Alexander's Tavern is a neighborhood bar located in the historic Fells Point section of Baltimore. You may get confused by which door to go into (one goes into the restaurant, the other goes into the bar area), but that shouldn't stop you from coming in. You may not know by looking at the place, but they've won numerous awards, from a "Best of" from FourSquare in the Food category, to 3rd Best Pub by Baltimore Magazine Readers in 2012. If the happy hour specials won't pull you in, then the astounding selection of tots will. But knowing us, we're all about the crab cakes with a side of tots. So we checked out Alexander's one day to check out how they were. Read along to see how our visit went!

"It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me."
-- Edgar Allan Poe, excerpt from Annabel Lee 


In a town famous for the life and death of Edgar Allan Poe, it is here in Baltimore where he got married, lived out the rest of his days and was laid to rest.  It is only fitting that in this town you would also find a restaurant dedicated to the celebration of Poe, Baltimore and Maryland, named after his last complete poem, Annabel Lee.  But is their crab cake enough to make you fall in love, just as Poe did many years ago (although hopefully not as tragically)?  Read on to find out!

Last week, we reviewed Annapolis Seafood Markets' Backfin crab cakes.  Based on a tip from friend of the CCR Kerry G, we set forth to see just how good this place was.  And when we got there, we discovered that there were two different kinds of crab cakes on offer.  If you missed the review, Annapolis Seafood Markets is a chain of seafood markets with 3 locations around the Baltimore/Annapolis area.  Their stores offer a variety of fresh seafood and prepared items available for carry out.  Annapolis Seafood tends to be a local's secret, with their seafood being bought and prepared fresh daily.  Seeing as how the backfin cakes were really good, we just HAD to try the jumbo lump cakes.  Do they meet or exceed the standards set forth by the backfin cakes?  Read along and find out!

Port Deposit is a quaint little town along the banks of the Susquehanna River, sitting in-between the Conowingo Dam and I-95. Since 2004, Backfin Blues has been providing an upscale dining experience in a causal setting. From Sunday brunch, to the main dinner menu, to a special wine and dinner event on a weekday night, Backfin Blues is sure to have something to amaze you with. Chef Bob Steele is always cooking something up, so don't think that the food for offer stops at the menu! Typically open just for dinner service, we managed to sneak a seat at their Sunday brunch, hoping that their namesake would be on the menu. Lucky for us (and you!) it was. Read along to see how everything turned out!

Summertime in Maryland means one thing to many -- road trip downy ocean, 'hon! And a trip to Ocean City might involve crabs. If you're not standing in line to sit at a paper-lined table to crack crabs amongst pitchers of Natty Boh and friends, then you're going to get your crab fix another way. Maybe, perhaps, a crab cake? That's where the Bad Monkey Bar & Grill comes in. Located midtown on 58th St, the Bad Monkey is conveniently located to just about anywhere on the island and ready to fulfill whatever your need -- carry out or eat in; breakfast, lunch, or dinner; free water or choosing from a wide selection of beers. Whatever it is, they've got you covered. And they certainly had us covered for crab cakes. Read on to see how they were!