Jan. 2026
My wife and I hadn't been back to 44 & King in a few years. With so many good restaurants in the area, we usually try new places, but before heading home we decided it was time to stop in again for dinner.
As usual, we try to go during happy hour when prices are a bit better, and we sat at the bar. The bartender was very friendly she greeted us right away, handed us menus, and took our drink order. The menu had changed a bit since our last visit.
My wife ordered a Coke, and I had an Old Fashioned. For food, my wife chose the Fried Crab Claws with fries, and I ordered the French Onion Soup along with the Pork Nachos from the happy hour menu.
While we were waiting, the bartender asked where we were from. We told her Southern Maryland, and when I said Huntingtown, she immediately said, "That's where I'm from." That alone surprised us not many people even know where Huntingtown is. When we mentioned the road we live on, she said, "That's the road I turn on to my parents' house." This was the first time we've ever met a bartender or server over 400 miles from home who lived that close to us. Small world.
Our food came out and my wife really enjoyed her crab claws -- I tried one and they were very good. My French onion soup had a nice, deep beef flavor and was very tasty, but after a few bites there was a heavy pepper bite that came through. It was still good, but I had to switch over and eat some of my nachos, which were also good, though different from how I remembered them. I think the BBQ sauce changed the flavor, and the lettuce (which I usually prefer without) was something I should have asked to leave off.
I asked my wife to try the soup and mentioned the pepper and that it might be a little spicy. She agreed it was good but said it would be better if it wasn't so peppery.
A little later, the chef came out and introduced himself, Bo. He asked how everything was going. I told him everything was good overall but mentioned the heavy pepper bite in the onion soup and asked if that was normal. He said it shouldn't be that strong and that it needed to be toned back. Bo then asked if we had ever tried Mama's Soup, the tomato vegetable soup on the menu. We hadn't, and he asked if we'd like to try it.
Not long after, he brought us another bowl and said, "This is Mama's soup give it a try." It was a vegetable soup with hamburger and a tomato base, and it was so good. When he came back, he explained it was his own version of his mother's soup. We told him it would go perfectly with a gooey grilled cheese, and he laughed and said they actually have one on the menu.
It was really nice of Chef Bo to come out, check on us, listened and know something wasn't quite right, and it's being taken care of. That kind of interaction truly makes dining out a better experience. It makes the place feel welcoming, like they genuinely want you there.
Yes, we will return -- and we were told that Mama's soup is always on the menu. read more