Lures is a local watering hole that prides itself on its extensive craft beer selection and regional cuisine, and has been around since 2008.  They were even voted Best Hidden Gem by the Annapolis What's Up? Mag in 2011.  Just glance around the place, and you'll wonder what they love more -- beer or fishing.  The two naturally go hand-in-hand, so for now we'll call it even.

Switching over to the menu, there are a lot of Maryland classics on there, as well as Lures' own unique twist on those classics.  For example, you can go the classic route and order the Cream of Crab soup.  Or you can get fancy and try their Jalapeño Corn Crab Chowder.  Their take on nachos also follows this pattern, which is the focus of our review.  How was it?  Read on and find out!

Inspired by Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, the CCR was recently presented with multiple brands of crab cakes on a recent grocery run.  Not knowing which to choose from, it was decided to pit them up against each other to see whose crab cakes reign supreme.  So the cart was loaded, and we happily returned back to our own version of Kitchen Stadium to let the cakes do battle.

First, lets introduce the contenders:

Trader Joe's Maryland Style Crab Cakes:  Known for their high quality and low prices, Trader Joe's serves up their interpretation of a Maryland style crab cake.

Chesapeake Bay Brand Crab Cakes:  The same company that sells millions of crab cakes on QVC, has appeared on Oprah's "O" List, and was voted the best mail-order crab cake by the Baltimore Sun in 1993, now brings that Maryland culinary classic  to your frozen food aisle.

Phillips Maryland Style Crab Cakes:  Synonymous with Baltimore and Maryland seafood, Phillips retail products can be found far and wide for that Maryland taste that visitors can experience in their own neck of the woods.

The challenge is simple:  Cook each crab cake according to the manufacturer's preferred method, and judge them by crab content, flavor, quality and overall impression.  All three are considered Maryland style, which is typically heavier with the breading, although only one uses lump crab meat.

You can read the individual reviews if you want more detail (click on the brand name), as for now we shall summarize:

Trader Joe's:  Really hard to get out of the packaging when defrosted - recommend to take out before defrosting.  Cake falls apart very easily, even when cooked.  No real structure to it, as it resembles pâté.  Crab cake itself is mostly breading with some dry, stringy crab meat pieces inside.  Only real flavor you notice is the green onion, which is too overpowering.

Chesapeake Bay Brand:  Despite this being a lower end retail offering, these cakes had potential given this is the same company that sells crab cakes on QVC.  Fishy smell to the cakes that was offputting.  Crab cake was mostly breading with a few strands of dry, stringy crab.  Spicing was more in line with a crab cake flavor, but ended up being too salty.

Phillips:  Famous seafood brand name that originated in Maryland and is popular with tourists.   Phillips has a basic recipe that they stick to in both their restaurant and retail locations.  Crab cake is bready, but still retains some saucy moisture. You can at least tell there is crab in there.  The spicing is very nice, without being too over the top or salty.  Some of the crab lumps were dried out, but that can be expected in frozen foods.  Probably as good, if not better, than what we've had in their restaurant.
 

And the winner is......Phillips!  Congrats guys, you rule the frozen crab cake offerings -- for now.  Look for more frozen crab cake reviews in the future to see if anyone can do better than 3.5 crabs.  You never know when there may be another Throwdown!

Grocery shopping can sometimes be an adventure, especially when you go to a store that you are unfamiliar with.  What new treats await you in the next aisle?  Are they worth the cost?  Can I find these in other stores, or even the same store in a different location?  

Imagine how elated the CCR was when stopping by a random grocery store and seeing a brand of frozen crab cakes that haven't been encountered yet.  And they came in two different varieties -- normal crab cakes (being reviewed) and jumbo lump crab cakes (future review).  They also sat alongside Phillips frozen crab cakes, so which to choose?

You may not know this at the store, but do some internet researching, and you will find out that Chesapeake Bay Brands is the same company that sells gourmet crab cakes on QVC, appeared on Oprah's "O" List, and were even voted by the Baltimore Sun as the best mail-order crab cake (although this was back in 1993).  So there may be some high hopes for the quality of these crab cakes.  Follow along and find how if their reputation precedes them!

What more can you say about Trader Joe's that hasn't already been said?  They're a private label upscale grocery store that puts as much emphasis into the quality of their products as they do keeping their prices extraordinarily low.  And if you happen to live in a state that allows them to sell beer and wine, they have an exceptional selection of private label and name brand wines for dirt cheap (even though the Two Buck Chuck no longer costs $2, it's still pretty damn cheap).

With all of these culinary treats available at affordable prices, it almost becomes a challenge to see if you can make it out of there with just two grocery bags and to keep costs under $40.  Although it doesn't help when they have sample stations set up so you can try products you were recently introduced, or ones that you might easily pass over.  But, then again, this is America, where we like to keep ourselves fat and happy.

Speaking of which, on a recent Trader Joe's run, there was a specific item that happened to jump into the shopping cart while walking down the frozen fish aisle.  It was as if it was meant to be.  That's right -- Maryland Style Crab Cakes.  And for only $3.29!  At that price, you figure, "How bad can it be?"  Well, dear readers, this is what we are here to find out.  So continue reading and see how it all worked out!

Earlier this summer, the CCR stopped by Phillips Harborplace in Baltimore to review their famous crab cakes.  Needless to say, we weren't that impressed.  But while grocery shopping one day, it occurred to us that because Phillips is such a large franchise in the area, that maybe, just maybe, overall consistency between retail and restauraunt products is what they're after.  

Phillips has a few retail offerings relating to crab cakes:  the Maryland Style Crab Cakes (being reviewed), the Maryland Style Crab Cake Minis, and the Coastal Crab Cake.  The picture on the box looks fairly similar to the crab cakes at their restaurants.  So how do they compare?  Read on to find out!

What can you say about the all-Amercian hot dog?  Well, they do come in all sorts of varieties and flavors, that is for sure.  But the new trend is for the gourmet hot dog stand.  Gourmet dogs are quick, easy, and the topping combinations are plentiful.

Located in Fells Point, Stuggy's has brought a much needed diversion for the late night bar crowd from your usual pizza joint and diner.  With a focus on using the freshest ingredients without fillers or preservatives, they have some of the best dogs in town.  Stuggy's was a regular haunt of mine when I lived in Fells Point, so while at the Fells Point Fun Festival this past weekend, I had to stop in for one of their delicious treats.  With crab on my mind, they did not fail to deliver.  Read on to find out about this unique hot dog!

This past weekend was the Fell's Point Fun Festival in Baltimore, an annual event for the Fells Point Preservation Society in its 45th year.  Originally created to raise awareness of the historic neighborhood's slated destruction to make way for a highway, the festival has grown larger and larger over the years showcasing what this 18th century neighborhood has to offer.

One big draw of a street festival, aside from the free entertainment and the lure of the beer garden (especially the one serving Heavy Seas!) are the variety of food stands offering a wide variety of food.  Baltimore isn't just known for its crabs, but also for serving up some mean pit beef, Polish sausages and, if you're lucky, lake trout.  But food options aside, one food stand that had to make an appearance is Sherri's.  

Sherri's Crab Cakes can be found at various festivals and shows up and down the East Coast.  They even go so far as to claim that they are the best concession crab cake sandwich.  Given that they started their business based on the fact that the festival crab cake offerings weren't very good, coupled with the fact that they had multiple stands at the festival, as well as a mail order business, they must be doing something right.  So how were these magical concession crab cakes?  Follow along and find out!

The Blue Dolphin is a large, expansive operation consisting of multiple dining areas, a bar, and an event hall.  Serving modern American cuisine in an ornately decorated restaurant.  Definitely the place in the Crofton/Gambrills area to bring a large group as the seating is plentiful and the menu is expansive.  Although a bit on the pricey side, this is certainly where you spend your big night out if you're in the 'burbs.

So while gazing over the menu selections, you will take note of the "famous" crab cakes.  While your eye may start to wander and drool over the steaks and other seafood offerings, if you are anything like the CCR, you can't help but wonder just how good are the crab cakes?  Friend of the CCR, Cheryl, even wrote in saying how much she liked their crab cakes and recommended them to us.  (Of course, this was a day or two after I had already been there, but it's the thought that counts!)  How did they rate in the world of crab cakes?  Read along and find out!

Ah....the beach.  Or as we call it around these parts "downy ocean, hon".  While most beaches can provide fun, sun, sand and seafood, Ocean City is one of the few places on the Eastern Seaboard where you can get a true Maryland crab cake.  And taking a drive up and down Coastal Highway (otherwise known as Hormone Highway if it's Junebug season), you notice the plethora of crab houses offering up Maryland's finest.  It can be a nerve-racking decision as to which location you will patronize, especially if you are just there for a day.

If you are anything like the CCR, then you'll be thinking of enjoying a seriously good crab cake after spending some time on the boards (be that surf, boogie or the boardwalk).  And while any crab house can serve up a crab cake, it takes a place like the Crabcake Factory USA to let you know what their specialty is.  Despite having a not so stellar experience at another "factory", I decided to throw caution to the wind and see what it was they had to offer.

The Crabcake Factory USA has been around since 1986, making crab cakes fresh in Ocean City and shipping them all around the world.  There is even a sign outside of their restaurant on 120th St boasting the over one million crab cakes being sold/shipped.  But do the crab cakes live up to the hype?  Let's find out!

At the base of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge lies Kent Island, known for its abundance of marinas, seafood restaurants, and outlet stores.  Heading "downy ocean, hon" from B'more, DC and Annapolis, you can't miss it.  And for over 50 years, Harris has been delivering fresh seafood straight from the watermen to your plate, offering expansive water views, all you can eat crab specials year round, and plenty of docking should you arrive by boat.

So it comes as no surprise that the CCR would find itself here.  Of course, it wouldn't be our first, either!  Harris is that place you visit when you want seafood but don't want to deal with all of the Baltimore or Annapolis tourists.  And being on the other side of the bridge, it is far enough away that it is an enjoyable drive, without hearing cries of "are we there yet?"  So is their crab cake worthy of going that little extra distance, and paying the bridge toll as well?  Read along and find out!