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Crabcake Factory USA
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!
Crab cakes are 5oz of jumbo lump crab. There are way too many varieties to list here, both with the myriad of crab cake pairings, as well as other crab-inspired dishes. Best to check their menu to see for yourself. It's like Forrest Gump got sick of shrimp and decided he really liked crab. The dinner entree comes with a choice of two sides, tartar sauce, and a lemon wedge.
The crab cake ended up being a mixture of jumbo and colossal crab. The jumbo lumps had a good crab flavor to them, the colossal (blue swimmer?) did not, which ended up being flavorless and a bit dried out. Crab differences aside, restaurants do mix the two together in order to lower costs, and if mixed right, can still be quite enjoyable.
These crab cakes are a good example of this mixture done right, having a good flavor overall, with barely any filler and a good amount of moisture. The dryness of the colossal was a bit noticeable, but other than that, you certainly won't be disappointed.
As a personal note: the menu uses the terms "lump" and "jumbo lump" interchangeably, with other menu items also containing colossal crab. There are different grades of crab meat, and if you are familiar with them, the wording might be a bit confusing. As you can see from the picture, these cakes defiantly have jumbo lump in them, although saying they are simply "lump" would imply a lesser grade of crab being used, hence the confusion. If you are unsure, ask your server.
Additional Info
- Restaurant Name: Crabcake Factory USA
- Address: 12000 Coastal Highway Ocean City, MD 21842
- Neighborhood: Ocean City
- Restaurant Type: Local
- Website: http://crabcakefactoryusa.com/
- Review Date: 09/25/2011 6:40pm
- Atmosphere: Moderate
- Item(s) Ordered: Single Crab Cake Dinner
- Cooking Style: Broiled
- Other Styles Available: Yes
- Available by mail order?: Yes
- Price: 16.95
- Order Type: Single Platter
- Crab Content: Jumbo Lump
- Filler: Minimal
- Spice: Minimal
- Overall Impression: Very Good
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Rating (out of 5 crabs):
