For over 20 years, The Olive Tree has been serving fresh, local, authentic Italian cuisine in the Aberdeen area. What started out as 10 bar stools and 8 booths has quickly grown to two newly renovated locations with a loyal (and growing!) customer base. In July 2013, friend of the CCR and one of the owners, Mindy H., invited us to come sample their local seafood offerings, particularly the crab cakes, which have been one of their top sellers since they opened. Look online at any of the reviews for The Olive Tree, and they will all mention crab cakes. So we recently stopped by to pay them a visit, and check out one of our favorite treats. Read on to see if the crab cakes are as good as the pasta looks!

The Peppermill Restaurant, located right off the beltway on York Rd. in Lutherville-Timonium, has been a local institution since they opened back in 1982. While The Peppermill has been on tour radar for a while now, it took the suggestion of Friend of the CCR, Mike A., to convince us to go. He, along with most other online reviews, warned that the clientele is made up of a mostly older crowd, but the younger generation are starting to discover what they have to offer. Will their crab cakes wow and amaze diners of all ages? Let's find out!

The Point in Fells is where you might remember Miss Irene's being located. What used to be a dive bar has since transformed into a large, two-level casual (but upscale) restaurant and bar. Family owned and operated, The Point offers white tablecloths upstairs, and regular bar and casual seating downstairs. Catch them on the right night, and there will be live music in the bar area as well. Their location on the corner of Thames and Ann St provides plenty of outdoor seating during the warmer months, where you can enjoy a beverage and watch the world go by. Just be sure not to drool at the delicious plates going by, most notably the crab cake. Should you make a point to stop by The Point? Read on and see for yourself!

Every now and again, the CCR gets to travel to places outside of the MD/DC area. Sometimes its for vacation, other times its for a work-sponsored vacati....er.....conference. So we had the chance to travel to Amelia Island, FL, just outside of Jacksonville along the Florida/Georgia border. One night of the conference included an excursion to Fernandia Beach, which is home to the Salty Pelican. The Salty Pelican only opened up in 2012, and was awarded Best Restaurant/Neighborhood Bar on Amelia Island by Folio Weekly's Best of Jax in 2014.  Coastal Florida is known for seafood, so we couldn't resist trying some crab cakes. Were they worth the trip? Read on and find out!

Food trucks can be a wonderful thing. We like to think of them as a roving food court that typically changes assemblages daily. One one such stroll down the food trucks at Franklin Square, we noticed The Seafood Boss. "Home of the All Lump Crab Cakes" that are also world-famous and award-winning. With claims like that, you know that the CCR had to check them out in our quest to find decent crab cakes in DC. Follow along as we sample their crab cakes and see what the hubbub is all about!