Crab roll
Food memories have been haunting me lately. Although I’ve made SF my home, there are definitely times (usually the summer) when I toy with the idea of hopping on a plane home to D.C.—Bethesda, actually—for a brief visit. The tomatoes, peaches, corn and cantaloupe that I grew up eating have not met their fresh, juicy, perfectly flavorful match here in California—believe it or not. And then there are steamed Maryland blue crabs with a touch of Old Bay. MMMMMM.
I’ve grown to like Dungeness crabs, but I will never love them the way I do the blue. That said, my friend and I popped into the North Beach Lobster Shack last week to satisfy our crustacean cravings. While I was prepared to order the naked lobster roll, the very next menu item listed was none other than the fresh crabmeat roll! The girl at the counter was beyond friendly, and asked me how much mayo I wanted in my sandwich, so I opted for the mayo-free version. And being ever so accommodating, she also let me switch the chips for sautéed veggies.
When our baskets were set on the table, it took only one brief look at the golden toasted bun to be convinced of its buttery, soft-on-the-inside, crisp-on-the-outside goodness—not to mention the generous chunks of meat. At about $15, it’s not cheap eats, but it’s filling and good, and I’ve never seen a sandwich bursting with that much crab.
We each got a pint of Old Thumper Ale. Crab and beer—it's the perfect East Coast summer meal.
