The Baltimore Marriott Waterfront has to be one of the most convenient locations for a hotel around the Inner Harbor.  Located in Harbor East, it is centrally located for guests to walk as far as Canton or Federal Hill in either direction without the need to use public transportation (although if it's a hot day, you may want to take the Circulator, especially if you're looking to go up around Mount Vernon/Charles Village).  With all that there is to see and do in the area, one might scoff at eating in the hotel.  And in our opinion, we'd recommend venturing out and experiencing the true B'more crab establishments.  But if the weather isn't cooperating, or you've already been out and about (that walk from Federal Hill to Canton can be brutal to the uninitiated!), then you might want to consider staying in.  There are other seafood options in Harbor East, so is it worth hanging out at the Marriott, or should you go elsewhere?  Follow along and find out!

What's better than hiking around Gunpowder Falls and enjoying the beauty of nature that Baltimore has to offer us, than to end that afternoon with some good food and cold beverages at a local nearby establishment? Nothing! Run by the same folks that bring us Freddie's, the Gunpowder Lodge (or GPL, as it is known locally) is a restaurant with an outdoorsy theme. They pride themselves on serving fresh food and providing a specials menu that changes weekly. With all of the good looking food coming out of the kitchen, we had to see if their crab cakes were on par with the rest of the menu. How were they? Let's find out!

The best thing about food trucks is that, besides the potential for inventive, high quality food, but the fact that they come to you! Well, maybe not to your front door, but at least close enough that you could more than likely walk to them. Enter the Gypsy Queen Cafe, voted Baltimore's best food truck for the past 6 years. While the name implies they are a brick and mortar restaurant, they are, in fact, a food truck. There used to be a restaurant, actually, if you remember Helen's Garden. But that was then and this is now. And when funky street food involves crab cakes, you know we're there! Read on to see what we thought!

Half Pints was started by an Englishman who moved to the States over 20 years ago, who earned the nickname due to his stature. It is considered a sports pub as opposed to a sports bar, most likely because there are way more TVs than your typical English pub, and the carpet doesn't look like something the Queen herself picked out. If the Ravens or Orioles games didn't lure you in, then it was most likely the smell of smoked meats coming from the smoker around the corner. Once you step inside, you are embraced with the wafting aromas of fried. Yes, pub grub is served, but so are homemade crab cakes. Read on to see how the English fare with our beloved Maryland crab cakes!

Back in January, the CCR encountered Handy Crab Cakes, hoping that stumbling across a brand they've never seen before might actually be a frozen crab cake that is a worthy substitute for when you can't get a freshly made one.  As it turns out -- not so much.  Alongside those regular crab cakes were the Crab & Shrimp Cakes.  Call us a glutton for punishment, or maybe just consider us adventurous.  But we went ahead and bought a package.  For science!  They are, according to their website,  America's oldest seafood processor, who still maintains a plant in Crisfield, MD.  In this day and age of rampant patriotism, we say let's support the local Maryland economy and give them another shot.  Were these any better?  Let's find out!