Looking for soft-shell crab in mid-Atlantic

I'll be in the Philadelphia area for the next few weekends but willing to drive for a good, authentic soft-shell crab experience. What are the best places to go in either Eastern PA, Delaware or Maryland? Doesn't matter if it is fancy or not, expensive or not... just GOOD.

Thanks!

I'll tag onto this and specifically request Baltimore recs. I'll be there Thursday night for dinner and (maybe) lunch the next day. I'll be in D.C. for the weekend, and then fly out of Baltimore on Sunday, so I may have another chance then. I'd like to eat some good Maryland crab, soft shell or no.

Cheers,

Aaron

On Baltimore:

The best crab cake sandwich you'll ever eat is at Faidley's in the Lexington Market a little to the NW (I think?) of the Inner Harbor. It's a stand-up/counter place, and probably closes by mid-afternoon. (I'm not certain about the hours, though).

http://www.faidleyscrabcakes.com/

For soft-shell crabs and crabs in general (by the bucket) try Obrycki's. The downside is, of course, that once you've eaten soft-shell crabs at a place like Obrycki's in the Chesapeake Bay area, you'll never be satisfied with them again anywhere else:

http://www.obryckis.com/obr/stores/1/index.cfm

Both Faidley's and Obrycki's are not too far off I95 and we used to stop at both for meals on trips between BWI airport and Philly

For great Chesapeake Bay Maryland blue crabs, I'd suggest some places in the Annapolis area -- not too far from Baltimore or D.C. Mainly, Fisherman's Inn and Crab Deck (www.crabdeck.com), which has a great location and great view next to the scenic Bay Bridge. Jimmy Cantler's Riverside Inn (www.cantlers.com) on the bank of Mill Creek is great, too. Mike's Crab House, also in Annapolis (www.mikescrabhouse) has a georgeous view of the South River. All three are great for the true Chesapeake Bay Crab experience. Of the three, I'd say Mike's is the most, uh, "refined" and corporate-looking (think Phillip's). Fisherman's Inn is probably the most unique. All are great to watch boaters coming in from a day of leisure on the bay and pull into a slip and eat.

For soft shells in the D.C. region, take a look at this post from a popular D.C. food blogger:

http://www.dcfoodies.com/2005/06/soft_s ... l#comments

Also, here's a good article to read on the price of crabs, as well as the timing for true Maryland blue crab season. It seems mid-June is perfect. But you're going to paying WAY more than last year. Totally worth it, though. Totally.

Regards,

--JON
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Crab lovers feeling a pinch as cost tops $300 a bushel
By ELIZABETH LEIS, Staff Writer, Annapolis Capital

The crabs know you're coming for them.

At least that's how Kevin Blonder explains the shortage of Maryland blue crabs this week, just days before Memorial Day weekend - and all the gorging that goes with it.

"The crabs know it's a holiday, so they don't get caught," said the manager and co-owner of Buddy's Crabs & Ribs.

The result is some eye-popping prices as the season for eating crabs hits its first big weekend. A bushel of crabs costs as much as $310, with prices up to $90 more than last year. A dozen large at area crab houses will fetch as much as $75, up to $10 more than last year.

The culprit is a cooler-than-normal May, which has meant a slow start to crab season. Although the harvest should pick up as soon as the weather warms, crab house owners and retailers are a bit antsy about the turnout of crab lovers this weekend.

Karen Oertel, CEO of Harris Crab House on Kent Narrows, said she expects to see 1,500 to 1,800 people each day, depending on the weather.

Like others in the business, she's worried about having enough. Very few of the crabs that will be served this weekend will come from Maryland. "Maryland has not kicked off yet," Mrs. Oertel said. "This year we'll be lucky if we see it by mid-June. It's Mother Nature."

At Harris Crab House, a dozen crabs can fetch from $35 to $75, depending on size. Mr. Blonder also said Buddy's has some 8- to 10-inch crabs from Louisiana going for $110 a dozen, for someone looking to really splurge.

To get bushels, restaurant owners said its best to call ahead of time to see if they are available.

For those keen on the traditional backyard picnic table lined with a newspaper and overflowing with steamed crabs, the feast could cost $50 to $75 more than last year.

Although Chesapeake Seafood in Edgewater is selling a bushel of large crabs for $190, the cost is $275 at Wild Goose Seafood in Arnold and $300 at Annapolis Seafood in Severna Park.

Not all agree that local crabs are scarce.

"The local ones are looking real good," said Pete Ludlam, manager of Annapolis Seafood in Severna Park. "Order in advance."

At the start of the crab season in April, the state forecast a potentially bountiful harvest. The annual survey turned up the largest number of young crustaceans since 1997.

But state officials cautioned that the winter dredge survey, the sixth-highest in the 16 years, was not a guarantee - anything can happen to the juvenile crabs before they reach the fishery, including predation and climate changes. And the weather, as this spring has shown, is anyone's guess.

"The water is still cold," said Larry Simns, president of the Maryland Watermen's Association. "It's about a normal season, a little bit of a slower start."

Mrs. Oertel said she hopes Fourth of July will be better than this weekend.

"Memorial Day weekend is a very tricky weekend," she said.

Her advice?

"Have shrimp," she said.

I had a pretty good meal in March at Jimmy Cantler's in Annapolis. They have whatever crab is fresh at the moment.

I sort of prefer faideley's and the market in Baltimore (a city I pretty much love, I admit, and the Lexington Market is a great place to eat) for the urban atmosphere, but Cantler's does have that down by the river, most fresh thing going for it, and probably would be my first choice for whole crab.

Enjoy!

Well, my weekend trip to Baltimore/DC of two weeks ago turned into a fly-in/fly-our meeting yesterday in Baltimore. Luckily, the time between the arrival of my flight and the start of my meeting allowed just enough time to stop at Faidley's where they packed two crab cakes with enough ice to last the day so I could bring them home for dinner. They were delicious. Thanks for the rec, jbw. I wish I'd had more time to explore Lexington Market, as the place looked quite interesting and full of character. I asked the woman who served me at Faidley's which door I should exit to most easily find a cab. She walked out from behind the counter, took me outside, and led me to an acquaintance of hers in a clean, gray, non-cab waiting to give someone a ride. I told him the address (maybe a mile and a half away) and I'd give him five bucks. He had no idea where he was going, but I got to my meeting with plenty of time to spare. And he recommended a place named Moe's for crab cakes. For next time.

Way back in the early seventies, before becoming a professional cook, I spent six years as a bass trombonist in The United States Army Field Band of Washington, DC. A couple of my low brass playing buddies and I made Lexington Market a regular stop, along with Atman's Delicatessen on Lombard Street. We were real fressers back in those days, , and a trip to "the market" automatically meant starting out at Faidley's raw bar (which I revisited a few years ago). We always started out with cherrystone clams and Chincateague oysters on the half shell, washed down with a few"natty bo's" (Baltimore's finest-National Bohemian Beer).

I didn't know from Cantler's back then. Still don't, but they do have a fine reputatuion. But as a native son of the bay I will say that Faidley's crab cakes are just about the ultimate crab cake experience. They are available in a few different price points, and three years ago, the jumbo lump cakes (4 oz.) were $11 each ( they came with two pc packets of saltine crackers). I believe you can also get backfin, regular, and maybe special/claw. The jumbo lump cake is the best $11 you will ever spend!

Aaron, you have stumbled upon the "food of the gods".