-off-the-boat cuisine, I recommend starting with the Oyster Trio. Topped with crab, bacon, spinach, garlic butter, and much more, these oysters are irresistible.  
    For our main courses, Courtney ordered the Broiled Seafood Feast with Spinach Salad. Everything is delicious on the Seafood Feast Plate. I selected the Filet Mignon Medallion topped with demi glaze. These tender bites of steak are guaranteed to melt in your mouth. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meal, and particularly loved the waterfront view.
    Other tasty appetizers are Chesapeake Crab Dip, Wings, Sautéed Mussels, Quesadilla, Cheesy Fries, Portabella Mushroom Caps, Nachos, and more. Try the Combo Taster to sample the best of the best. Marina Deck recently hosted a Wings cookoff, and also is home of award winning Cream of Crab Soup.
    Happy Hour takes place seven days per week from 3-6 p.m. at Marina Deck. A large back room accommodates large parties and features a kids’ room with air hockey. A pool table, Mega Touch, Touch Tunes, and popular music keep the barroom happening as the sun sets into the bay. Park your boat along the dock at Marina Deck, which is open every day and serves food from 11:00 a.m. until ?. For more information, call 410-289-4411 or visit www.marinadeckrestaurant.com