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I was in Baltimore for a business trip and was hunting for the best crab cakes in town. Little did I know that I would end up eating crab cakes for four meals in a row! The good thing is that I got to try different crab cakes from a number of restaurants and now I know which one is my favorite.
The first place I tried was McCormick & Schmick's - it wasn't my choice because I preferred to try non-chain, local restaurants, but I was meeting up with a friend and this was his pick. It turned out to be pretty decent. The restaurant is located conveniently in Inner Harbor with a view of the water (depending on where you sit). I started with the Maryland crab chowder that came out with plenty of crab piled on top. The soup was a bit on the salty side but was flavorful. I got the crab cakes for entree and the portion was pretty generous. The crab cakes were good-sized with plenty of crab chunks and not too much filler. The sauce was okay - I wasn't really a big fan though.
Conclusion: crab cakes were good but not mind-blowing. My search for the best crab cake in Baltimore continues...
I went to Obrycki's based on the Yelp reviews. A friend had told me that the restaurant was located in a really bad part of town so I was a bit worried. Yes, I drove through some sketchy parts but I didn't think it was that bad (i.e. I wasn't afraid for my life or anything).
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Even though I came for their signature crabs, I couldn't resist getting crab cakes as well. I decided to get it fried this time and it came out golden-brown. Obrycki's crab cakes were a lot smaller than McCormick & Schmick's, but what I liked about it was the fact that it came with a cocktail sauce whereas the others came with a tartar sauce. The cocktail sauce had horseradish and a good kick to it, and it complemented the crab cake well.
Next came the crabs - I've been dreaming about this for a while... The first time I visited Maryland was more than 10 years ago and my friends had taken me to a crab place where they just tossed dozens of crabs on butcher paper-lined tables and we just cracked them with a wooden mallet. This was the same experience. It's a lot of work for very little meat (I love crabs but it is soooo much work to eat them) but the little meat that I was able to get out was sweet and juicy. I probably could have eaten a lot more crabs, but soon I got tired of cracking. I knew I would be hungry in less than an hour. Nonetheless, I left satisfied and would definitely come back the next time I'm in Baltimore.
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As for my search for best crab cake in Baltimore... well, while Obrycki's crab cake was good, but I expected more from Baltimore. Stay tuned to see where I found to have the best crab cakes in Baltimore...