Crab Houses On The Water

[hillvalley]

I need suggestions for crab shacks/houses/dives/restaurants on the water within an hour and a half of DC.

Cantler's is obvious but given that it is commission weekend I am going to assume it will be crazier than normal.

Capt. Billy's in Pope Creek, Md., my usual go to, only has smalls and mediums this week.

What's left?

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Harris Crab House (DeanGold)

[DonRocks]

I need suggestions for crab shacks/houses/dives/restaurants on the water within an hour and a half of DC.

Cantler's is obvious but given that it is commission weekend I am going to assume it will be crazier than normal.

Capt. Billy's in Pope Creek, Md., my usual go to, only has smalls and mediums this week.

What's left?

I'm sure Joe H will chime in, but the deck at Waterman's is about the nicest atmosphere of any restaurant in this area (a few places (i.e., the patio at Ashby Inn) can match the atmosphere, but it would be very difficult to surpass it). Go during an off-hour and you might have the deck to yourselves - it's quite a special place.

The downside is that it might be a little too far away. Also, pretty much *any* crab house on the water is going to have a wonderful atmosphere.

[DaveO]

Crab Decks and Tiki Bars the book and the web site.

[Joe H]

I'm sure Joe H will chime in, but the deck at Waterman's is about the nicest atmosphere of any restaurant in this area (a few places (i.e., the patio at Ashby Inn) can match the atmosphere, but it would be very difficult to surpass it). Go during an off-hour and you might have the deck to yourselves - it's quite a special place.

The downside is that it might be a little too far away. Also, pretty much *any* crab house on the water is going to have a wonderful atmosphere.

Thanks, Don.

From nine years ago, updated more recently: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/171496 Alternatively, Stoney's in Broome Island has a "floating" crab deck that is literally a barge with outdoor tables. Exemplery crab cakes, cream of crab soup and hardshells. For myself Harris is excellent but a short step below Waterman's and the original Stoney's.

"This afternoon, eighty degrees and sunny with only a few puffy clouds in the sky, both decks were mobbed with several hundred middle aged, full bellied, Rolex wristed crab eaters often accompanied with partners with big hair and a lot of gold. The six member band crooned Wilson Pickett, James Brown and a bit of Lloyd Price while mallets and pitchers were hammered and quaffed repeatedly.

Almost every brown paper topped picnic table had a plastic garbage can at the side of it. It seemed everyone was eating crabs.

In the distance was the five mile across Chesapeake Bay with the Bridge clearly outlined in the center.

This is as close to Heaven as I have ever felt in the state of Maryland."

One of these years James Beard is going to honor a Maryland crab house...

[rbh]

There's also Mike's Crab House in Riva, MD.

[jayandstacey]

"This afternoon, eighty degrees and sunny with only a few puffy clouds in the sky, both decks were mobbed with several hundred middle aged, full bellied, Rolex wristed crab eaters often accompanied with partners with big hair and a lot of gold. The six member band crooned Wilson Pickett, James Brown and a bit of Lloyd Price while mallets and pitchers were hammered and quaffed repeatedly.

Almost every brown paper topped picnic table had a plastic garbage can at the side of it. It seemed everyone was eating crabs.

In the distance was the five mile across Chesapeake Bay with the Bridge clearly outlined in the center.

This is as close to Heaven as I have ever felt in the state of Maryland."

One of these years James Beard is going to honor a Maryland crab house...

My wife and I had our rehearsal dinner out on that deck about 13 years ago. It was a bit low-brow for a rehearsal dinner and hot as bauls that night - yet I wouldn't do a thing differently. We've been back a few times since; the last trip was on an evening that was in the mid 70s and featured a fabulous sunset over the water. Very memorable and the crabs were up to the scenery.

I've been to almost all the houses mentioned in this thread and Waterman's wins for me. BUT...I haven't tried them all. Check out this list:

http://www.bluecrab.info/crabhouses.htm

It probably overlaps the "crab decks and tiki bars" info above...I just know that the people who run the bluecrab site (and presumably make the recommendations) are crabbers. I like that they give waterfront and dockage info...I wish they had links.

Happy picking.

[jayandstacey]

So following my own advice from above, I recently tried the Cheshire Crab House at the Pleasure Cove Marina in Pasadena MD. I had kind of a mixed experience.

This is a big restaurant - it could probably seat 300 or more if they added more tables. It has a large deck (3 tables deep) that hovers over a parking lot but gives a nice view of the tight cove. Lots of boats. The restaurant sits next to a hulking indoor boat storage shed. When you park out back, you park under the boats that are racked up above. That's kind of cool.

Inside is the open bar / auditorium area with a wood floor, high wood ceiling and picnic table seating. Then there's a cozier indoor area with a lower ceiling and more traditional booths. It's clear that they close the big area in the winter months and just use the smaller area.

OK, the food - my young son and I got a package deal: 6 MD crabs, 2 snow crab legs and 1 pound of steamed spiced shrimp for...I dunno, maybe $35 IIRC. This was perfect for us as my son wanted to pick a few MD crabs but isn't yet old enough to sit there for a long time. Unfortunately the crabs were VERY small. In fairness, we were told this, but at 7pm on a Sunday night with the place 3/4 empty...maybe they'd toss us a bone. These looked barely legal; the big claws weren't even worth cracking. They were cooked OK though and all 6 were heavy. The shrimp were overcooked but not horribly so.

Its hard to say what to expect from such a place. Part of me wants the crowd, the energy from a full place. Is there something wrong if on a wonderful summer Sunday evening the place isn't packed?

I'm going to chalk it up to a combination of factors: it isn't some special deal - it isn't great cooking or some special find. It also isn't on a highway or in a tourist area. It also is cavernously big - maybe too much so for a neighborhood-draw kind of place.

So I'll try it again sometime and order some Meds or Lgs. And maybe go on a Saturday. The location makes it one of my closest options.

[jayandstacey]

I've been to almost all the houses mentioned in this thread and Waterman's wins for me. BUT...I haven't tried them all. Check out this list:

http://www.bluecrab.info/crabhouses.htm

It probably overlaps the "crab decks and tiki bars" info above...I just know that the people who run the bluecrab site (and presumably make the recommendations) are crabbers. I like that they give waterfront and dockage info...I wish they had links.

Note to my own post: The link isn't kept up, so be sure to search on any choice you make and see if it still exists. For this reason alone, the Crab Decks and Tiki Bars link above is probably a better resource despite having to buy the book to get the whole picture.