Southern Maryland 

Friday, November 2, 2001 - St. Marys County

Owners traded in  hectic city life  for the charm  of Colton's Point

Debbie Soussanin serves fresh cheeseburger platters to  Robert and Diane Pouge, Brett Kosack 11, and (not pictured) Jessica Pouge 8, at the cozy  Frank Morris Point Restaurant in Abell.  The casual dining restaurant's specialty is soft-shell crab

By Christine Basham
Special to the advertiser

     After 23 years in the construction business.  Chris Soussanin had enough. The work was getting more an more hectic, and life in the city was losing its charm.  So, he and his wife, Debbie, drove around the shore looking for a business with potential, and found their future in Colton's Point.

    When the Soussanins purchased Frank Morris Point Marina Restaurant, it was already rich in Southern Maryland history.

     In 1885 Stewart Morris opened a general store and oyster packing house on the point.  As generations of Morris men worked the waters of Canoe Neck Creek, supporting their families and supplying the steamboat ferries on their way to Washington D.C., the store grew into Ebb Tide Restaurant.

     After the Ebb Tide burned down, retired waterman Frank Morris opened his own restaurant.  His descendants still live on the point.

     In 1997, Frank Morris' niece sold the property to the Soussanins who have been carrying on the Morris tradition of home style hospitality ever since.

     "I've always wanted to work on the water, and even though it is only 60 miles from our home in Bethesda, Colton's Point seems like another world," Chris Soussanin said.

     The Soussanin's and their teenage son come down every Thursday to continue 
renovations on the restaurant and to prepare for the weekend.

     "We open at 4 p.m. on Thursdays," Chris Soussanin said.  "But sometimes we show up at two o'clock and there are people docking their boats so we serve them."

     The Soussanins especially enjoy the afternoons at Frank Morris Point talking to the customers and getting to know them. 

     After a relaxing drive to the point or perhaps an invigorating sail, customers can look forward to a home cooked meal in cozy surroundings.  The restaurant overlooks the marina, and every table affords a great view of the waterfront.  In good weather, customers even sit out on the patio with their orders and watch the ducks swim by. 

     Food at Frank Morris is simple, homey and satisfying.  The seafood is fresh and local, portions are abundant and prices are reasonable.  Chris Soussanin is quick to guide customers to the best and newest dishes at the Point and to share an anecdote about Colton's Point or even the recipe for the pit beef he just added to the menu.

     Among the most popular items these days, according to Chris Soussanin, are the shrimp and vegetable tempura basket and the softshell crabs. He said he is happy to customize a meal, too, perhaps by grilling the soft shells for a more tender crab than the traditional deep-fried version.

The Soussanins are fervent supports of St. Clements Island and it's Museum.  They encourage everyone to relax, enjoy their meal and a frozen drink, and then hurry to the island for a fun and enriching learning experience.  They love their new home on Colton's Point, and look forward to expanding into catering in the future.

     Frank Morris Point is at 38869 Morris Point Road in Abell.  from Leonardtown take Route 242 South towards the  St. Clements Island Museum and follow the signs, turning left on Abell Road just past the Avenue Fire Department.  Continue 1.4 miles and turn left on Morris Point Road.  It also can be reached by boat.

     The restaurant opens at 4 p.m. Thursdays, noon Fridays and Saturdays, and 10 a.m. for brunch Sundays.  American Express, Mastercard and Visa are accepted.  Call 301-769-2500.
 

Friday 10/05/01

---

A sublime spot in St. Mary's 7th District

It's not true that a passport or visa is required to visit St. Mary's 7th District, contrary to legend, but it takes a Visa, Mastercard American Express or cash for a trip to the end of Morris Point Road in Abell. It might also help to bring a map and look for the signs directing travelers to Frank Morris Point, a restaurant that offers not only a view of an inlet off Canoe Neck Creek, but all the way across St. Clements bay to the peninsula south of Compton.  Get there in the afternoon, at least before sunset, to enjoy a meal on the deck or inside the little building. Chris Soussanin, a co-owner of the family business, said the property was bought four years ago from an heir of it's namesake, who founded his own restaurant there 30 years ago.  Once a seasonal operation, the restaurant is now open all year long, Soussanin said, on Thursday through Sunday afternoons and evenings "until the last person leaves."  "You can come and bring your boat there," he said and we (also) have plenty of parking."      There's also plenty of good food at Frank Morris Point, beginning with a crab dip Florentine with lots of crab meat, including big pieces of back fin, and spinach in a tasty cream sauce, served with white tortilla chips.

Above: Debbie Soussanin serves fresh cheeseburger platters to Robert and Diane Pouge, Brett Kosack 11, and (not pictured) Jessica Pouge 8, at the cozy  Frank Morris Point Restaurant.    Chris Soussanin, Below, and his wife Debbie, own and  operate the Abell eatery.  The casual dining restaurant's  specialty is soft shell crabs.

A half pound order of spiced shrimp was cooked to just right tenderness and lightly seasoned, and a nice thick cut of grilled tuna steak served with a mild, delicately flavored lemon pepper sauce.

     The tuna also was accompanied by fresh spears of broccoli that still had their wonderful color and crunch.  Other side orders available included a generous helping of batter dipped rings of sliced onion, ana a side salad with big slices of local tomatoes nestled in a nice green Romaine lettuce, with a little tub of mellow Vidalia onion dressing.

     Desserts included a firm and flavorful slice of cheesecake topped with big blueberries, and another pleasant suprise, the simple delight of chocolate Italian ice.

     "We're always improvising," Soussanin said, and he encouraged visitors to St. Clements Island and the St. Clements Island-Potomac River Museum in Colton's Point to stop by his restaurant before they leave the 7th District.

     "Our restaurant is the final destination,"  he said.  "We're a little place, with a great big heart."