Crabs In New York City?

[twing3]

I'm looking for a Baltimore-style restaurant in New York where you get a pile of crabs, a mallet, and a knife and you smash the crabs open to get at the meat. A very informal but great way to down 6-12 crabs at a sitting. Are there any such restaurants in Manhattan or the other boroughs? There used to be a great place called Sidewalkers on 72nd Street years ago, but they've been gone for a while now, but that's the type of place I'm looking for.

Thanks for any assistance.

[skeetereats]

Try this...every Tuesday until Labor Day. Good resto! http://backfortynyc.com/events/crab-b...

[porker]

Yeah, an old thread...
I had some good Old Bay blue crab at Fish on Bleeker - call ahead if they have them.
Mrs Porker just showed me this vid last night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g16X2y4roD0&feature=player_embedded
....looks amazing, from the Hammer & Claws crab festival in Chelsea
http://hammerandclaws.com/

[hyde]

the phrase "where can i get crabs in new york city?" seems to open up a world of possibilties....

[Motosport]

Funny, very funny!

[egit]

I know this is an old thread, recently resurrected. The Hideaway in Tribeca has a blue crab night once a week during crab season. Their night used to be Monday, but you should call and verify that a) it's still Monday, b) they're still doing it, and c) that we're now in crab season.

Not the cheapest deal, but fun, as there aren't many options for Baltimore Blue Crabs in NYC.

[foodwhisperer]

Are the crabs any good there? is the food any good there. The place always seemed kind of shady, so although I pass it quite often, I have never gone in to the Hideaway. The sign is out that they do have crab special

[egit]

From my perspective, the crabs there are good. But I'm not from Baltimore, and I only go there maybe once/twice a year to get crabs. So I'm no expert. I believe they're steamed, not boiled, but I'm not 100% sure how I'd know the difference. The seasoning is sort of caked all over the shells, which I believe would not be the case if they were boiled. (right?)

Otherwise the food there is pretty good. It's certainly better than standard pub fare, but it's not a destination. When the Hideaway isn't crowded, I love it there. The problem is its proximity to the Financial District, and subsequent yahoos.

I have a sentimental attachment to the Hideaway that I can't quite explain... even to myself.

[nationalbar]

Sorry. You won't find anything like Bo Brooks or Hooper's or Waterman's, or Bahama Mama's or even Mug and Mallet in O.C., in NYC. N'existe pas.
Clemente's? LOL!
There was at one time, back in the '90's, a Maryland Crab House on 3rd Ave in the 20's, it was pretty good. Long out of biz.
Think of this as incentive to start a business...

[doobieny]

Last summer, the Mermaid Inn had a bucket of blue crabs on Tuesdays. I'm hoping they do it again this year. I grew up in Baltimore and a summer is not a summer until I've had my old bay crabs!

[r32nissan]

Not Mermaid inn, but...

UPPER WEST SIDE — Marc Murphy's Ditch Plains is going to kick off its Thursday night crab boils on May 10. For $40, you can get a bucket of Atlantic blue crabs, with fixins. Call to make a reservation for one of the two seatings. (Source - Eater NY).

[Silverjay]

If they are boiled, they are not Maryland style. I think they boil in Louisiana. Maryland style are steamed.

[doobieny]

wonderful news! thanks for sharing...

[Motosport]

Huh? I've never had a bad meal or service @ City Crab. Go figure?
I like the place because they always seem to have Maryland Style crabs on the menu.
The last time we were there my lovely wife got the Dundeness Crab special and it was excellent.
We used to go to Mara's Homemade on E 6 St but they moved to Nassau County.
I love steamed crabs with O' Bay. Capt White's in DC and Ozzie's Crab Shack in FL are two of my favorites.

[foodwhisperer]

The food quality at City Crab is not the best, imho

[Motosport]

If it's the only place in Manhattan to get Maryland style then it's both the best and the worst!!! I'd love to know if there are any other places in Manhattan.
I would not say City Crab is top notch seafood. Friends have joined me. I had the crabs and they had fish. Service and food were decent and not in the Milo $$$tratosphere.

[Chubby_Seafood_Lover]

Correction, faux Maryland style.

[Motosport]

They are steamed with O' Bay. What's faux??

[foodwhisperer]

Motosport,,i like that " best and worst" youre very right. The last time i had the crabs with the hammer thing, was in Florida and they were really good

[Bkeats]

I don't think there is anything close to a real MD crab place in NY. I'm not a native of MD but my family lived there long enough in my youth that my parents learned how to make a proper boil and made it at home as we moved around the country. The closest I've ever come to having proper crabs (no jokes please) in NYC is to make it home too. Only have not made it in a while as the wife is not a fan of crabs or the mess. I would love to find a place that's closer than a 5 hour drive too.

[foodiemom10583]

As Tipsy said earlier, there is Clemente's in Sheepshead Bay:

Http://www.clementescrabhouse.com

[Motosport]

City Crab Friday night for some steamed blue claws!! Ouch, they didn't have any hard crabs. Only softies.
I opted for the crab cakes which were excellent and filling wihout lots of breading. 1/2 dozen raw oysters to start. Great meal and wonderful service. Not too pricey.
I don't know why they get a bad rap from some.

[TipsyMcStagger]

Only place in NYC I know of is in Brooklyn. Clemente's in Sheepshead Bay.

http://clementescrabhouse.com/index.html

Tipsy

[markabauman]

Might want to check out City Crab & Seafood Co. 235 Park Ave. (at 19th St.) 212-529-3800.