Woody's Crab House

29 S Main Street
North East, MD 21901
(410) 287-3541
Website

I recently took a spur-of-the-moment day trip to Havre de Grace (don't bother), and the best part about the trip was a stop in North East, Maryland. It is a quaint little town, and as you would expect, they catered to seafood-hungry tourists. I popped into Woody's for a couple cold ones and some food.

It was exactly what I was hoping for. Peanuts at the door, wood trimming everything; it offered the perfect cool, dark place for a summer weekend afternoon.

I did not order the crabs, as I was planning on having some later, but I did order what can only be compared to the seafood feast from Red Lobster or whatever bullshit Joe's Crab Shack is offering this week. It came with tarter and cocktail sauce galore.

I also grabbed a bowl of crab bisque. It was okay, but lacked the sherry zing I have come to expect from any self-respecting bisque.

My feast, also known as the "Net Buster," consisted of a seasoned broiled lobster tail, crab imperial, crab cake, salmon, snow crab legs, shrimp, clams, coleslaw, and hush puppies. Hell yes.

The crab legs, shrimp, and clams were steamed in a net, as they should be. It makes eating so much more exciting.

This was a pretty substantial portion for about $30. I was pleased. The steamed stuff was all as you would expect. Everything tasted fresh, and the crabcake was packed with meat, very little filler. The lobster tail was also delicious, notice the caramelization and ample seasoning? Grilled/broiled is the only way to go with this one. I am also not a salmon fan usually (besides smoked), but this was a non-fishy, well cooked version.

The hush puppies were perfect, light and airy, rather than dense and golf ball-like.

The slaw was good, as it tasted like . . . coleslaw.

If you are willing to brave the heat, they have a pretty large outdoor seating area, as well as a tiki bar. It was just what I wanted from a quick getaway. At about an hour or so from the Philly area, you could do worse. Next time, just park it here and maybe skip HdG?