Obrycki's got crabs, but the kind you will enjoy

Obrycki's

1727 E. Pratt St.

Phone: 410-732-6399

Price: $20-$40

Location: Fell's Point, just past the Harbor

Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 11:30 a.m.- 10:00 p.m.

Sat.: 11:30-11:00 p.m.

Sun.: 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

Website: http://www.obryckis.com

Never having any prior experience with eating whole crab, I decided to venture to one of Baltimore's finest crabhouses, Obrycki's, for some culinary enlightenment. It must be one of the more popular places, because our cabdriver knew exactly what restaurant it was just by hearing the address, 1727 East Pratt Street.

Located in Fell's Point, 10 minutes from the Homewood campus, Obrycki's has a very cozy and bright atmosphere, a cross between a home dining room and a steakhouse. As it was very crowded during dinner time, it is highly recommended that reservations are made. However, in our case, the host misplaced our reservation and we were forced to wait about 20 minutes.

Once we were seated, a waiter came along promptly to take our orders. I, wanting to go for the full Maryland crab experience, chose to get four medium-sized "Hard-shell crabs, steamed with a magical blend of seasonings." The prices for crab vary according to market price and also according to the size of the crab you order: medium, large and extra-large.

My roommate, sophomore Michelle Liang, opted a less messy option and chose a "Soft crab sandwich." Parag Goyal, also a sophomore, picked one of the daily specials, "Cajun Seafood Pasta." To our disappointment, our waiter announced that they were out of the special. Goyal chose a "Spicy deep fried deviled crab cake" instead.

After taking our order, our waiter laid pieces of brown paper on our table, in the manner of a table cloth. Before even our appetizer arrived, another waiter brought over a tray with four steamed crabs. He dumped them right on top of the brown paper, leaving our group to stare at the critters.

I was in awe, having never seen such things on my dinner table. They were covered in a bunch of spices, primarily black pepper. Crabs can be a bit intimidating to a novice.

We continued to gawk at them, without touching them, mostly because we didn't have any utensils.

A couple of minutes later, Liang's side salad and our appetizer arrived. I picked our appetizer, "Crab dip, served hot," because it sounded like yummy, authentic Maryland cuisine. And boy, it was yummy all right! Liang and I could not get enough of the creamy, cheesy dip served with two varieties of crackers. Goyal thought the dip was good, but he wished there was more crab in it. Liang and I had no complaints.

Finally, our waiter brought us some utensils and I started to pathetically whack at a crab with the small wooden mallet he gave me, to no avail. Our waiter looked at me and shook his head. He then gave me a quick crab-opening lesson. I didn't know it was so complicated! And I realized that the much of the crab, like its ooey gooey brown guts, were inedible. However, the edible parts were delicious, much better than the imitation lump crab I've been eating all my life. I also learned that eating crab is a very messy experience, because every time I pounded one of the crab's claws, bits of shell and meat would go flying in every direction, including at Goyal and Liang. There were actually tiny bits of crustacean stuck to my hair and face, too. "A crabhouse is not somewhere you should go on a first date," wisely noted Goyal. "Probably only with people you are really comfortable with," added Liang.

A good 10 minutes later, I was still working on my first crab and the others' dishes came out. Liang's "Soft crab sandwich," was an actual soft-shell crab, deep-fried and placed on a bun. She thought it would be more like a crab cake sandwich rather than the whole crab. "It was a tad crunchy ... It was pretty good though, I guess. But the legs coming out of the bread threw me off and it was too greasy." Goyal didn't think his crab cake was spicy enough; he just said it was "decent."

Ten minutes later, they were finished with their entrees, which were a bit small portion-wise, and I just began prying open my second crab. Crabs demand a lot of work. There is a lot of cracking, peeling and picking involved to extract a tiny piece of meat. That tiny piece of meat tastes wonderful, though, which is why I think so many people love eating crab.

After employing Liang's assistance, we were able to polish off the other two crabs more quickly. I was full, but I couldn't say no to dessert, of course. We decided to share a slice of "Chocolate chip pie," which is actually pecan pie with chocolate chips, and "Cr?me brulee." The desserts were very good, a satisfying ending to a long meal. Everyone enjoyed the melted sugar atop the smooth cr?me brulee and the pie was very rich and chocolatey. It was a little too sweet for my taste, but it won our overall approval.

Overall, Obrycki's was a special treat during midterm week for us Hopkins pre-meds who haven't been to a very nice restaurant in a while. The service was good and prompt, with the exception of our forgotten reservation and missing utensils in the beginning. Our general consensus was that it was too expensive to visit frequently on a college student's budget; it's probably best to come with parents and their wallets. The full dinner for the three of us amounted to about $80, including gratuity.

It was fun to indulge in classic B-more cuisine, but I don't think I would go back again just for the crab. Maybe it's just me, but the process of eating crab drains too much energy and patience. But if you do like whole crab or have never tried it, Obrycki's is a great place to go for the pleasant, complete dining experience.