My family at The Mad Crab for Russ’s birthday. Only 3 managed to escape the photo.
The nautical decor gives the place the feel I remember as a kid, eating at crab shacks along the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Hmmm. . .
When I first heard about The Mad Crab, I questioned the premise upon which the Cajun seafood restaurant is fashioned. The owners, brothers Victor and Nam Ho, opened the place a year ago. That was after watching seafood fans in Dallas lineup for the opportunity to eat saucy fish with their fingers from a plastic bag. When I grimaced at the thought, it encouraged my family all the more.
A Family Meet Up at the Mad Crab
The occasion of my visit to The Mad Crab was a family birthday. At such times, the celebrant picks the spot to eat and Russ chose the Olive Street fish house. There were 13 of us and the server quickly set up our white, plastic-lined table and began explaining the menu.
Just follow the 4-Step procedure for your customized seafood dinner.
A plastic bib is pretty much standard gear.
Here’s How It Works
You pick a fish (Dungeness crab, King crab legs, Snow crab legs, whole lobster, lobster tail, shrimp, crawfish, clams, mussels). Then you select a spice level from 1 to 4—we got the mild level 2 and it worked fine. Next, pick a flavor type: Rajun Cajun, Lemon Pepper, Garlic, or the Whole Sha-Bang. By all means, go with the Whole Sha-Bang. Then choose add ons, such as sausage, corn, and boiled potatoes.
The ingredient list reminded me of the Low Country Boil, that I’ve served a few times at the farm—though always with utensils.
When doing outlandish things, one must dress for the occasion, as does Coco.
The grandkids got into the spirit of the event quickly as we donned our tidy lobster bibs and plastic gloves. I inquired about goggles and a cap, but the server assured me they were unnecessary. In the interest of food journalism, I kept one hand ungloved, so I could use my iPhone for photos—though I misplaced the phone once under a mound of messy napkins and shrimp shells.
I began the Mad Crab challenge with plastic bib and gloves. I felt like I was suiting up to be an official food taster or the umpire at a food fight.
Orders arrived at the table in plastic bags with all the ingredients and sauce commingling nicely. At this point, you can empty the bag on the table, (the messiest of the options), or roll back the plastic and eat from the bag with your fingers.
I asked the server if he had forks for old women. He said he did, but never brought me one. (Hmm. . . maybe he thought I didn’t qualify. :-))
Getting into the plastic “delivery bag” with fingers only.
Are You Still with Me?
Before you blow this off, (as I was inclined to do), let me whisper so my family doesn’t hear me make this concession: It was fun!
Remember the glee and abandonment of making mud pies when you were a kid? You get to relive that. So put on an old shirt, the one you never wear, because it has a spot on it, and head out Olive to the Mad Crab. Be sure to bring along a bunch of like-minded, fun-loving friends.
The next time I go, I’m borrowing Coco’s blue wig.
The Mad Crab. 8080 Olive Blvd. Open: Mon-Fri 3p-11p; Sat-Sun noon-11p. No reservations. Group must all be present before being seated. Happy Hour: Mon-Thu 3p-5p. Owners: Victor and Nam Ho (brothers).
Leave a Reply