Rams Head The Blog

In the world of restaurant marketing, there is a belief that a photo should never be taken of an empty restaurant.  The thought is that human beings are attracted to other human beings and a photo of an empty restaurant will not attract human beings.  While I will give credit to the laws of human nature, I find myself enjoying the solitude of of our facilities when they are empty.  For me, the energy seeps in from the walls of the building, the details become more apparent and the building hums in preparation for a day ahead of serving others.

Just yesterday, I spent the morning at our Rams Head Tavern location in historic Savage Mill.   And with me was my trusty camera.  My intentions were to take a few photos for our facebook page, but as I start to take the photos I found myself enjoying the details of the building.   I was thinking about each individual decorative item and the thought behind it’s selection.  And I decide to bring you a blog post instead…

Me & my trusty companion documenting the day.

we were setting up for a small party for lunch

I will admit that I am biased; but, I believe that our dining room is one of the most beautiful that I have ever seen.

Many aspects of the historic textile mill, 1822-1947, are evident in the building

This Rams feels really powerful to me; overlooking the entire dining room.

This is my favorite booth in the restaurant.

Rams Head Savage Mill has 3 distinct floors & 5 different dining areas. This is the 2nd floor Tavern.

Reminding us, we are here to serve.

This glass shade is hand blown...

Ahhh... summer on our deck. Perfect.

Through the greens, you can see the 30 foot water wheel that powered the machines that wove the cloth

And downstairs to our Rathskeller, fondly referred to as "The Rath"

Remnants of last night's game. I can see the smiles & hear the laughter.

Can you feel the buzz in the air?

I can only imagine the wonderful conversations under these lights.

Everyone's favorite taps.

As I turned off the lights, I couldn’t help but notice who was waving me goodbye. For a small moment, I laughed and remembered the glory days of my college years.

Yours in Food, Fun & Beer ~
Erin

Within the walls of this family run business are many wonderful employees who create the magic that is the Rams Head.  Our history together, and of our families, often finds its way into the business landscape … for the case of this blog entry,  in the form of our menu.

Thanks to our culinary roots with Chef Greg “Cowboy” Richardson (who now owns his own restaurant in Winston-Salem, NC) quirky names have been a part of the fun of the Rams Head menu.  I have heard tales of late night “brain storm” sessions that brought to the table unique names of past such as:

• STOP LIGHT TORTILLA – for the salsa (red), guacamole (green) & queso (yellow) sides that came w. the nachos
• PINK HOUSE DIP - in reference to a pink house on Pinkey Street where many employees lived (& partied)
• KINGSTON SHRIMP & CHICKEN – which I believe references the Kingston Trio band
• STEVINSON SALAD- names for Jodi Stevinson, longtime manager & training guru at the Rams Head
• ACADEMY CALAMARI - named after our close proximity to the Naval Academy of course
• CONSTRUCTION ZONE PORK TENDERLOIN – lovingly named for the year West St. was torn up to put down brick pavers
• COBBY TWISTER – named for our former Brewmaster Jim Sobczak
• SILOPANNA SALAD - that would be Annapolis spelled backwards.  Ever been to that street in Annapolis?
• OYSTERS WALDEN – named after Annapolis’ Head Chef, Doug Walden
• CLAIRE’S CRAB QUICHE: in honor of Cowboy’s daughter Claire
• MAC MELT: named after Chef Brian McElroy
• TERRAPIN TAPENADE: for the University of Maryland’s Terrapin and owner Kyle Muehlhauser’s alma mater
• THE TOBY chicken sandwich is named after the Muehlhauser pony sized yellow lab Toby.

Here’s a glossary to help you wade through our current menus items and their namesake:

TAVERN MENUS

• EL JEFE NACHOS… coined for the original “Boss” Bill Muehlhauser.  El Jefe is boss in Spanish.
• CHEESE LOUISE: a nod to my own middle name and according to HometownAnnapolis.com, “The Cheese Louise was not just cleverly named, but genuinely swoon-worthy.”
• CHURCH CIRCLE COBB: named after our neighboring street in Annapolis, Church Circle.   The circle goes around St. Anne’s Parish which dates back to 1692.
• TURBO’S TURKEY BURGER is named after Brent “Turbo” Shellem, head chef of the Rams Head restaurants.
• THE OL’ 96ER is a reference to the 1988 movie, The Great Outdoors staring Dan Akyroyd and John Candy.  John Candy is challenged to eat the entire Paul Bunyan 96 oz. roast at a family dinner.   This is the original Man v. Food.
• HOKIE MELT is a shout out to my alma mater and beloved Virginia Tech Hokies.
• DOT’S BEER BATTERED SHRIMP is fondly named after Dorothy Karr, longtime woman behind the scenes of Rams Head.
• PAULA’S PEANUT BUTTER PIE, yep that’s Paula, Mrs. Rams Head the woman behind the Muehlhauser men.  It’s her original recipe and it’s yummmmmm good!

ROADHOUSE  & SHOREHOUSE MENU

• CINDY’S ROADHOUSE CHILI, our Kitchen Manager Extradordinare Cindy at the Roadhouse
• ATWELL’S ACCIDENT named after the former owner of Rudy’s Tavern, Don Atwell
• SALMON SOPHIA named after our Excutive Chef Brent Shellem’s daughter.
• ELINORE’S BISCUITS & GRAVY that’s Eli, our prep cook at the Shore House
• MAIN STREET POT ROAST name of the street where the Rams Head Shore House resides
• RT. 178 CHEESESTEAK that’s the street address for the Rams Head Roadhouse

I am sure that I have missed many of the more eloquent names of years past; after all, my tenure only covers half of Rams Head’s lifespan.  But, I can assure you that you can stop by and check out the specials of the day, which are sure to pertain to someone or something going on within the Rams Head’s four walls.   And you never know when a special might be a hint as to our next location and/or project on the horizon.

Until then… enjoy some food, fun & beer!
Erin