Tark's Grill

One of Baltimore Magazine's Top 25 Crab Cakes for 2013! And to be quite honest, for as long as we've lived around Baltimore, we have never heard of Tark's until reading the list. (I know!) Although it was a bit hard to find at first, we finally made our way to the quite sizable restaurant. Tark's gives off the vibe of a high-end restaurant with the dark woods and white tablecloths, while at the same time maintaining the casual appearance, especially with the large patio outside. Tark's is no stranger to the Baltimore Magazine Top Crab Cake list, having been on it at least 5 times (going by the plaques at the hostess stand). So with the expectations set, we headed out to see if Tark's is worthy enough to serve one of Baltimore's top crab cakes. Read on to see how it all went!

Tark's Grill offers crab cakes as a sandwich, served with lettuce, tomato, and onion on a brioche roll with a side of fries, and your choice of tartar or cocktail sauces; as a side to a steak; or as a double entree served with two sides and your choice of sauces. All prices are market price.

You know you're in for a treat when you're served two golden brown balls of goodness with jumbo lumps of crab peaking out from every angle. A fork with a light touch is all that is needed to break into the crab cake, and it all unfolds before you with ease. It is at that point that you start to marvel at the amount of intact jumbo crab lumps there are, with very few broken pieces. Those morsels of crab are held together with bread, egg, and spices, and just enough to hold it all together.

The crab meat has a super sweet flavor while maintaining a nice, meaty texture. The spicing used is muted, but still makes a slight presence on the back end. With crab as awesome tasting as this, you don't want any spice flavor interfering, and Tark's does an excellent job of maintaining that balance. The breading adds some texture without imparting any overreaching flavors. The cooking method creates a nice caramelization on the bottom of the cake, which adds a nice crunch and some added flavor.

Usually we don't fully agree with Baltimore Magazine's selections on their Best Of list, and having never heard of Tarks' Grill before, we were leary. But after witnessing one of the better crab cakes we've had in this city, we can whole heartedly agree that they do belong on this list. So now it's time for you to turn your computer off and go out and try their crab cakes!

Additional Info

Restaurant Name: Tark's Grill
Address: 2360 W. Joppa Rd, #116 Lutherville-Timonium, MD 21093
Neighborhood: Lutherville/Timonium
Restaurant Type: Local
Website: http://www.tarksgrill.com/
Review Date: 10/27/2013 3:54pm
Atmosphere: Not Busy
Item(s) Ordered: Crab Cakes Entree
Cooking Style: Sauteed
Other Styles Available: No
Available by mail order?: No
Price: 35.00
Order Type: Double Platter
Crab Content: Jumbo Lump
Filler: Average
Spice: Average
Overall Impression: Outstanding
Rating (out of 5 crabs):

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