OCEAN CITY, Md. – Ever wanted two different cuisines at once? The Border Bar in Ocean City is the perfect spot for those clashing cravings.

“A lot of good food under one roof,”

Annabelle’s BBQ & Creamery and Barrio Taco literally meet in the middle for this edition of Foodie Friday.

If you ask the Foodie team, Mexican food and barbecue are two of the greatest gifts ever given to the human palate.

“It’s just a lot of good food under one roof, and a lot of variety,” said Guy Bashore of Border Bar.

Starting South of the Border

We start south of the border with fresh empanadas. House-made masa is where it all begins.

“(The corn) is all different varieties—blue, yellow. We take that and soak it. It’s called nixtamalization. It soaks overnight and the hulls come off, and we grind it every day … We put it in a tortially press, and then we add the filling … We press hundreds of (empanadas) a day,” Bashore explained.

The Foodie Team was treated to pockets full of smoky shrimp or barbecued pork and Oaxaca cheese. A quick bath in the deep fryer, and we’re in handheld heaven.

“We have a combined concept of Mexican food and barbecue, so we have the ability to introduce smokiness into some of our Mexican food, as well,” Bashore agreed.

The salsa was subtly spicy—a perfect pairing for the protein.

“The heat of that ranchero is going with the smoke that has been added to the shrimp, which I’m still trying to wrap my head around, honestly,” said Foodie Photog Mike.

Bubbles and Birds

Now, we check out a Sunday specialty. Move over scrapple and scorching caffeine. Here, it’s all about the bubbles and the birds.

Border Bar has brought a new brunch concept to Maryland, inspired by the eateries of Charleston, South Carolina. The hot honey fried chicken packs a serious punch and is paired with growers’ champagne.

“You could be eating eggs and drinking coffee, or you could drink growers’ champagne and eat fried chicken. I’d probably take the yard bird and the buggles all day long,” Bashore said.

The whole bird gets a pickle juice and hot sauce brine. Then, it gets a light breading and a buttermilk soak. A powerful pressure fryer finishes the job—the result: a crunch heard ’round Ocean City.

“I guess I need to swear off regular fryers and just buy a however many hundreds of thousands of dollars pressure fryer. That really changes the game,” Mike said with a laugh.

And it’s not just the crispy crust that’s ridiculously satisfying.

“On the inside, it’s so juicy and tender and flavorful,” Hannah said.

This bird is simply out of this world.

“I’m getting a little bit of the hot sauce … I have arrived at Planet Chicken,” Mike declared.

Border Bar

Border Bar is located at 104 64th Street, Ocean City, Md. You can call them at 443-373-4020. If you go to check it out, tell the team that you saw them on Foodie Friday.