Constellations
The town’s taste neighbourhoods
Read from the menus of 40 of the town’s 66 kitchens, every one that publishes a menu we could read · 1226 dishes · 15 kitchens read by eye, 25 by script · menus read 2026-09-10 How we read them
13 neighbourhoods, found by letting a label spread along the 621 pairings between ingredients that turn up on the same plate within a course — and only along those: a pairing spreads a label when we have seen it on at least two plates and it turns up at least four and a half times as often as two ingredients of those frequencies would meet by chance. Let the weak pairings spread a label too and the whole town runs together into three groups, because every kitchen here puts cheese near bacon. A group is kept where 4 or more ingredients settled on the same label; 169 ingredients were in the running. A neighbourhood is named by a person, never by the detector: 5 of 13 carry a confirmed name; the rest show a proposal, marked as one. The palette is eight colours, validated as a set, so the eight largest neighbourhoods take them and the other 5 share the neutral grey — the legend and every card say which.
The map
Every ingredient the pairings placed in a neighbourhood, coloured by which one. A line joins two ingredients that share a plate at least twice as often as their separate frequencies would predict; 412 lines clear that. Drag the canvas, press a node for what it is in and where it is served.
Every kitchen, every neighbourhood
One row per kitchen we read, one cell per neighbourhood, in the legend’s order. A bar is the share of that kitchen’s plates carrying an ingredient from that neighbourhood. A plate can carry two — a crab omelette is in whichever neighbourhood crab landed in and whichever one egg did — so a row does not add up to the whole menu, and it is not drawn as if it did. Kitchens are alphabetical.
- Calamari and marinara (proposed)
- The breakfast plate
- Sauced chicken and the steamer pot
- The salad and the burger stack (proposed)
- Chicken, beans and corn (proposed)
- Beef and the grill
- Berries and cream
- Shrimp and cocktail sauce (proposed)
- Thai curry and rice (proposed)
- Crab, the Maryland way
- Fish tacos and their salsa (proposed)
- The Caesar salad (proposed)
- Fish and chips (proposed)
As a table
| Kitchen | Plates | Calamari and marinara (proposed) | The breakfast plate | Sauced chicken and the steamer pot | The salad and the burger stack (proposed) | Chicken, beans and corn (proposed) | Beef and the grill | Berries and cream | Shrimp and cocktail sauce (proposed) | Thai curry and rice (proposed) | Crab, the Maryland way | Fish tacos and their salsa (proposed) | The Caesar salad (proposed) | Fish and chips (proposed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 Steak & Seafood | 52 | 4% (2) | 35% (18) | 8% (4) | 4% (2) | 4% (2) | 29% (15) | · | 6% (3) | · | 10% (5) | · | 2% (1) | 2% (1) |
| 28th St Pit & Pub | 8 | · | 25% (2) | · | 13% (1) | 50% (4) | 13% (1) | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Assateague Crab House | 46 | 2% (1) | 9% (4) | 15% (7) | 4% (2) | 15% (7) | 11% (5) | 2% (1) | 24% (11) | · | 46% (21) | 4% (2) | · | 7% (3) |
| Atlantic Hotel Berlin | 33 | 3% (1) | 36% (12) | 21% (7) | 52% (17) | 18% (6) | 21% (7) | · | 24% (8) | · | 27% (9) | · | 9% (3) | 3% (1) |
| Bad Monkey | 14 | 14% (2) | 57% (8) | · | 86% (12) | 7% (1) | 79% (11) | · | 7% (1) | · | 7% (1) | · | · | · |
| Barn 34 | 48 | · | 46% (22) | 4% (2) | 31% (15) | 2% (1) | 8% (4) | 4% (2) | · | 2% (1) | 10% (5) | · | · | · |
| Blacksmith Bar & Restaurant | 38 | 8% (3) | 34% (13) | 8% (3) | 39% (15) | · | 24% (9) | · | 8% (3) | 26% (10) | 16% (6) | 3% (1) | 5% (2) | 29% (11) |
| BLU Crabhouse & Raw Bar | 28 | 4% (1) | 7% (2) | 11% (3) | 7% (2) | 18% (5) | 7% (2) | · | 7% (2) | · | 36% (10) | · | · | · |
| Bull on the Beach | 26 | 4% (1) | 31% (8) | 8% (2) | 31% (8) | 31% (8) | 31% (8) | · | 15% (4) | · | 8% (2) | 8% (2) | · | · |
| Bull on the Beach (94th St) | 57 | · | 28% (16) | 11% (6) | 25% (14) | 23% (13) | 42% (24) | 2% (1) | 30% (17) | · | 11% (6) | 2% (1) | 4% (2) | 5% (3) |
| Captain's Table | 17 | · | 29% (5) | · | 12% (2) | · | · | 12% (2) | · | · | · | 6% (1) | · | 12% (2) |
| Coconuts Beach Bar | 31 | · | 35% (11) | · | 55% (17) | 42% (13) | 19% (6) | · | 6% (2) | · | 19% (6) | 3% (1) | 6% (2) | 3% (1) |
| Coins Pub & Restaurant | 79 | 3% (2) | 24% (19) | 6% (5) | 25% (20) | 14% (11) | 22% (17) | 4% (3) | 13% (10) | · | 33% (26) | 1% (1) | 4% (3) | 1% (1) |
| Dumser's Dairyland | 2 | · | 50% (1) | 50% (1) | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Dumser's Dairyland (123rd St Drive-In) | 2 | · | 50% (1) | 50% (1) | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Dumser's Dairyland (49th St Drive-In) | 2 | · | 50% (1) | 50% (1) | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Fager's Island | 48 | 8% (4) | 27% (13) | 2% (1) | 21% (10) | 10% (5) | 13% (6) | 6% (3) | 10% (5) | 6% (3) | 13% (6) | · | · | 2% (1) |
| Grotto Pizza | 3 | · | 33% (1) | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Happy Jack Pancake House | 18 | · | 61% (11) | · | 33% (6) | · | 11% (2) | 22% (4) | · | · | · | · | · | 11% (2) |
| Harborside Bar & Grill | 63 | 3% (2) | 19% (12) | 13% (8) | 40% (25) | 17% (11) | 6% (4) | · | 33% (21) | 2% (1) | 25% (16) | 14% (9) | · | 11% (7) |
| Higgins Crab House (128th St) | 54 | 2% (1) | 17% (9) | 13% (7) | 6% (3) | 13% (7) | 9% (5) | · | 24% (13) | · | 39% (21) | 2% (1) | · | 9% (5) |
| Hooked | 31 | 3% (1) | 32% (10) | 19% (6) | 45% (14) | 10% (3) | 3% (1) | · | 13% (4) | 6% (2) | 13% (4) | 3% (1) | 3% (1) | 6% (2) |
| Hooper's Crab House | 45 | 2% (1) | 22% (10) | 13% (6) | 18% (8) | 29% (13) | 11% (5) | · | 29% (13) | 4% (2) | 40% (18) | · | 2% (1) | 13% (6) |
| Layton's Family Restaurant | 20 | · | 70% (14) | · | 25% (5) | · | 10% (2) | 15% (3) | 5% (1) | · | 20% (4) | 5% (1) | · | · |
| Liquid Assets | 13 | · | 23% (3) | 38% (5) | 38% (5) | 8% (1) | 8% (1) | · | 23% (3) | 8% (1) | 8% (1) | · | 15% (2) | · |
| Marlin Moon | 30 | 7% (2) | 20% (6) | 23% (7) | 33% (10) | 7% (2) | 7% (2) | 7% (2) | 13% (4) | 13% (4) | 23% (7) | 3% (1) | · | 20% (6) |
| Ocean 13 | 77 | 9% (7) | 44% (34) | 13% (10) | 48% (37) | 17% (13) | 35% (27) | 1% (1) | 9% (7) | 3% (2) | 19% (15) | · | 1% (1) | 8% (6) |
| Ropewalk | 16 | · | 6% (1) | · | 6% (1) | 6% (1) | · | · | 6% (1) | · | · | · | · | · |
| Seacrets (Jamaica USA) | 56 | · | 30% (17) | 9% (5) | 25% (14) | 29% (16) | 21% (12) | · | 13% (7) | · | 23% (13) | 2% (1) | 2% (1) | 4% (2) |
| Sneaky Pete's | 36 | 3% (1) | 28% (10) | 25% (9) | 39% (14) | 25% (9) | 14% (5) | 8% (3) | 19% (7) | 6% (2) | 44% (16) | 6% (2) | 3% (1) | 14% (5) |
| Sunset Grille | 29 | · | 28% (8) | 7% (2) | 28% (8) | 3% (1) | 14% (4) | 3% (1) | 14% (4) | · | 21% (6) | 3% (1) | · | · |
| Surfin' Betty's Burger Bar (127th St) | 23 | 4% (1) | 39% (9) | 4% (1) | 35% (8) | 43% (10) | 30% (7) | · | · | · | · | · | 4% (1) | · |
| The Bayside Skillet | 62 | · | 60% (37) | 2% (1) | 29% (18) | 5% (3) | 3% (2) | 8% (5) | 6% (4) | · | 8% (5) | · | · | · |
| The Bonfire | 34 | · | 21% (7) | 12% (4) | 6% (2) | 15% (5) | 15% (5) | 9% (3) | 9% (3) | 3% (1) | 18% (6) | · | · | · |
| The Crab Bag | 14 | · | 14% (2) | 7% (1) | 21% (3) | 14% (2) | · | · | 7% (1) | · | 21% (3) | · | · | · |
| The Fractured Prune | 19 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| The General's Kitchen | 24 | · | 92% (22) | · | 4% (1) | · | 17% (4) | · | 4% (1) | · | 4% (1) | · | · | · |
| The Hobbit | 32 | 3% (1) | 9% (3) | 9% (3) | 25% (8) | 6% (2) | 9% (3) | 3% (1) | 3% (1) | · | 9% (3) | · | 6% (2) | · |
| The Shark on the Harbor | 22 | 5% (1) | 27% (6) | 14% (3) | 59% (13) | 9% (2) | 9% (2) | 9% (2) | 23% (5) | · | 14% (3) | 9% (2) | · | 14% (3) |
| Waterman's Seafood Co. | 77 | 1% (1) | 17% (13) | 25% (19) | 29% (22) | 12% (9) | 5% (4) | 1% (1) | 29% (22) | · | 32% (25) | 3% (2) | 4% (3) | 8% (6) |
The neighbourhoods
Each one’s strongest members — the ingredients with the most pairing weight to the rest of the group — and the kitchens where its share is largest, listed alphabetically rather than in order of share.
Calamari and marinara(proposed)
5 ingredients · drawn in the neutral grey
Largest share at Bad Monkey (14%), Fager's Island (8%) and Ocean 13 (9%).
The breakfast plate
26 ingredients · named by owner
Largest share at Happy Jack Pancake House (61%), Layton's Family Restaurant (70%) and The General's Kitchen (92%).
Sauced chicken and the steamer pot
15 ingredients · named by owner
Largest share at Dumser's Dairyland (50%), Dumser's Dairyland (123rd St Drive-In) (50%) and Dumser's Dairyland (49th St Drive-In) (50%).
The salad and the burger stack(proposed)
33 ingredients
Largest share at Bad Monkey (86%), Coconuts Beach Bar (55%) and The Shark on the Harbor (59%).
Chicken, beans and corn(proposed)
7 ingredients
Largest share at 28th St Pit & Pub (50%), Coconuts Beach Bar (42%) and Surfin' Betty's Burger Bar (127th St) (43%).
Beef and the grill
12 ingredients · named by owner
Largest share at Bad Monkey (79%), Bull on the Beach (94th St) (42%) and Ocean 13 (35%).
Berries and cream
6 ingredients · named by owner
Largest share at Captain's Table (12%), Happy Jack Pancake House (22%) and Layton's Family Restaurant (15%).
Shrimp and cocktail sauce(proposed)
7 ingredients
Largest share at Bull on the Beach (94th St) (30%), Harborside Bar & Grill (33%) and Hooper's Crab House (29%).
Thai curry and rice(proposed)
6 ingredients · drawn in the neutral grey
Largest share at Blacksmith Bar & Restaurant (26%), Liquid Assets (8%) and Marlin Moon (13%).
Crab, the Maryland way
8 ingredients · named by owner
Largest share at Assateague Crab House (46%), Hooper's Crab House (40%) and Sneaky Pete's (44%).
Fish tacos and their salsa(proposed)
4 ingredients · drawn in the neutral grey
Largest share at Bull on the Beach (8%), Harborside Bar & Grill (14%) and The Shark on the Harbor (9%).
The Caesar salad(proposed)
5 ingredients · drawn in the neutral grey
Largest share at Atlantic Hotel Berlin (9%), Coconuts Beach Bar (6%) and Liquid Assets (15%).
Fish and chips(proposed)
5 ingredients · drawn in the neutral grey
Largest share at Blacksmith Bar & Restaurant (29%), Marlin Moon (20%) and Sneaky Pete's (14%).