Pappas

Pappas Crab Cake Platter Crab Cake Review

One thing that our friends keep asking us is if we've been to Pappas yet. It's always been on the list, we just hadn't gotten around to it. When you talk about crab cakes, Pappas' name is sure to always come up. Since 1972, they've been a Baltimore institution, offering quality food at a fair price, with a focus on customer service. Their crab cakes are huge, and have been featured Baltimore Magazine, the Baltimore Sun, and in 2009, the Baltimore City Paper crowned them Best Crab Cake. Located up in the Parkville area, they're well outside of downtown, but still in the heart of suburban Baltimore. So with the rave reviews coming in from all ends, we set out to see what the talk was about. Follow along as we take a journey to crab cake town!

Pappas' crab cake lunch special consists of an 8oz crab cake, a cup of soup, two sides, and a beverage. A single platter and a sandwich are also available. No matter which way you order it, the crab cake will be the same. They also have a Pappas Tripler, where if you eat 3 crab cakes on your own, you get your picture on their wall.

The first thing you notice is the HUGE lumps of colossial crab meat, held together with a saucy binder of (what we thought to be) mayonnaise and Dijon, and a tiny amount of bread. There may have been some spice mixed in, but it either wasn't enough, or it got lost in all of the other flavors. There are shakers of Pappas' own blend of seafood spice on the table should you feel the need.

Pappas' crab cake is very good! The huge lumps of crab have a big, meaty flavor with a little bit of sweetness, and there were hardly any broken pieces. The binder has a little bit of flavor, but doesn't really add much unless you get a large concentration of it, as it does get a bit too saucy in some places. As mentioned before, the spice was lacking, but sprinkling on some of Pappas' seafood spice does help create more of a flavor profile. But overall we were quite surprised at the flavor of the crab meat, which does hold its own quite well.

Additional Info

Restaurant Name: Pappas
Address: 1725 Taylor Ave Baltimore, MD 21234
Neighborhood: Parkville
Restaurant Type: Local
Website: http://www.pappascrabcakes.com/
Review Date: 03/09/2013 1:09pm
Atmosphere: Busy with a wait
Item(s) Ordered: Crab Cake Platter
Cooking Style: Broiled
Other Styles Available: Yes
Available by mail order?: Yes
Price: 16.99
Order Type: Single Platter
Crab Content: Jumbo Lump
Filler: Minimal
Spice: Minimal
Overall Impression: Very Good
Rating (out of 5 crabs):

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