Crabby's in Belcoville

FOOD & DRINK > DINING SPOTLIGHTS

By Pete Yard

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Mar. 27, 2008

Brian Sexton, chef and manager of Crabby’s shows how to eat a King Crab Leg. Photo by Nick Valinote

Name: Crabby's Suds and Seafood

Address: 1413 Boulevard, State Highway 50, Belcoville. 625-CRAB (2722).

Menu: King crab, Dungeness crab, snow crabs and blue claw crabs. A crab sampler ($33.95) with all the types of crabs mentioned. They do all their own breading for the fried oysters, flounder, shrimp and homemade crab cakes. Jumbo lump crab meat Imperial is offered, along with nine-ounce or 20-ounce lobster tails. The filet mignon Imperial has grilled medallions of filet mignon with crab Imperial broiled over top. The surf and turf is filet mignon with lobster tails, and the Land and Sea has a New York steak with broiled salmon-stuffed scallops. Steaks, such as filet mignon, rib-eye steaks, New York strips and a slow-roasted prime rib as a nightly special ($19.95 queen cut and $21.95 king cut). Seafood is shipped in every day or every other day. Their lunch menu has burgers, chicken wings, shrimp in a basket, stuffed mushrooms, fried clam strips, jalapeño poppers, popcorn oysters, potato skins, escargot and smelts.

History: Twenty years ago, the place was known as the Timberdoodle, which had a little bar in the front and was open whenever the owner felt like it. Current owner Lynn Albanese has tripled the size of the establishment, refashioning it into a Maryland-style crab house. There are picnic tables and booths that have table cloths, but when someone orders crabs they bring out the paper table covering, hand the customer a mallet and they wale away.

Manager's Quote: Brian Sexton, manager and chef, says, "I've been a chef in restaurants over 30 years and with this place, people come here and have a nice good time. Relaxed, comfortable, and they make a mess."

What to Know: Open Mon.-Thurs., 4-9pm, Fri.-Sun., noon-10pm. Full-service bar has several beers on tap and bottles. Drinks include wines, Appletinis, Chocolate martinis and their specialty, the Crabby Mary (a unique Bloody Mary that is devoid of crab). All-you-can-eat specials ($29.99) Mon.-Thurs. and on Sun. that come with pasta or French fries. Visa and MasterCard accepted. Gift certificates. -- Pete Yard