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 (and we also reviewed their Chesapeake Chachos back in October 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. But where there is beer and fish, there are crab cakes. And Lures provides. How were they? Let's find out!

McCormick and Schmick's runs a variety of seafood restaurants across the United States under differing names.  The M&S Grill is their take on providing fresh seafood and aged steaks in a more relaxed setting.  Located in the Inner Harbor next to the Harborplace amphitheater, you can enjoy views of the USS Constellation, National Aquarium, and watch the hustle and bustle around Harborplace.  With the main McCormick and Schmick's around the corner, the CCR decided to sit outside on a nice day, enjoy the sun and a cold beverage, and see how the crab cake at the more causal location fares.  Continue on to see how it all went down.

You may already be familiar with MaGerks from their Federal Hill location. Back in 2000, a couple of brothers from Philadelphia decided to open their second location down in Baltimore to serve displaced Eagles fans, and quickly grew to encompass 3 bar areas and an outdoor patio. In addition, they brought you real Philly-style cheesesteaks, authentic down to the Amoroso roll. They did so well that they decided to open another location up in Bel Air. And while the Federal Hill location may have expanded their menu to include sushi, the Bel Air location's menu expanded to include crab cakes! So how did a couple of cheesesteakheads do with their version of the Maryland classic? Read on and see for yourself!

Bel Air's most recent restaurant, the Main Street Oyster House, has a good bit of history to it, as well as boasting Harford County's longest oyster bar. Yes, this very location dates back to the post civil war area, and has been home to John's Barbershop, a watch repair store, the original headquarters of the Aegis newspaper, and most recently, the Dark Horse Saloon. But a new era has come into this very location, and bills itself as an upscale seafood venue. If you've been here during the Dark Horse days, things seem very familiar, yet slightly different. But with new management and identity in place, were the crab cakes on par with what an upscale seafood restaurant should be? Read on and find out!

Part of the original 42 lots of Bel Air, the Main Street Tower's location has been many things over the past two centuries. A hotel, another restaurant, a barber shop, a stationary store, and a pool hall, amongst other things. But since 2002, it has been Main Street's family-oriented Italian restaurant and lounge owned and operated by the Buontempo family (who also own a pizzeria on the same block). Despite being mainly Italian, they do offer one of the region's favorited delicacies -- crab cakes! Read on to see how they were!