Food & Drink
Review: Surf’s Up at Fisherman’s Crab Deck in Kent Narrows
A centerpiece of a little strip of Queen Anne’s County known as Fisherman’s Village, the seafood restaurant has been serving diners on the slower side of the Bay Bridge for nearly a century.
The vacation vibes are intense at Fisherman’s Crab Deck, the sprawling restaurant/crab house/dock bar in Kent Narrows. Music—often live—mixes with the sound of mallets hitting shells to create a distinctly Maryland soundtrack. As boats bob in the marina, the scent of steamed crabs wafts through the air, completing a symphony of the senses that’s kept people coming back for 35 years.
While many here are indeed on an Eastern Shore getaway, it’s actually a less-than-hour drive from Baltimore. The restaurant is a centerpiece of a little strip of Queen Anne’s County known as Fisherman’s Village, which has been serving food and drinks on the slower side of the Bay Bridge for nearly a century.
Back in 1930, Alex Thomas and his wife, Mae, opened the original Fisherman’s Inn seafood restaurant. Today, the village has grown to include a hotel, boat slips, fishing charters, and multiple bars and restaurants. Kirby Schulz is the hospitality coordinator for the village and a member of the family that started it and still runs it to this day.
“We’re on our fourth generation, and pretty much every one of us has their hand in it one way or another,” says Schulz, whose father, Jody, and two uncles are the current owners. “We’ve all worked as bussers, runners, servers. Every one of us has put our blood, sweat, and tears in.”
The crab deck includes its own dock where boaters can tie up while they dine, a large bar area, and a massive dining room. A smaller menu is available at the bar, which serves a host of specialty cocktails including fresh squeezed crushes and staples like the Cucumber Refresher, a mix of gin, muddled cucumber, and fresh squeezed lemonade.
The bar menu includes a variety of sandwiches and appetizers, including the popular seafood nachos. Shrimp and crabmeat doused with cheese sauce atop a heap of tortilla chips isn’t for everyone, but for those whose palates welcome a somewhat odd melding of flflavors, it works.
Seafood puritans might prefer steamed clams served in a buttery broth. Crabs are the focal point here, and an average of 150 bushels a week are steamed using Fisherman’s Inn proprietary seasoning. Manufactured by Halethorpe’s J.O. Spice Co., it’s a blend of salt, paprika, and other spices that was created by the family. It gives the crabs a slightly less spicy, but no less rich taste.
Crabs, sourced from Louisiana and Maryland, are available April to October. When we visited in April, the jumbos (priced at $149 per dozen), and the larges ($99 per), were from the Gulf of Mexico, and were meaty and sweet. Crabs can be ordered by the dozen, half dozen, or individually.
Crab soup is a good barometer of a crab house’s bona fides, and the vegetable variety here is spot on. With a hint of spiciness, plentiful crab meat, and veggies, it’s a great start to whatever comes next.
The main menu is heavy on seafood, with local favorites like rockfish, blue catfish, and soft shells in a variety of forms. Among the most interesting items is a cousin of the classic crab cake. The seafood cake, created by chef James Hill, is a blend of crab, lobster, and shrimp topped with lemon aioli sauce.
Much like Fisherman’s Village itself, it starts with a time-tested foundation and reimagines it for today.
FISHERMAN’S DECK: 3032 Kent Narrow Way S., Grasonville. HOURS: Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat.: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. PRICES: Appetizers: $7.99-24.99, entrees: $24.99-43.99; steamed crabs: market price. AMBIANCE: Casual waterfront.