Restaraunts Improvise For Hungry Residents

Irene may have stole the city's power, but she didn't steal a lot of other things.

Like the work ethic of local employees, for instance.

Many hungry Havre de Grace residents took to restaraunts and bars Sunday night following Hurricane Irene, and some of those restaraunts were improvising to meet their guests needs.

, which was without electric, operated with a generator and grill. A sign on the sidewalk in front of the bar said the "blackout party" offered a limited menu.

And the grill on the sidewalk said it all.

Inside, patrons dined on sandwiches and huddled up to the bar by candlelight.

Food was served until about 8 p.m. and the bar will remain open until 2 a.m., according to employees.

was busy with takeout customers. Employees said they would be open until 10 p.m. Though the restaraunt had electric, an employee at the front desk couldn't explain whether they were operating on a generator or if they were one of the few who still had power in the downtown area.

was open, at least for part of the day, according to patron Wendy McNally who said locals were enjoying dining together in the afternoon.

"The food came out of the kitchen fast and fresh," she wrote Patch in an email.

Some restaraunts weren't open at all including and .

Those that were open seemed to take on the overflow, something  Dorothy Cudney, an employee of could attest to.

Cudney said she and other employees at Price's attempted to open at noon despite having no electric in the restaraunt. She went to to pick up lunch for employees around 1 p.m. when she encountered an unmanageable crowd.

"I ended up working there," she said, laughing.

Cudney decided to pitch in and help the La Cucina staff by seating diners and busing tables.

Cudney said La Cucina owners paid her with the food she had ordered and were happy to have the extra help.

And Price's Seafood did end up opening after all, Cudney said, serving four special guests who use the restaraunt as a meeting point between Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia for dinner several times each year.

"They didn't plan on this storm, so we steamed them crabs and it was great. They were so grateful," she recalled.

Price's could steam crabs because the steamers operate on gas and not electric.

Cudney said they closed around 5:30 p.m. because they still had no electric.

Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that MacGregor's was closed Sunday. Patch regrets the error.