In Ocean City, Seacrets' food is best-kept secret

There’s a line outside Seacrets nearly every morning on 49th Street before doors open at 11. Sometimes, on holidays especially, the line extends around the block, as hundreds or thousands await the summer oasis that is Ocean City’s most famous hangout, the sprawling waterfront bars, restaurant and nightclub.

And if you went up the line, you’d probably find a staggeringly low percentage are there for the food or even plan on eating at Seacrets that day, at least not a full meal.

So when asked, chef DJ Shirk, who’s been working inside the Seacrets kitchen in some form or another since 1992, can only shake his head with a wry smile.

It bothers him. And he’s not afraid to admit it.

“No matter what we do,” Shirk said, “no matter the type of food or quality of food we put out, Seacrets is just always going to be known for the entertainment, the party side. It is. We have come a long way in the last, say, 10 years as far as getting the food information out there. It’s definitely second to the entertainment and the bar side of Seacrets.

“That’s fine with me... It’s not that we’re struggling for customers.”

It’s just that most of those customers probably eat before they get to Seacrets or get their munchies somewhere else after a day or night of drinking on or in the water.

But the menu at Seacrets is big, and big enough that Shirk hopes it doesn’t get any bigger. When he started as a line cook in 1992, there were maybe a dozen items on the menu, he said. Then, he was just an 18-year-old Stephen Decatur High School graduate, with one year of college under his belt, looking for a summer job.

He hasn’t left since. And he’s been in charge of the kitchen since 1997.

Part of the reason he's been there so long can be attributed to the fact he hasn't changed much, says longtime owner Leighton Moore.

"He's always been a straight-up dude," Moore said. "And he's a very talented individual. DJ is a rock."

Moore obviously knows the reputation of his business and knows Shirk and the food aren't what people think of when they think of Seacrets.

"It's unfortunate," he said. "It's hard for (customers) to grasp that a place known for the nightlife, the concerts, has good food. If we were a separate entity as a restaurant we would be well-known for the food. It is frustrating."

Since the 90s, Seacrets, which went to a year-round operation during Shirk’s first few years, has seen a total overhaul of its culinary program with Shirk, who will be 44 in a few weeks, and Moore at the driver’s seat of that change.

Now, there’s more than a dozen things people can get that serve as a starter or appetizer. The Caribbean-inspired menu features plenty of favorites like jerk chicken, a Jamaican Po’Boy and plenty of seafood between the raw bar, fish tacos, tuna steaks and more. The kitchen is open until 2 a.m. daily.

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Moore has taken Shirk on research and development trips to Jamaica, St. Lucia, Mexico and elsewhere. When Moore travels without Shirk, he’ll send pictures to his chef of what he’s eating.

“Everything is Leighton-led,” Shirk said. “Leighton is a very hands-on owner. He’s very particular. He likes things to be right every time.”

That commitment to perfection, Shirk said, is a way Seacrets tries to elevate the culinary experience and stand out in a place famous for its nightlife. That and the quality of food being served. Shirk pointed to the daily local seafood deliveries and the hand cuts of certified Angus beef. Shirk said the menu has adapted to industry trends over the years and now is very gluten-free friendly and allergen-conscious.

“We just want to make sure they know that when they’re coming here to eat — they’re going to get a great cold drink or a frozen drink — if they want to get a meal it’s going to be a quality meal,” Shirk said. “They’re not going to get bar food when they come here. It’s not what we do.”

The menu changes twice a year, in May and September. After September is when Shirk gets to do more experimenting. In the summertime, when the lines are long and the drinks flowing, it’s a bit too busy to mess around in the kitchen.

Busy enough that Shirk isn’t in the kitchen as much as he used to be. Also the assistant general manager, Shirk has some other duties during the summertime and cooks mostly during weekend lunch and dinner rushes. It’s the offseason that he gets to flex his culinary muscles a little more.

“Like any business in Ocean City, the summertime is when we need to make our money to survive,” Shirk said. “Our menu is basically set. When September hits it’s a whole other ballgame. We do specials every night. We do a different catch every night, different soups every day.”

Soups are Shirk’s specialty. And after September you’ll find some on the menu or for a special that are a little bit out there.

Shirk’s training in culinary arts has come in the form of on-the-job training in the kitchen cooking and from the chefs previous to him at Seacrets. He’s never once attended a cooking class and many, if not all, of his kitchen staff members haven’t, either.

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“I have much respect for people that have gone to culinary school,” Shirk said. “We’re not a white tablecloth, fine-dining restaurant. Leighton’s thing, his passion, is quality, fresh food. That’s what we serve. We try to get it as fresh as we can, as high-quality as we can. We don’t cut any corners. That’s kind of our thing.”

Even if people, much to Shirk's chagrin, don’t realize it.

"I feel for him," Moore said. "But there's not much he can do but keep plugging away."