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Although the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton is closed except for private functions, the Cafe is still open and serves all day, and the Greenhouse serves a buffet brunch on Sundays as well as lunch and afternoon tea. That being said, I don't know if their crab cakes are available at either place; I don't see it on the sample menus on their website.

A one pound crab cake?

This recipe is very similar to the crabcake recipe on the Old Bay can. I have used it for years, but divide the mixture into smaller cakes.

I just assumed that you divide it up. If it is indeed a 1 lb crabcake, than I may have to plan a trip to see happy_stomach's uncle real soon.

Sorry--that really doesn't sound right! His crabcakes are not giant.

We found our personal crab cake nirvana last month at the restaurant with the longest name in the world -- Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab (continuing the awful trend of fine dining restaurants assuming people who want steak won't go to a joint with seafood in its name and vice versa, are you listening Pete Miller's?). Meaty, absolutely non-greasy and wonderful flavor; everybody in our dining party was knocked out. Wasn't appropriate to take a photo, but portion was more than ample.
>>Brent

I had a very good crabcake today at lunch at Tin Fish (Oakbrook Terrace location), in a sandwich. Lots of crab, little if any breading, nicely cooked. I still prefer the crabcake at Stoney River, with its lump style crabmeat rather than the mashed up style crabmeat in the Tin Fish crabcake, but both are quite good and worthy of consideration.

Does anyone know of a place that does Blue Crabs similar to a crab house in Maryland?
In my opinion its the best tasting crab, and sometimes its nice to just get your hands dirty cracking them yourselves...
(not to mention your clothes)

I haven't had much luck searching LTH or many restaurants.

Hi,

If it is not found, you could replicate the experience yourself. Blue crabs are sold live at many Asian markets in the area. Old Bay can be purchased at most grocery stores. We may not have a Baltimore Sun or Washington Post to line the table, though the Chicago Tribune or Chicago Sun Times may do.

Regards,

Cathy,

Your suggestion is good, but I've never seen a good size blue crab anywhere in Chicagoland, from Chinatown to Argyle to H-Mart to Isaccson and Stein...etc...

You would almost die of starvation before picking any decent amount of meat from these crabs we typically see around here. I believe you actually posted here on LTH about blue crab yield a few years ago.

Not rubbing salt, but next week, The Lovely Donna and I will be in Baltimore as well as down in Tidewater, Virginia. First stop out of BWI will be Faidley's at Lexington Market! My brother in law has also been alerted to have plenty of beer, vinegar, kosher salt, and Old Bay on hand for crab steaming at home.

http://www.bobrooks.com/
http://www.faidleyscrabcakes.com/
http://www.lexingtonmarket.com/

Oddly, just as this came up I'd been trying to remember the right name of the Baltimore-style crab shack that used to be in Maywood. It was something like Cap'n Billy's Take-away, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Billy.

We loved that place. It's probably been gone 15 years or so.

While I do think it would be a pity if everywhere in America were all alike and there were no unique regional specialties to discover by traveling, it seems strange that no restaurant in Chicago prepares blue crab Baltimore style. As Cathy2 notes, it's not a difficult preparation, and are certainly a number of places serving blue crab prepared other ways, although perhaps not preparations that require starting with live crabs.

The other Chicagoland seafood lack I ponder is Ipswich clams. I grew up eating them in Detroit -- simply steamed, brought to the table with a bowl of clam juice for swishing off any grit and drawn butter for dipping. On the rare occasions I see steamed clams on offer in Chicago, they are nearly always Littlenecks. Why should Detroit be able to get steamers but not Chicago? (I got excited when I first heard about a place called Tony's Steamers in Winfield, but they turned out to be a hot-dog stand.)

Leah,

As we all know...some things, like "piss" clams and steamed crab just dont travel well. Furthermore...just look at how difficult it is to for us to find a properly made Chicago hot dog or Italian beef sandwich right here in Chicagoland!!! Even in the heart of Baltimore, you have to be very careful where you go to find a great steamed crabs. It isn't easy. Dominick...HELP!!

My favorite was Mr. Bill's Terrace Inn. It's an old dive bar that added a crab shack on the back. Wait staff that's been there forever, wall plastered with photos and newspaper clippings about the Colts... old-school Baltimore. He has his own spice blend that's very similar to Old Bay, but a little mellower. I prefer it, actually. And he always had great crabs. Told me his secret once. Cash up front for the guys who deliver the crabs He mostly got his from the gulf, but I never met anybody in Baltimore who could back up a claim that they could tell the difference.

Less than spectacular but still very good crabs in a great setting were consumed at the Hard Yacht Club. It's a little dockside bar (literally) over the water in a quiet little nook of the bay. They work with a local guy who pulls them out of the water himself, so as long as they're in season, I believe they're always local. Call ahead about 20-30 minutes, sit down and have a beer, and he comes walking in with your crabs freshly steamed in a paper grocery bag.

I also heard great things about Sue Island Dock Bar, but that broke with the food nerds right before we left town, so I didn't have a chance to try it.

And avoid Obrycki's. Tourist trap that is fine when it's on, but is frequently off (people have been served cold crabs there).

Dom,

Thanks so much for the suggestions! Four years ago, we had very tasty (and huge) steamed crabs at G Wiv recommended Bo Brooks (I seem to remember paying about $60 per dozen...), but I've seen a downhill report or two that they're now sometimes serving leftover pre-cooked crabs.

I will have to re-read your blog posts on crabcakes. I have to say though that I thought G&W was pretty good, although significantly beneath Faidley's in flavor. (What I had at Faidley's that summer was for sure fresh Maryland vs. G&W's Indonesian pasteurized.) But even so, I really enjoyed it lefover and cold for the next morning's breakfast, coming from this crabcake desert.

Hi,

Here is my long ago comments on blue crab yields.

I'm sure you're right about the crab sizes. However, it might be an entertaining way to while away the hours. Plus it is a fix until you do someday return to Maryland.

Ron - I will be interested in blue crab prices in the Maryland area. A few years ago, it really went through the roof.

Enjoy your trip. You may want Dom's rec for a Chinese restaurant. (hint)

Regards,

Cathy,

I am especially curious about Grace Garden, as I was stationed right across the street at Ft. George G. Meade, Maryland for six years, while serving as a bass trombonist with The United States Army Field Band of Washington, D.C. http://www.armyfieldband.com/ Trying to get some of my old band mates up for a Chinese dinner.

HI

We were very impressed by Grace Garden. Dom said if we had planned one or two days earlier, they could have ordered chicken with a sticky rice filling and some other hard to find treasures.

Night!

Regards,

Laz

The place in Maywood on Roosevelt was Capt Crab's Take-Away which was being test marketed by a chain based in Ft. Lauderdale. I stumbled across it when visiting the VA Hospital . A good friend of mine was from Maryland and we became regular customers driving in weekly from Naperville during the late 80's. One night 7 or 8 of us were sitting around the kitchen table eating buckets of steamed crabs and Garlic crab clusters (which are popular in Florida).
My friends mother, a beautiful tiny, pure white haired lady sat quietly at the head of the table with a paring knife picking the shells that the rest of us had discarded. She ended up with more than a half pound of crab that was destined to be thrown away. she just smiled and proceed to enjoy.

I have on more than one occasion ordered Maryland Crabs online and have never been disappointed.

http://www.lintonseafood.com/

As for Steamers, I bought a few lbs. of beautiful soft-shell clams from Dirk's 4-5 weeks ago. Just steamed them, did a broth dunk to clean and a quick dip in melted butter, Outstanding!
Ipswich clams are also the source for another favorite, fried whole belly clams but at $10/lb. I preferred to eat them steamed. In Chicago I believe we are limited to clam strips which are no comparison.