New crab place in bluebell opening soon

[givemecarbs]

The grand opening is this thursday august 5th and it's located in Pudge's old digs I think. Their specialty is crab cakes and it's in the tiny shopping center where DeKalb Produce is. The name is Capt. Chuck's Crab Shack or something. I was pretty pumped until I saw the hours. They are only open til six on weekdays, close even earlier on saturday and on sundays they are "Gone Crabbin' With a limited menu, short hours, and a no frills locale I have high hopes that I will soon be munching on some quality crab cakes. If I can just get there in time. :)".

[Enjoy Good Food]

I just couldn't resist adding my three cents worth! Capt. Chucky's is a really wonderful experience. I've purchased so many different items there and have enjoyed every one. My strong suggestion is for newcomers to stop there, enjoy the samplings that the owners offer everyone, and buy small amounts of numerous offerings. I guarantee that you'll return for more! It's rare to find such well prepared fresh food in such a spotless establishment owned by such welcoming people. My favorites are their jumbo, very flavorful, perfectly cooked shrimp; desserts, broccoli salad and crab balls.

[PattiCakes]

Excellent advice, EGF!!

[cgarner]

That's what we did. I think they were secretly giggling at me when I basically ordered one of (nearly) everything in the case... except the "grape salad" I tried it and I liked it, but I knew it wouldn't go over big with the rest of the crew

we had fun with our Captn' Chucky's tasting menu and a bottle of wine that night... I may have to do that again soon

[PattiCakes]

I need to go back and stock up. With this crazy snow, I am kicking myself that I don't have any on hand. It's really convenient having a supple of the frozen apps in the freezer -- you can just take a selection out when the mood strikes & pop them in the toaster oven.

We liked the grape salad. At their suggestion, I served it as last-minute app, spread out on a shallow dish with toothpicks . Probably better in the summer.

[givemecarbs]

That grape salad was very refreshing last summer. I wonder if they are doing any special orders for super bowl sunday. If I go to my tourney on friday I'll see if there is a sign on the door about it. I know they did special orders for labor day and christmas eve.

[PattiCakes]

Right now, I can't even get out of my driveway.

[gaffk]

Wasn't this supposed to be a mild, snow-free winter?

[bucksguy14]

Can you spell "climate change"! I went to FL last March and the temps were more like being here. I'm heading back this year and sure hope it gets above 70 for more than a day!

[cgarner]

Since this thread was resurrected:
has anyone here tried any of their weekly specials?
This week:
Shrimp Monica

A New Orleans favorite! Our wild caught colossal shrimp sautéed in a creamy Cajun sauce served over a Fusilli pasta. Garnished with Asiaga Cheese and scallions.

$5.99 (great deal)

Also, I Kind of thought this was funny

They always put the words “wild caught” in quotes… which makes me suspicious if it really is WILD CAUGHT or is it “Wild Caught”? so I asked about why the quotes?
They sent me back a response that was a little snippy, but assured me that the shrimp truly are wild caught.
(now why are they putting “Grape salad” in quotes?)
Putting the name of a food item in quotes is creepy

If they start putting “crab cakes” in quotes, I’m boycotting them

[PattiCakes]

"wow". That's "odd".

[givemecarbs]

LOL Patti! That shrimp monica sounds yummy. It appears that I will be missing Mardi Gras in New Orleans yet again this year, but sounds like a good way to console myself.

[givemecarbs]

Looks like the initial frenzy has died down slightly. Or maybe it is the mass college student exodus. Walked past tonight at five after seven and they were quite closed. To be fair, they are only supposed to be open til six. But I did notice that they are accepting preorders for little neck clams and other goodies for labor day weekend. Don't want to quote the price here in case I misremembered it and that causes confusion.

[DaisyM]

My first time and I'll be back! The owner's couldn't have been friendlier or more helpful. The shrimp salad was excellent. I also got a variety crab cakes and a delicious lobster cake. They also have mushrroms stuffed with cheese and spinach. There were many things I want to try....the lobster tails and frozen, cleaned mussels. Someone came in for a bread bowl filled with crab and cheese dip for a party. Great idea! Last weekend I had a crabcake topped with a poach egg at Zakes. Think I'll try that at home with one of thier crabcakes. Also, they are right around the block from Home Goods.

[givemecarbs]

Those stuffed mushrooms are addicting! Could use one or three right now!

[reddogmon]

want a crab house experience with great crab cakes.. try Woody's in North East Md...look them up on line..just an hr down the road

[sokojojn]

Love Woody's!!

[Kater]

I think it's clear now that Chuck's is not a crab place, it's a crab cake place. I go to the one in Trappe fairly often but more for shrimp than crab. They make an excellent quality crab cake but they are very bland.

[Tir_na_nOg]

Run, don't walk to their Blue Bell location! These are some excellent crab cakes.

I went last weekend, and they seemed to be doing a pretty good business (despite there being no mention of their new location yet on their website). The location next to DeKalb Produce is perfect for grabbing walk-in traffic.

One of the owners (Nancy?) immediately asked if I had been there before, and upon hearing I was a newbie (and from Boston, where she used to live), gave me a detailed tour of all their offerings and liberal free samples too boot.

Ended up getting the Signature and Smith Island cakes and some of the shrimp salad. Fried the former (baking crab cakes is a truly evil practice!), but couldn't make up my mind which I liked better. I alternated between them and kept flip-flopping. Both were some of the best I've had. Did notice the Smith Islands had a much stronger crabby flavor.

The shrimp salad was equally good, with huge perfectly, cooked gulf coast shrimp in a light creamy dressing.

Also had their New England clam chowder, which if I understood Nancy correctly, they cook with the potatoes in a bag and then remove them so that you are only paying for the chowder without any potato filler (which you can add later if you want). It was also pretty good, but not up to Legals Seafood (my touchstone for NE clam chowder).

The only downside is that it isn't cheap. Pretty much everything is 5$ a pop. Although that is probably just as well given how tempting those crab cakes are.

[givemecarbs]

If only Chucky's sold ready to eat crab cake sandwiches they would get some walk in business from Alternate Universe, the gaming shop in the same little strip! I don't think their license allows it though. So tomorrow I'm taking some bread with me and buying the shrimp salad so I can have a bodacious sandwich while I game. I forgot to mention the very best part about Chucky's. No murderous dolls in sight! (sorry I could not resist).

[crazyspice]

I made it over to Chucky's today. I bought the premium crab cakes to try, as all of the others have bell peppers in them. Damn allergy! That said, I am from Maine and my husband is from Maryland and neither of us grew up eating crab, lobster or any other seafood with peppers as an ingredient.

I tried the shrimp salad and coleslaw while I was there and bought both. I came right home and heated the crab cake and DEVOURED it! A most delightful crab cake.

[givemecarbs]

Awesome crazy! On a par with Whole Paycheck or better do you think? I'm still exploring the wonderful world of crabcakes and I've tried Wegmans and the Philips crabcakes from Costco and found them both really addicting.

[Tir_na_nOg]

Have you ever had a bad crabcake?

Maybe if they put pickles in it...

[givemecarbs]

He he! True dat. But I know you love pickles! 'specially in potato salad! :)
Actually there is my friend John's mom. She tends to serve em still frozen in the middle. /shudder

[crazyspice]

The ones I buy at WP aren't coated and are fab. I pan sear them. But honestly? i am just so thrilled there are more seafood options around here! the shrimp salad from Chucky's rivals WP!!

[givemecarbs]

Agreed Crazy! Chucky's makes shopping in that little area even more appealing. Produce from DeKalb, baked goods from the Pepperidge Farm store, seafood from Chucky's and I don't get overwhelmed by a big store. Lots of hungry gamers were complaining this past friday that they couldn't get their crab on while they were playing cards. If I set up a camp stove I could make a killing.
If only the Chocolate Studio hadn't moved. Oh wait! Chucky's has desserts too! And so far they seem to be staying open until at least seven pm on fridays due to popular demand.

[crazyspice]

Speaking of chocolate, the former pastry chef from Le Bec Fin, Antoine Amrani opened a chocolate factory on Foundry Road in E. Norriton. All natural and organic. Beautiful presentation. http://www.antoineamrani.com/

[givemecarbs]

Ooo thanks for the link crazy! Yeah I knew the Chocolate Studio moved somewhere nearby. Used to love his chocolate caramel apples at Christmastime.
In the old digs, (think it is now China Star) there was a window in the back where you could watch him and his assistants working. That guy is a maniac, and I mean that as an extreme compliment. ;) His chocolate covered coffee beans helped me win more games on friday nights!

[Kater]

Chocolate Studio is in the shopping center with Shuler's Jewelers. I like quite a few things they make, particularly the rice crispy treat pops for kids and the pretty flower mints but I think Zwalens is a far better place to buy caramel apples.

[givemecarbs]

Did you ever try his though? He used to only make them during holidays and only if he could get the right size. I remember discussing with him which kind of apple I preferred. My vote was for the tangy granny smith to offset the sweetness of the dutch chocolate and light layer of caramel. Mmmmm.

[Kater]

I have and I agree that they are very good. I had asked him to do some pears but that didn't happen. I've made them at home and they are really good!

[givemecarbs]

Mmmm pears sounds wonderful. Yes the last year at his old location he didn't offer the apples because he couldn't get big enough ones. He told me it wasn't worth it to him to do smaller apples as he would lose money on the deal. Gah, writing this i can taste those apples now. The ghost of Christmas past apples noooooo!

[PattiCakes]

First, a small shout-out to jujuthomas. Talk about a small world -- she rides the train to work with my DS & is the person who told DS about Capt'n Chucky's in the first place. And then sis told me, and I KNEW I needed to get my crab on.

First, the location. If you are coming from Blue Bell on Rt. 73 (Skippack Pike), heading towards Skippack, you would turn left onto 202. You go through the annoying construction (deep breath, think happy thoughts), past Lai Lai Gardens on the left & the big Catholic church on the right. Go past the strip of stores on the left (Sleepy's, Pudge's) to the very next little shopping center on the left, where DeKalb Produce is located. Whitpain Tavern is across the street. Capt'n Chucky's is next to the produce store.

The place is very clean, and the owners absolutely lovely. There is a freezer case off to the left containing bags of their frozen apps, bags of mega frozen scallops, some pre-portioned fish, BIG soft shell crabs, Alaskan crab legs, soups and a variety of Pellman desserts. These look like restaurant quality cakes (think big carrot cake & the like) available as pre-portioned whole cakes or by the generous slice. The fresh food case at the front of the store contains all of their non-frozen products. I might have been the only person in the store who actually came in because I planned the trip – most of the others seemed to have been happily surprised to find a crab cake place next to their produce stand, or were just drawn in by the sign/balloons close to the street.

I did drop a good amount of coin because I have no self control where crabs are concerned. I bought 2 of the Signature Crab Cakes, 2 Smith Island Crab Cakes and 2 colossal breaded and crab-stuffed shrimp. Those will be dinner tonight, comparison reporting to follow on Sunday. They had a number of other non-breaded cakes, including a yummy lobster cake, as well as a number of breaded cakes. The next time I go back I will get some of the shrimp cakes that kept calling my name.

I also bought 3 bags of their frozen apps, which will be perfect as munchies or for a light supper. The apps are individually frozen, so you can take out just a few or a whole bunch. The ones I chose were the Crab Crunchers (I think they are like mini breaded crab cakes), very large Clam Balls, and equally large Crabalaya Balls – crab & Cajun sausage in a breaded ball. Had to buy a container of something called “Sabi Sauce”, a creamy pink accompaniment for the crab cakes with a bit of a kick, and a pint of the freshly made shrimp salad. After eating a sample of the shrimp salad, there was no way I could walk out of there without a pint. It was not cheap ($10.95/pint), but it contained very large whole shrimp, wonderfully (but lightly) dressed. Well worth the price. I brought it home, cut one of our big garden tomatoes into a wedge cup and put the salad inside. Holy Cow. Amazing! There were other, less exotic salads in the case – just the thing if you are putting together a last-minute dinner. Of course having that produce store right next door is very cool, not to mention convenient.

As I said, the owners are lovely, and could not do enough to make sure everyone knew what all the products were and how to cook them. They even have a fund-raising program that would be most attractive if I still had kids needing to raise money for their sports teams. Beats the heck out of all those pizza kits and stale candy.

If you do go in, let them know you are a Chow Hound. I told them about Chow.com and they were amazed that there was even a web site like that. In this economy, it’s great to see people taking a chance, wanting to make a go of it by opening a new and different food-releated enterprise. And heaven knows we Chow Hounds are always on the prowl for something new and different, even if it's some place crabby.

[cheesewit]

Good report on the offerings and layout of the store. Enjoy your bounty.

[crazyspice]

Thanks for the report Patti! Please tell me there are no bell peppers in the crab cakes.

[Displaced California Foodie]

I think they list all ingredients on the website.

[givemecarbs]

Awesome report Patti! John and I stopped there on friday a bit after seven pm and they were still open! Plenty of people were coming in and buying stuff. John was devastated that he couldn't get a crab cake sandwich to munch on while we played cards next door. The owners are really nice, I sampled the shrimp salad, grape salad and broccoli salad and bought some of all three, plus a wedge of chocolate cake. Playing in a card tourney requires stamina and I needed to keep my strength up. I just happened to have some french bread in the car so I made myself a shrimp salad sandwich. The grape salad was very refreshing on a hot summer evening, and my other friend liked the broccoli salad even more. Maybe next time I will bring a cooler with ice so that I can buy some crab cakes and keep them cold. John wants them to offer crab salad as well.

[jujuthomas]

And of course I'd read about Capt'n Chucky's right here! :)
thanks for the report Patti!

[PattiCakes]

After some serious taste testing, I have to report that the Smith Island crab cake was the clear winner. It was like eating a pile of lump crab meat -- only the tiniest bit of filler to keep the cake together. The Signature crab cake was excellent as well, but it did not have the as much of that lump crab. The stuffed shrimp was ok, but not my fave. It was very nicely breaded, with a shell that maintained it's crispness without having been fried. I'm just not a fan of a homogenized crab filling -- give me the lump every time. The Crabalya Balls were great apps, and quite large. Again, although not fried, they had a marvelously crunchy shell when baked. And their Sabi Sauce? A "must have" with the crab cakes! Sooo much better than tartar or cocktail sauce.

The other clear winner was the shrimp salad. Carbs, I'm with you -- some crusty French bread & the shrimp salad would be nirvana. That grape salad looked good. It reminded me of a dessert my dad used to make with grapes, a little sour cream and a sprinkle of brown sugar.

We'll try the Crab Crunchers and the Clam Balls later this week. I just feel sorry for all those emasculated male clams.........

[givemecarbs]

He he Patti! Alright Smith Island crab cake it is next time I go there. Not sure I can wait til friday, your report has made me impatient to get my crab on!

[givemecarbs]

The weather finally got cool enough for me to nab some crab for after tournament munching! I got some more of the shrimp salad for munching while playing cards, and a stuffed mushroom and an imperial crab cake for a lovely late night indulgence.
Everything was very good. I was grateful for the printed instructions because my brain was fried by the time I got home. I'm looking forward to trying some of the uncooked offerings next week if it is cooler. I can hear an owl hooting from my window as I type this, it won't stay warm much longer.
The owners were kind and friendly, and they have caved in to popular demand and changed their hours so they are open til seven pm on weekdays. Woot!

[psurpcv]

Thanks for the info. Do you know or does anyone else here know is there anyplace relatively near Philly where I can get Maryland Blue Crabs, either for sale or on someone's menu?

[obx_nancy]

For Maryland Crabs, I think the best place is Hadfields on the PA/DE border on Rt. 202. Take out only. If think their website has a 10% off coupon listed. I've also heard good things about Crab Crazy in Douglassville.

[becky315]

We got Jumbo Lump crabcakes from the Trappe location about a month ago, and to be honest, I think Wegman's crabcakes are better. They just seemed a bit bland to me. We also got the crab soup/bisque, which I thought was delicious! However, I will still go back to Capt Chucks to try other things and possibly order party platters as well.

[PattiCakes]

Ya know, sometimes I never know whether I should post something from the Philly burbs on the Philly board of on the PA board. I guessed wrong this time.

Here's my posting from the PA board:

CRAB CAKE ALERT: Capt'n Chucky's new Blue Bell location

I've been hearing a lot of buzz about Capt'n Chucky's Crab Cakes from some friends who have been watching the location of their new store (1530 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell) for weeks, waiting for it to open. I called the Trappe store & the opening of the Blue Bell store is set for Thursday, 8/5, if all goes well with the necessary inspections.

The original location is in Newtown Square, and they have other satellite locations in Trappe and Chester Springs. Can anyone tell me about their crabcakes & related products? I am a crabcake freak, and their main web site makes everything look so good. The fact that they will have a location in my area has me drooling. Is my drooling warranted?

[crazyspice]

I can't answer your question as I have never been to Capt'n Chucky's, but we drove past today and the sign says they are opening on Thursday.

[givemecarbs]

I was already pretty pumped about this new joint, and then I clicked on your link to their website Patti! Those pics look yummy and the site even says: Gluten-Free Smith Island Crab Cakes!!! Now I can even go there with my friend who is trying gluten-free atm. How sweet is that???

[PattiCakes]

VERY sweet. Maple Acres Farm Stand for corn fresh from the field, then Capt'n Chucky's for crab cakes. Sounds like a plan.

I wonder what the difference is between the Smith Island cakers and the regular ones? Will have to conduct a taste test.

[jujuthomas]

sounds like a great test! :) i love crab cakes.

[ilovesummer]

One opened in Trappe recently but I haven't heard from anyone yet who has tried it..
Here is a link:
http://www.welovecrabcakes.com/satell...
Does anyone know of the original one in Newtown Square??

[cheesewit]

Capt. Chucky's has very good crabcakes. As good or better than Bobby Chez's in NJ if you're familiar with those. I was happy to see the Trappe location and very glad that there will now be one in Bluebell - I used to live in Delaware County and went to the Edgemont location (near Newtown Square), now live in Worcester and have been to the Trappe store, and will also go to the new Bluebell location.

[94Bravo]

I've been to the Cap'n Chucky's in Trappe, right near the Trappe Tavern and they are quite good and reasonably priced for jumbo lump crabcakes. Their shrimp salad, made with large plump Gulf shrimp and not that sewage-raised imported crap, was quite good as well.

[Displaced California Foodie]

What happened to Pudges?

[Den]

Pudge's moved to the strip center next door