For many people here in the DC area, summertime just would not be complete without at least one pilgrimage to Maryland’s shoreline to feast on crabs. When the FDPs began pondering our July meal, we were overcome by fantasies of ourselves cracking open succulent Chesapeake Bay blue crabs at a outdoor table along the water, our hair blowing in the cool sea breeze, the stresses and strains of the city seeming millions of miles away. Alas, we were quickly brought back to reality when we started attempting to coordinate our schedules for such an excursion. Busy gals that we are, finding time to get out of town was proving too difficult. But we couldn’t let go of the idea of a crab dinner. Thank heavens for Quarterdeck in Arlington—we realized that the best solution was to have the crabs come to us!
At Quarterdeck, they receive daily blue crab shipments from the Bay, and serve them up in a small, unassuming restaurant tucked away near Fort Myer in Rosslyn. You have to call ahead if you want crabs, so that they know what to order and reserve for your party. The FDPs did just that—we booked ourselves a dozen crabs, settled on a weeknight date, and we were all set. While it is not quite the same as sitting water-side, there are outdoor tables at Quarterdeck which, like the crabs, you should reserve in advance. Sadly, the rainy Monday night we were there meant we were forced to move to an indoor table, which was slightly smoky and a bit cramped. Once the menus were passed out and a pitcher of beer was ordered, though, our spirits rose. They cook the crabs when you arrive, so we knew we would be waiting a while for the main course. To tide us over, we ordered an array of appetizers: crab balls, chowder, steamed shrimp, onion rings, and garlic bread—all items were fairly average but they did the trick of keeping our grumbling stomachs happy. Chatting away as always, we hungrily gobbled everything up, eagerly anticipating the crabs that were soon to arrive. The wait was only about 30 minutes, and before we knew it, a dozen steaming hot crabs were dumped in a big pile in the middle of our table. We were given a gigantic pile of napkins, mallets, vinegar, Old Bay (of course), and butter (which we later realized comes with an extra charge, just FYI) and we got down to business of breaking off the legs, cracking into the shells, and extracting the crabmeat. As Amanda declared, this was definitely the hardest we’ve ever had to work for our dinner! But the sweet, fresh crabmeat inside was totally worth it. A short time later, fingers reeking of crab and Old Bay, our table a wreckage scene of crab-remnants, we surveyed the damage, picked bits of crabmeat out of our hair, and declared the night an unmistakable success. The bill made us even more pleased—the pitchers of beer (plus wine for Molly), appetizers, and crabs brought us to $35 apiece, including tip. No, our version of a crab-feast was not quite the picturesque scene that one envisions when thinking of Maryland crab season, but for four over-scheduled city girls craving a night of escape to the seaside, Quarterdeck more than delivered.
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