Rizma W.
Yelp
If you're in a hurry, call ahead, leave early, and plan accordingly. These folks do NOT cut corners when it comes to customer service. They WILL chat up everyone in line 1-on-1, ask you questions, and do whatever needs to be done to ensure they are selling you exactly what you need (as well as some extras that might pair well with it)...even if that means cutting you something fresh that just came in, which they did for the folks in front of me.
In addition to that, parking can be a bit tricky depending on how busy they, and the neighboring businesses, are.
That said, I drove all the way up here from Maryland (about 8 hours, round-trip) to get my Dad a Father's Day clam bake. He'd asked me where to find one in MD, but unfortunately I was not able to find anywhere in MD that sold them.
The next day, I saw a post on Instagram from Mark (the owner) advertising both the clam and lobster bakes that Metro was offering for the summer.
SWEET!
I'm glad I had the foresight to call ahead (they require 24 hours notice, which I did not know about until I called). I had a little trouble finding parking when I arrived. The beer garden and restaurant next door were both pretty full, but after a few minutes a spot opened up. I walked in expecting to find a restaurant, but was surprised to see what was more like a specialty/International food market.
In addition to fresh seafood from a wide variety of locations, they also had all kinds of niche and specialty foods... Different kinds of risottos and pastas, an assortment of imported cooking oils, a bouquet of oregano (which you'll occasionally see Mark sprinkling on some of his dishes if you follow him on Instagram), and my personal favorite... real Swedish Fish (the candy) FROM SWEDEN! Of all the fish offered in this place, those were my favorite! If I had known they were that good, I would have bought way more than I did.
I was in a bit of a rush to get back down the road and I did not expect the 30+ minute wait in line (there were only about 6 or 7 customers in front of me). However, while I waited, I appreciated the bespoke service that the staff provided to every customer; asking clarifying questions to make sure they were selling the customer exactly what they wanted, providing samples to make sure the customers were certain that what they were getting was the absolute freshest, and offering informed recommendations and suggestions for pairings that were aligned with the customer's intentions for what they were ordering.
When it was my turn, the staff were incredibly kind and helpful. While I waited, one of the staff who was helping another customer select oysters offered one for me to try (I respectfully declined because I don't like raw oysters, but I appreciated the offer, especially because I was not his customer but he took the time to include me anyway).
When I received my order, I asked for extra ice, since I was transporting this batch of raw seafood 4 hours down the road. Despite letting them know this, I was a little disappointed that they only gave me two very small bags. (I stopped at a gas station later to pick up more).
I was appreciative that the cashiers helped me take my order to the car. In additional to the signature "pot (can) of gold" that contained four pre-portioned bags of mussels, jumbo shrimp, sausage, and of course clams, as well as potatoes and corn, my order also came with two of the freshest, most delicious salads I've had in a while, a pound of butter, and two pre-portioned cups of some kind of sauce.
Cooking the clam bake was super easy, thanks to Mark's instructions on his Instagram post. Just give the top a little stabby-stab with something sharp, fill the pot with 3 quarts of water, throw in some of that butter, and set the timer for 20 minutes when you see steam coming out of the holes. In addition to making it super convenient by allowing us to cook everything right in the pot, he also told us the exactly what order to layer the ingredients so that everything cooks perfectly, evenly, and completely.
It could not have been easier.
If the salad was the only thing we ordered, both my Dad and I would have been satisfied because... wow! In addition to being lush and green, the veggies were crisp, fresh, and perfectly ripened. It was such a refreshing way to start the meal.
The clam bake itself was worth the drive. The mussels and clams were a really good size, the shrimp was huge, the corn was sweet and everything was just absolutely delicious.
My dad recently started eating meat again after being vegan for 25 years and he was pleased that this meal offered both seafood and sausage. He enjoyed every bite immensely and he was so pleased with his Father's Day surprise. He's a really tough customer when it comes to food, but that contented belly pat at the end of the meal told me that I had picked a winner!
Thanks Metro for helping me pull off a delicious surprise for my Dad for Father's Day!