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Oriole Park at Camden Yards
One of the great summertime pastimes is going to a baseball game. Traditionally, stadium fare consists of peanuts, hot dogs and Cracker Jack. Those times are in the past, and stadiums are providing more gourmet options. So it should be no surprise that Oriole Park at Camden Yards would offer Baltimore's most famous treat: crab cakes. New for the 2011 season, the Orioles teamed up with a new food, beverage and retail partner to deliver locally-inspired cuisine. The crab cakes were inspired by sampling more than 50 restaurants in the region. How did they turn out? Read on to find out!
Note: There are two locations at Oriole Park that you can obtain crab cakes - the Old Bay Seafood stand at Gate E Lower Deck (behind home plate around Section 43) as well as the Club Level. This review is for the crab cakes at the Lower Deck location.
The Camden Yards Crab Cake is made with all-jumbo lump crabmeat and served with cocktail and tartar sauces, lemon wedge, Tabasco sauce and crackers. Old Bay is also available at the stand if you care for some extra flavor. Pictures floating around the internet show the crab cake also being available as a sandwich, which I assume are from the Club Level.
The crab content was a bit of a surprise for a ballpark crab cake, given that there are no claims posted about the use of jumbo lump crab meat except on PR releases (menu just says "Camden Yards Crab Cake"). Just enough filler to notice, but not so much that it overtakes the taste of the crab. Crab meat could taste a bit sweeter, given that it didn't have all that much flavor. While I am sure there is some spicing in the crab cake mixture, it isn't noticeable at all, to the point that I am labeling it 'None'.
I am all for a crab cake that tones down the spice/filler to let the taste of the crab shine through. However, there should still be some flavor to make it memorable. When the crab meat isn't as sweet or flavorful as it should be, then it can't really justify the cost, at a stadium or not. This one just happens to be bland. While still an enjoyable crab cake compared to other options, you are better off saving your money at the stadium for beer or those Boh-flavored brats and waiting until after the game to go find some crab cakes.
For the price you pay, all you get is a crab cake. Nothing else. While a crab cake sandwich is better suited for special classified crab meat, for $15, I would have hoped to have been given a little more. What would a slice of tomato, a leaf of lettuce and a bun have cost? Would rather have that than the side of Tabasco. While I do love me some hot sauce, I'm not a fan of it on my crab cake. While it is nice that it is even offered, make it by request and concentrate on providing a little more for the money.
Additional Info
- Restaurant Name: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
- Address: 333 W Camden St Baltimore, MD 21201
- Neighborhood: Camden Yards
- Restaurant Type: Local
- Website: http://mlb.mlb.com/bal/ballpark/
- Review Date: 04/23/2011 8:01pm
- Atmosphere: Moderate to Busy
- Item(s) Ordered: Camden Yards Crab Cake
- Cooking Style: Fried
- Other Styles Available: No
- Available by mail order?: No
- Price: 14.99
- Order Type: Other
- Crab Content: Jumbo Lump
- Filler: Minimal
- Spice: None
- Overall Impression: Average
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Rating (out of 5 crabs):
