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Seacrets: Jamaica on the (Assawoman) Bay
 | | Stephen Cherry | | Seacrets patrons sip drinks and watch the sun sink into the bay. |
A beefy bouncer whose face is a pin cushion of rings and studs runs a hand-held metal detector over my 31-year-old son. Must be the crew cut and unpierced head, I muse. We pay a $5 cover (in season, it’s $10 at times) and have our hands stamped. Then we nab a primo booth at the water’s edge at Seacrets — Jamaica by the (Assawoman) Bay, Ocean City’s larger-than-life thatched pleasure dome with 16 bars and live music nightly.
Except for Route 90 traversing the bay in the background, I’d swear I was
in the islands.
While we await our drinks, bikers in the next booth throw scraps to the hovering gulls, ignoring the signs warning against feeding the wildlife. I cower, having been nailed the previous day.
A gentle breeze stirs the palms and hibiscus fringing the man-made beach just off Coastal Highway with its ungainly high-rises, traffic and neon. Overhead are enough palm fronds to build a roof over the Dominican Republic. (Seacrets replaces the palm trees and tropical plants every spring, pulling out the old ones and planting new ones in the same holes.)
Seacrets is a state of mind. On a balmy fall evening, not even the loud music can mar the island mood. Nor memories of an over-40 limbo contest I entered here a few years back.
I watch a man of about 60 wading in knee-high water, plastic cup in hand. He navigates around dozens of round, yellow rafts that had supported well-oiled sun worshipers in the heat of the day. Odysseus mounts his Jet Ski and takes off into the sunset. A few yards out, he wrecks. Quickly, he collects himself, remounts and roars off—minus his cup. I can’t help wondering if Penelope awaits his return with an overcooked meatloaf and sharp tongue.
Lisa Kates, of Chicago, is on her maiden visit to Seacrets. "It's awesome," says the 30-something dermatologist, visiting friends in OC. "I've been to Mexico, the [Caribbean] islands and the Bahamas. I never experienced anything like this."
"I've been coming here for years," says Dave Bucklin, a salesman from Odenton who spends weekends at his family's OC condo. "It's a happening place. After fighting the traffic Friday
 | | Stephen Cherry | | Imported palm trees give Seacrets' beach a distinctly tropical feel. |
nights, Seacrets is usually my first stop."
A wholesome-looking waitress in a Seacrets tank top — one of 425 summer employees — arrives with our tropical drinks. Most are rum-based and bear poetic names like “Pain in de Ass” and “Big Bamboo.” I sip my Sting (vodka and citrus-flavored soda) as a guy with pants and face of cracked leather slides into a nearby booth with a woman sporting gentian hair, a lace camisole and a skirt so short you can see the tops of her pantyhose.
Outside of the Port Authority Terminal in New York, this has to be the best people-watching on the planet.
We share a bunch of appetizers, which, along with the sandwiches and platters, are variations on heavily seasoned chicken, fish, ribs and potatoes. It’s all tasty, and enough to leave you parched and searching for a drink. The jerk chicken tenders and Jamaican fries are top draws, the spices lingering on the lips for hours, the better to be savored throughout the evening. The steamed shrimp ($9.95 for half a pound — ouch!) are large and succulent. I give thanks that someone in the kitchen exercised restraint with the seasoning. Bite-sized, steamed little neck clams ($8.50 for a baker’s dozen) are sweet, tender and sand-free. Next time I will order two dozen.
During previous visits, I’ve enjoyed the grilled tuna sandwich ($6.25), jerk chicken quesadilla ($8.50) and club sandwich ($6.25). Platters in the $15-to-$25 range include wild rice, black-eyed peas, cole slaw and rolls.
Kids are welcome and can order from their own menu. Be forewarned, however, that according to Seacrets’ rules — and Seacrets has lots of rules, such as men’s baseball caps have to be worn with brims facing forward — kids must remain at the table at all times and must be accompanied by an adult to the restroom. As a mother and grandmother, I can tell you, this is no place to bring kids after dark. After one too many, patrons’ language can get rough and the occasional, um, altercation, has been known to erupt.
Speaking of kids, Madeline Lillian Bryant of Baltimore, who will celebrate her 100th birthday in January, is a regular at Seacrets. Whether it's the drinks or the hunky security crew that keep her coming back, I can't think of a better recommendation than that.
Seacrets opened in 1988 and has had more transformations than Michael Jackson. The latest addition, Marley Hall, throbs nightly to the sounds of live regional and national acts pumped through a megawatt CD-quality sound system. The stainless steel dance floor explodes in a burst of lasers and black lights, Spandex and leather and exposed midriffs, and a huge oval-shaped video screen shows larger-than-life shots of the band and dance-floor gyrations, filmed by a roving cameraman.
At peak times, Seacrets draws a capacity crowd of 2,500. Cars and Harley-Davidsons fill the more than 700 parking spaces. Others arrive by boat or Jet Ski, tie up at a mooring buoy and let the Seacrets shuttle ferry them to the restaurant. Or they wade in.
LunaSea and Darkside parties celebrate the full moon and new moon, respectively, with glow-in-the-dark cups and necklaces. But full moon, crescent moon, or no moon, there’s always a party at Seacrets.
Seacrets
117 W. 49th Street (at Coastal Highway)
(410) 524-4900
Open year-round for lunch and dinner.
Live music nightly. |
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Annapolis resident Beth Rubin is the author of Frommer's Washington, D.C.
With Kids, two other D.C. guidebooks and hundreds of travel features. Her
award-winning novel, Split Ends, is available in paperback at
1stBooks.com.
Comments from users:
| KIMBERLY LONG | reading, pa | | klong AT sovereignbank DOT com | |
i visited ocean city for the first time this past may 2003 and i have to say that the best part of my visit was going to seacrets its great its like nothing i ever experienced theres live chicken just walking around and a bar is always a few footsteps away .the food is wonderful the jerk chicken is really good and the crab toast and of course the steamed spicy shrimp , i've never seen so many different poeple all joined together just having a great time i really look foward to visiting ocean city again in the future and my first stop will be seacrets unfortunatly i did not go till the last evening that i was visiting but it made for a fabulous ending to a great vacation. |
| | | Debra Sites | Gettysburg PA | | dtsites AT adelphia DOT net | |
I feel a trip to Ocean City is not complete without a visit or two or three to Seacrets for the absolutely best crab cake in the United States. I have had too numerous crab cakes to even begin to mention, however, never one as delicous as Seacrets. I always recommend Seacrets crab cake to all my friends and even people I just meet. If you want the best crab cake, go to Seacrets in Ocean City. I will see you soon for a crab cake, not to mention the unbelievable drinks.
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| | | Divya | Rockville, MD | | climbwme AT yahoo DOT com | |
I've been going to Seacrets for many years and not once have I had a bad time. Although, the cover this summer was a little high but, it was still worth it.
The crowd was chill and it was a perfect weekend with the girls. |
| | | Lisa | Washington, DC | | REDDSUSA AT hotmail DOT com | |
I discovered Seacrets 2 years ago and try to go at least 3 times a year. Everyone I introduce to this magical club falls in love as I did. It is an experience you will never forget from the decor, food and to the people. Everyone who goes to Ocean City should experience Seacrets just once and I promise you will be hooked. Kudos to the owners for bring the islands to the US. |
| | | Ed | Washington, PA. | | gojo64 AT aol DOT com | |
My wife & I visit OC twice every Summer, once in July (by ourselves) & once in August (with my in-laws). Other than the Atlantic Ocean, the thing we enjoy most is going to Seacrets for the beach party with The Jim Long Band. They put on one Helluva show every time. My in-laws are in their 60's & they enjoy the beach party as much as we do! We also love the fact that Seacrets has separate sections with one for adults only, not that we don't like kids, but it's nice to get away from it for just a few hours. We love the Rum Runners & the Jamaican Pizza with Jerk Chicken. Today is Aug. 15th & we are heading back to OC & Seacrets in 9 days & believe me, we are counting the days until we go :) Seacrets is the greatest. See ya in 9 days! |
| | | Mark Herr | Lancaster Pa | | Markee1020 AT comcast DOT net | |
It is nothing for my family and friends to spend 2 or 3 weeks in O.C. every summer. We make it an everyday affair to take a trip to Secrets by boat. IF we have to drive we do. But what fun is that? The food and service is great and it is a fun place to take the family, but also nice to go and relax after a long half hour of attempting to fish. We are looking forward to a fun filled 2 weeks at Secrets in 2005!!! Thanks for the memories. |
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