Casa Mia's is a local chain of pizza shops which advertise they are the "home of the best crab cake in the world." While there seem to be a few Casa Mia's in the area, this particular chain has locations in Forest Hill/Bel Air and Nottingham/White Marsh. Claims such as the one they make always intrigue us, so we set out to the Forest Hill location to see if it is true. Read on to see what our experience was like!

For over 60 years, there has been a restaurant on Route 40 that has been a local favorite. That establishment would be The Bayou. The current owners purchased the restaurant back in 1982, and ever since, the Wards have strived to provide top quality local cuisine in a place that emanates local ambience. Their three dining rooms are decorated with decoys (as Havre de Grace is known as The Decoy Capital of the World), local scenes depicted in paintings and photographs, and historical newspaper accounts. Of course, it was the crab cakes that attracted us. Read on to see how they were!

We've written about food trucks before. Frankly, we love them. There's nothing like getting out of the office for lunch and going to an outdoor food court that is different each day. Yet, food trucks are like the epic white whale - there one day, gone the next. Sure, you could use the various online methods of stalking your favorite truck. But with the sheer volume of food trucks on the streets these days, it is hard to keep up with them all, let alone know who is still in business and who is new to the scene. The DC Crab Cake & Co. truck is one of them. They've been around since late 2013, and already had food the first time we saw them. So we recently came across them and had to try them out. Was it worth the wait? Let's find out!

I don't think Red Lobster needs any introduction. The thought of going there for crab cakes has always been a joke around the office. With all of these excellent crab cakes in the area, why would anyone go to Red Lobster for them? We were surprised that they serve live lobsters and fresh fish. But crab cakes are a bit dubious. Were they good enough to make us "seafood differently"? Let's find out!

The Riverside Pub & Grille is an upscale sports bar nestled away in a corner off of I-95 at Exit 80 next to the Springhill Suites. It's a small establishment with a few tv's, 3 beers on draft, and a decent selection of wines. Sports memorabilia line the walls of this quaint restaurant. From what we can tell, they've been around for a few years, yet the place looks fairly new. We only happened upon it thanks to an internet search looking for crab cakes in the area. Were they worth the trip? Let's find out!

The Crab Cake Review was recently approached by Pyramid Productions to participate in the Baltimore filming of Best in Chow, a show where host Cris Nannarone pits three local restaurants against each other to see who has the best local food. Being shot in Baltimore, the show was naturally about crab cakes. Given that crab cakes are kind of our deal, we were more than happy to take part. Read on to hear more about our experience!

The Charred Rib at The Barn (otherwise known as The Barn), has been many things over the years. A rest stop for farmers heading to Broadway Market, a grocery store, a dance hall and saloon, and nowadays, a tap house, rib shack, and crab house. Recently remodeled in 2013, this location has been known as The Barn since 1980. Having a crab house on site would make us think that the crab cakes are as good as the crabs themselves smell. Read on to find out if they were!

So where do you go when you want to pre-game for a show, but want a wide selection of beers to choose from? That's right, you go to Alewife! Located in the Theatre District, Alewife is a gastropub that focuses on highlighting Maryland cuisine. And getting to choose from 40 draft and 100 bottled beers isn't such a bad thing, either. You can't get much more Maryland than a crab cake (or the Blackened Snakehead, AKA "the Frankenfish"), so we decided to stop in and give them a try. Read on to find out how they were!

Basta Pasta is an Italian and seafood restaurant that started in 2004, and has grown to two locations (Fallston and Timonium). Their goal is simple - become the ultimate expression of what an Italian casual dining experience should be. They also strive to serve fresh and flavorful food using the finest available ingredients in the area. Did they meet those claims with their crab cakes? Let's find out!

When you walk into Mamie's Cafe, you are instantly transported from the strip mall that it's located in to Grandma's kitchen and living room. Gone is the overshadowing glances of the Home Depot, the line of cars at Wendy's, or the throngs of cars flying by on Route 22. Originally located in Hampden, Mamie's Cafe is now located just off of 95 in Aberdeen.  The Cafe is an homage to old fashioned home-cooked meals, and friendly service with a smile, where every meal ends in with a complementary dessert (offered for here or to go). The sign out front adds "with love" to the name. Do the crab cakes get the same love that the customers do? Let's find out!