Baltimore—colloquially called "Mobtown," "Charm City," and by certain naysayers this Baltimore native has had to endure, "That Third World Country on the Chesapeake"—has more than a few claims to fame, albeit most of the city's worldly exports read as a laundry list of "What the Hell?": An astonishingly high murder rate; an alarmingly low literacy rate; the perversely eccentric resume of John Waters; the turbulent demise of Billie Holiday; and the controversial writings of H.L. Mencken, to name a few. But it's no secret that Charm City's biggest contribution to society at large has been a spindly little crustacean called the blue crab. Many species—from the Dungeness of the Pacific to New England's Jonah—have tried to beat the sweet flavor of the blue crab cake, but to no avail. Hey, Baltimore's gotta win at something, right? And here's where to find Mobtown-worthy cakes right here in the Windy City.
Crab Cake Sandwich at Pier 5736
While hordes of tourists blow big dough on crab cake entrees from Inner Harbor giants, the locals lean toward the unadulterated bliss of the crab cake sandwich. Essentially B-more's version of the po' boy, it comes on a Kaiser bun with a dollop of remoulade. This simple pleasure is enjoyed on blue-collar lunch hours and at diners across city after last call. Chicago's most authentic version of the crab cake sandwich can be found at Jefferson Park's Pier 5736. For only a 10 spot, you can enjoy a Kaiser filled with a perfectly crisp cake—made from fresh lump blue crab—with just enough remoulade to add some oomph and fries on the side. Sure, this Northwest locale is a trek for CTA riders, but it's a lot closer than Baltimore.
Lobster and Crab burger at Capital Grille (Streeterville)
While this decadent burger is substantially more upscale than its Baltimore brethren, Capital Grille still gets points for authenticity. How does a big ol' chain restaurant manage such credibility? Necessity. With a prominent location on Mobtown's Inner Harbor, Capital Grille has to serve up a mean crab cake or it’d be run out of town. And luckily Chicago's outpost of the eatery also serves the Lobster and Crab Burger. The Grille has added a few "wow factor" tweaks, like tender chunks of lobster and a sweet brioche roll. But despite the fancy accessories, the foundation of the cake is still lump blue crab with just enough Old Bay seasoning to set off the flavors. Served with fresh tartar sauce, this is a hard lunch to resist.
Crab Cake entree at Shaw's Crab House
So where does Cal Ripken Jr. silence his crab urges while in town? That would be Shaw's Crab House—the Chicago institution that has been vying from afar for Baltimore's "Best Crab Cake" title. It's no wonder, considering that Kevin Brown, the guy who opened Shaw's, honed his culinary chops at a Chesapeake-region crab house. Go for the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake entrée. At 26.95, it's pricey, but considering it was flown in this morning, it's well worth it. Hand-picked lump, backfin and claw blue crab meat is fashioned into cakes with just enough mayo to keep it from falling apart. Although Shaw's is known for its exploits with a certain freakishly oversized West Coast crustacean, making its signature crab cake entree out of the Maryland Blue makes culinary sense: The Dungeness crab doesn't swim, which means it doesn't develop the "lump" section of meat where its hind fins meet the body. Ask for a side of drawn butter and go to town.
Others to try:
"Back to the Table" Crab Cakes at Table Fifty-Two
Oprah Winfrey is a notorious crab-cake fiend. The Big O also resided in Baltimore for a decade, meaning that any chef who wants to keep his job better learn how to make her favorite dish perfectly. For this reason, I suspect that Art Smith's "Back to the Table" crab cake appetizer at Table 52 ($14) is stellar, despite the odd pairing of Georgia fennel and peanut slaw. But, like most Chicagoans, I can't get a table at Table 52, so I wouldn't know. Hey Art, how's about a two-top?
Crab Cake Benedict at Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House
Although most Marylanders would scratch their heads at the title—we call it Eggs Chesapeake, thank-you-very-much—a classic breakfast dish gets a Baltimore makeover at Hugo's. Although known for doling out seafood and handling the overflow of tourists from Gibson's by night, Hugo's rustles up a mean brunch, with the Crab Cake Benedict leading the charge ($15.50). Crisp little cakes with hardly any filler nestled atop poached eggs—does it get any better than dunking decadent hunks of backfin into a freshly split yolk? Probably not.
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