Olde Crisfield Crab and Steakhouse - New in Olde Crisfield

Perhaps already known as "the yellow place," a new crab and steakhouse carves out a niche in the old crab capital. by T.F. Sayles It's right there near the foot of Main Street in Crisfield, Md., just across the street and a couple of short blocks up from the old J.P. Tawes store. You can't miss it. No, really, you can't miss the Olde Crisfield Crab and Steakhouse, because it's painted what might be the brightest, brashest shade of yellow-orange known to man. But if aggressive colors make you uncomfortable, fret not, because once you get upstairs and inside (downstairs is a general store and a sprawling tiki bar, another thing you can't miss on a summer Friday or Saturday night), OCC&S is all about comfort. Comfort food, that is. Think crabhouse meets steakhouse meets your favorite neighborhood diner. And maybe, as my daughters Joy and Ethel agreed, a dash of soul-food mojo thrown in for good measure. My girls and I chose a comparatively quiet mid-week evening for our visit, and we had the place more or less to ourselves--just us, two other dinner parties and an enormously gregarious waitress named April. It would have been an utterly different scene, April told us, had we come on a weather-friendly Friday or Saturday night, when the tiki bar is in full swing (offering not only drinks and a live band, but also a full menu) or when they're accommodating one of the bus-tour companies that make the high-capacity restaurant part of their Crisfield package. The latter, along with the boat club gatherings at the capacious state-owned Somers Cove Marina next door, are a big part of the business strategy, says owner Jerry Hardesty. (If the name sounds familiar, perhaps it's because Hardesty is also the longtime owner of three solid fixtures on the Annapolis dining/pub scene: Middleton Tavern, O'Brien's Oyster Bar and Restaurant, and OBf's Prime.) Our little family rendezvous, though--two lovely redheads and their proud pop--was considerably smaller and no doubt less taxing for the kitchen staff. Little wonder that our entrees arrived before we'd even finished our crab soup. Joy and Ethel got the Maryland crab; I went for the cream of crab. Both were fabulous. Joy ordered the Colossal Crabcake, and understood the Crisfield definition of "colossal" only when a softball-size mound of nicely seasoned and loosely organized lump crabmeat landed in front of her, served atop fried green tomatoes and sur-rounded by fries and generously buttered asparagus spears. The crab-cake was as tasty as it was huge, we all agreed, as was the asparagus. The fries got four thumbs up--which is saying something, because my daughters are French fry connoisseurs of the first order. Excuse me, I mean "pomme frites." Inexplicably, that was the only non-English item on the menu. April's explanation: " 'Pomme frites' is way more fun to say." Ethel ordered the Rockfish Crisfield, another good choice, served over a vinaigrette-tossed mesclun salad and topped with sautéed lump crabmeat and mushrooms. Nice. Only my entry proved disappointing, though not because there was anything wrong with it. Feeling obligated to order something with steak (it being both a crabhouse and steak-house), I ordered the Crisfield Steak N Crab. As soon as it arrived, I realized my mistake: I don't really like steak, so I really have no business sampling a sirloin on anyone's behalf, steakhouse or not. All I can and should say is that it was very large, cooked as ordered (medium) and very . . . steak-like. The beautifully seasoned crabmeat piled on top of it was to die for, as were the fried green tomatoes and mashed potatoes I'd ordered as sides. But steak? What was I thinking? If I had it to do over again, I'd have ordered the Route 413 Chicken, a broiled breast topped with shaved ham, scallions and crabmeat. Or maybe the Delmarva Chicken, all fried and naughty and served with homemade cornbread. Oh well, live and learn. It gives me a reason to go back. That and dessert, for which we failed to leave room. Note to self: Next time you go to the yellow place in Crisfield, get the naughty fried chicken and homemade Smith Island 10-layer cake. The Olde Crisfield Crab and Steakhouse is at 204 South 10th Street, just off West Main two blocks from the town pier. Open in season (Apr. - Oct.) seven days a week, dinner only Mon.- Thu., lunch and dinner Fri.-Sun. Brunch Sun. Closed Nov.-Mar. Limited docking available at Somers Cove. Entrees $12-$25. 410-968-2722; oldecrisfield.angelfire.com.

Perhaps already known as "the yellow place," a new crab and steakhouse carves out a niche in the old crab capital.

by T.F. Sayles

It's right there near the foot of Main Street in Crisfield, Md., just across the street and a couple of short blocks up from the old J.P. Tawes store. You can't miss it. No, really, you can't miss the Olde Crisfield Crab and Steakhouse, because it's painted what might be the brightest, brashest shade of yellow-orange known to man. But if aggressive colors make you uncomfortable, fret not, because once you get upstairs and inside (downstairs is a general store and a sprawling tiki bar, another thing you can't miss on a summer Friday or Saturday night), OCC&S is all about comfort. Comfort food, that is.

Think crabhouse meets steakhouse meets your favorite neighborhood diner. And maybe, as my daughters Joy and Ethel agreed, a dash of soul-food mojo thrown in for good measure. My girls and I chose a comparatively quiet mid-week evening for our visit, and we had the place more or less to ourselves--just us, two other dinner parties and an enormously gregarious waitress named April.

It would have been an utterly different scene, April told us, had we come on a weather-friendly Friday or Saturday night, when the tiki bar is in full swing (offering not only drinks and a live band, but also a full menu) or when they're accommodating one of the bus-tour companies that make the high-capacity restaurant part of their Crisfield package. The latter, along with the boat club gatherings at the capacious state-owned Somers Cove Marina next door, are a big part of the business strategy, says owner Jerry Hardesty. (If the name sounds familiar, perhaps it's because Hardesty is also the longtime owner of three solid fixtures on the Annapolis dining/pub scene: Middleton Tavern, O'Brien's Oyster Bar and Restaurant, and OBf's Prime.)

Our little family rendezvous, though--two lovely redheads and their proud pop--was considerably smaller and no doubt less taxing for the kitchen staff. Little wonder that our entrees arrived before we'd even finished our crab soup. Joy and Ethel got the Maryland crab; I went for the cream of crab. Both were fabulous. Joy ordered the Colossal Crabcake, and understood the Crisfield definition of "colossal" only when a softball-size mound of nicely seasoned and loosely organized lump crabmeat landed in front of her, served atop fried green tomatoes and sur-rounded by fries and generously buttered asparagus spears. The crab-cake was as tasty as it was huge, we all agreed, as was the asparagus. The fries got four thumbs up--which is saying something, because my daughters are French fry connoisseurs of the first order. Excuse me, I mean "pomme frites." Inexplicably, that was the only non-English item on the menu. April's explanation: " 'Pomme frites' is way more fun to say."

Ethel ordered the Rockfish Crisfield, another good choice, served over a vinaigrette-tossed mesclun salad and topped with sautéed lump crabmeat and mushrooms. Nice. Only my entry proved disappointing, though not because there was anything wrong with it. Feeling obligated to order something with steak (it being both a crabhouse and steak-house), I ordered the Crisfield Steak N Crab. As soon as it arrived, I realized my mistake: I don't really like steak, so I really have no business sampling a sirloin on anyone's behalf, steakhouse or not. All I can and should say is that it was very large, cooked as ordered (medium) and very . . . steak-like. The beautifully seasoned crabmeat piled on top of it was to die for, as were the fried green tomatoes and mashed potatoes I'd ordered as sides. But steak? What was I thinking? If I had it to do over again, I'd have ordered the Route 413 Chicken, a broiled breast topped with shaved ham, scallions and crabmeat. Or maybe the Delmarva Chicken, all fried and naughty and served with homemade cornbread.

Oh well, live and learn. It gives me a reason to go back. That and dessert, for which we failed to leave room. Note to self: Next time you go to the yellow place in Crisfield, get the naughty fried chicken and homemade Smith Island 10-layer cake.

The Olde Crisfield Crab and Steakhouse is at 204 South 10th Street, just off West Main two blocks from the town pier. Open in season (Apr. - Oct.) seven days a week, dinner only Mon.- Thu., lunch and dinner Fri.-Sun. Brunch Sun. Closed Nov.-Mar. Limited docking available at Somers Cove. Entrees $12-$25. 410-968-2722; oldecrisfield.angelfire.com.