Cheap Eats - Chilling out

Baltimore Crab & Seafood

Summer weather has a way of slapping you in the face, doesn’t it? One day it’s pleasantly crisp out; the next day, bam, it’s 85 degrees and 100 percent humidity. The good news is that the hot weather means it’s time for summertime eats. Baltimore Crab & Seafood is exactly the kind of food I want to eat when it’s unbearably hot — chilled peel-and-eat shrimp, cornmeal-battered fish fillets dipped in cool tartar sauce. This kind of food is reminiscent of trips to the beach and childhood vacations. I’ve found my summertime staple.

Hot and Heavy: Baltimore Crab & Seafood is mostly a takeout operation, located a few doors down from Slice in Castleberry Hill. It’s a sleek space with a few flourishes, like nifty mod counter stools in shiny white melamine. A big refrigerated case is stocked with salads and desserts, including a homemade banana pudding so heavenly it’ll make you forget that you don’t like banana pudding. The only reason I can see not to linger and eat your meal right there at the counter is the A/C situation. I don’t know whether it was broken or it just wasn’t turned on, but the heat was stifling in there on a recent Saturday night. A fan didn’t do much but stir up the hot air. Note to self: Wear a tank top next time.

Chill Out: Good thing for the cooling effects of Coca-Cola and chilled peel-and-eat shrimp. The plump shrimp taste pleasantly of Old Bay, and they beg to be dunked in homemade cocktail sauce with lots of horseradish. Fried shrimp are good, too, although the cornmeal batter works its magic best on flaky fried whiting fillets. Deep-fried crab cakes look like overgrown hush puppies, but inside the brown, crunchy coating is plenty of sweet lump crab meat with just a touch of filler. I was looking forward to trying one of Baltimore Crab’s giant hoagie sandwiches, but sadly, the restaurant was out of hoagie rolls the night I tried to order one. If you’re not in the mood for fried seafood, just about everything can be broiled or steamed.

Proof Is in the Pudding: Side dishes run toward classic soul food, with standouts like candied yams and macaroni and cheese. Creamy coleslaw is just how I like it, with bits of tangy pickle relish cutting through the mayonnaise. Baltimore Crab’s clearly got the deep-fried thing down to a science, because the french fries are terrific, too. All the desserts in the case look fabulous, particularly the lemon layer cake and the carrot cake, but the banana pudding is transcendent. While we waited on our food, we got to chatting with the fellow sitting next to us at the counter. “Everything’s good,” he said, “but I come for the pudding.” I can see why. The pudding is creamy, not too gelatinous, and studded with rounds of ripe banana and still-crisp vanilla wafers. That’s good summertime eats.