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Maine Avenue Wharf


CrescentFresh

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I have eaten their fish regularly for 30 years. For about 5 of those years we had something for dinner from the market at least once a week. In that time I have never had a problem, nor has anyone from my family. You do have to know what to look for and developing a relationship with one of the boats helps but one can eat very well over there if you try.

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Suggestions...

I'm not sure if you want suggestions for which boat or seafood. As for boats, I always go to Jesse Taylor (I think that's the name, it's the one on the left side of the U). Until a few years ago I used to go to the boast that is now closed. When they shut down their manager introduced my father to the manager of the place we go to now.

As for fish and seafood, I rarely leave without at least a dozen littlenecks :P

When I worked in Alexandria and was feeling lazy and in the mood for a little splurge I would stop and get their cooked shrimp and half a dozen already shucked oysters. You can't find oysters that cheap, at any hour of the day, anywhere else in the city.

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For awhile I was on a Snapper Vera Cruz kick. I believe I made it five times in a three month frame of time. Each time I became particularly obsessed with 2+ pound fish, especially 2 1/2 to 3 pound ones of which I was looking for two. Whole Foods and Wegman's frequently had them (Whole Foods consistently the first two weekends of the month-never the last) yet I was paying over $50.00 for two fish. I also found that when I asked to have the whole fish fileted, while there was never a hesitation in any store, the amount of time that was taken to do this was surprisingly long. Super H always had Red Snapper. They NEVER had Red Snapper that was larger than one and a half pounds. Having this fileted left me drowning the fish in the chunky sauce so it was not an immediate option. Still, this was a consideration, since Super H was approximately 60% of Whole Foods and Wegman's price and they seemed to have considerably more skill overall in doing this. Plus, it was only ten minutes from my house, another consideration. I went to Slavin's once, Cannon's once and the retail market in Jessup (from Reston!). All were hit or miss, I found myself swearing that I would call first in the future rather than just driving as I had done.

Then there was my old standby: Maine Avenue.

On two trips at the end of two months I found all the 2 1/2 and 3 pound American Red Snapper I could ever want. AT SLIGHTLY MORE THAN HALF OF WEGMANS AND WHOLE FOODS PRICE. Even with having them filleted they were still about $30 two totalling 5 and 3/4 pounds.

The next time I make Snapper Vera Cruz (or Bouillibasse, Cioppino, etc.) the ONLY place I am going to is Maine Avenue. For fresh anything they have the largest selection in the entire D. C. area at more than reasonable prices. By the way, when I say "Maine Avenue" I am talking about the seafood stand that faces in on the right hand side-not the ones facing out towards the street. Jesse Slavin? I've had my best success with this one.

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Then there was my old standby: Maine Avenue.
I'm with you Joe, both on Maine Ave. and Jesse's. Back in the day I used to like Custis and Brown but I followed many of their workers over to Jesse's.

Friday I picked up a couple of 1 1/2 lb. lobsters from Maine that were as good as you will find in the city. Before hitting the pot they were fiesty critters that fought the good fight and after they came out they were full of sweet, succulent meat. It's hard to think of a better way to end the week.

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There's a booth on top of the right side of the U that has a "cheesecake" called strawberry delight. Junk food, but yummy. They also had yummy crab balls, which were just small crab cakes.

We grabbed 2 dozen oysters today and shucked them at home, and they were fantastic. They're brought in from the Gulf Coast.

We also got a dozen crabs. They were $12/doz, but pretty small. The smallest one I had was tiny, but it was the strangest thing I'd seen. In the 20-some years I've been eating crabs this is something I've never seen - white-colored mustard. It was utterly pristine and happened to be the sweetest crab I've ever had. This made me think that because it was younger and hadn't filtered as much Bay muck it made it taste so much better.

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In the 20-some years I've been eating crabs this is something I've never seen - white-colored mustard. It was utterly pristine and happened to be the sweetest crab I've ever had. This made me think that because it was younger and hadn't filtered as much Bay muck it made it taste so much better.

I just had this experience with crabs in VA Beach, but they were the biggest honking crabs I have seen in a few years. White guts, but also some yellow. And they were sweet sweet sweet.

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I just had this experience with crabs in VA Beach, but they were the biggest honking crabs I have seen in a few years. White guts, but also some yellow. And they were sweet sweet sweet.

I wonder if they were from the Lynnhaven River. I grew up there and such crabs were the hallmark of a good, caught-just-after-the-full-moon catch.
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Stick with things you watch get shucked or steamed. I get my oysters and clams from the little stand in right corner if you are facing the water. Their other cooked stuff is good too. I'd avoid shrimp unless you see that they are freshly steamed. The two times I've attempted them (from two different stands) they were over steamed and had no flavor.

If it's nice out be prepared for crowds and sitting where ever you can to eat.

It it's oysters he wants I'm pretty sure Senarts (I think that's the name), the new oyster bar on 8th, has opened.

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He saw it on No Reservations, so he's really eager for crabs. It'll probably be just a group of guys...I think it can be fun, but since I seem to be the planner, I like to make sure my bases are covered and I find out as much as I can about stuff. B)

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