So you are staying in Annapolis, perhaps for a meeting or a conference.  There are lots of places to stay in this area.  But you, lucky traveler, got to stay in the Doubletree Annapolis.  Ah, yes.  Comfy bedding.  Attentive service.  Everything that you've come to expect from the Doubletree.  So, now, your thoughts turn to dinner.  Maybe you have a rental car, maybe you took a cab.  Annapolis Town Center is right across the street.  Maybe you could walk.  Or, maybe, just maybe, you could hit up the hotel restaurant.  Maybe, perhaps, Ports of Call.  But every other time you have patronized the hotel restaurant, you always wondered "Why?" afterwards.

Well, let me tell you about Ports of Call. The chefs there are well versed in local cuisine.  Unbeknownst to you, the Executive Chef has won many honorable achievements, such as 1st place for his Vegetable Crab Soup at the MD Seafood Festival 3 times.  Or that he has taken 1st place for his Cream of Crab soup in the very same festival 4 different times.  And his Executive Sous Chef?  A food champion himself with the American Culinary Federation.  So they have the staff all set to prepare you a gourmet meal without leaving the premise.  With this culinary dynamic duo at the helm, one would think crab cakes should be a slam dunk.  'Nuff said (as they say in the old Adam West 'Batman' series).  So did they?  Read on and find out!

Pratt Street Ale House is home to Oliver Breweries, Baltimore's longest-running brew pub. The original building was built back in 1888, having housed the Pratt Furniture Company until 1980, when a bar by the name of P.J. Circketts was established. In 1992, P.J.'s turned into the Wharf Rat. A year later, the brewery was created, and life has been good ever since! While their beers may be delicious, we really wanted to see if their food was equally as tasty. Read on to see how this story ferments!

The Rams Head Tavern in downtown Annapolis has a long history dating back to the early 1700's. You can feel that history as you make your way through the downstairs Tavern, past the Tea Room and out to the patio. And as you walk through the downstairs, check out the plaques bearing the names of the many members of the World Beer Club (of which, yours truly is a member). While known for their immense selection of beers, as well as being home of the Fordham Brewing Company (where they brewed the beer until the moved to a larger facility in 2003), you may not know that they also have some pretty decent food. Crab cakes are on the menu, so we're out to see if they pair well with the beer. Did they? Read on!

The Red Brick Station is a restaurant and brewpub located in The Avenue at White Marsh. Independently owned and operated, they strive to provide their guests with creative, English style dishes and English style beers. While the inside is large and accommodating, the outside covered deck is where you want to be in the warmer months. But we're not here just for the beer. We're also looking to see how an English style pub fares with their crab cakes! Read on to see how they did!

Every once in a while, you come across a place that you underestimate.  I really didn't know what to expect when I decided upon Regi's American Bistro for this week's review.  I had heard that they had really delicious food, and that stuck in my mind every time I've passed Regi's.  And now that I've been there, I have to hit myself for not going there sooner.  Regi's has been around since 1978 serving up fresh food with the 'farm to fork' philosophy, using only fresh ingredients and making everything from scratch.  So how did their crab cakes compare to the rest of the cakes we've reviewed?  Read on!