Mike's Crab House - Riva, Maryland

Mike's Crab House, near Annapolis in Riva, Maryland, is our family's local place for crabs. The location on the South River allows customers to arrive by car or boat.

It's an understatement to say that Mike's knows crabs. For almost six decades, this crab house has been serving Maryland style crabs and seafood to happy customers.

                                                                                                                                                                Mike's is a great seafood restaurant year-round but it's really awesome on a warm day when the deck is open and customers can eat outside with a waterfront view.

Me and Thomas 

This is my grandfather and me sitting at an
umbrella table on the outside
deck 

On the day we ate at Mike's recently, my family and I were originally seated on the outside deck at an umbrella table. The view was breathtaking, but after 15 minutes, the sun shifted and a few of us became the victims of the sun's harsh rays.

We told our server and she offered us another table either inside or on the covered outside deck. We decided that we had enough of the sun and wanted to sit  on the covered deck (it was also a bigger table and that's a bonus when you're eating crabs).







While we generally order jumbo size crabs, they only had the large size on our visit. The majority of our party (8 people) ordered large sized crabs and two ordered the crab cake entree.





Thomas and my mom ordered the two crab cake entree (comes either broiled or fried) with a choice of salad or coleslaw and baked potato or fries sides. They both chose broiled with a baked potato and a salad.

My brother said that the crab cake was tender and delicate. There was a little amount of mayo (acts like glue) that held the lump crab meat together. It made this cake heavy on the crab, very light on the fillers, but still very moist and dense.

My grandfather, who is the crab cake connoisseur in the family, thinks this is the best crab cake in Maryland. My mom  liked it but not as much as my grandfather. Her favorite is still G & M's crab cake. 

Salad Bar 

Certain entrees come complementary with a side salad via the all-you-can-eat salad bar. I look forward to this salad bar with its well stocked fresh vegetables and toppings such as mushrooms, spinach, beets, eggs, bean salad, pasta salad, croutons, nuts and more.


I, along with my grandparents, dad, aunt and friend, ordered 2 dozen large crabs to share. These Maryland crabs were full of meat, radiating with sweetness and showered with Old Bay Seasoning (you can never have too much Old Bay, right?).

Our grandmother giving us crab claw cracking advice  

The wait staff was constantly checking with us. Crabs are a messy venture -especially with the Old Bay seasoning. We appreciated the wait staff's attentiveness. Inevitably, we needed extra napkins, more melted butter, more drinks and hand wipes - and it all arrived with great speed.

Can you see the ducks?  

The view from our car
 crossing
the Riva Bridge

                      Don't fret if you think you missed your chance to eat crabs at Mike's this summer - the restaurant serves crabs year-round.

The fact that Mike's Crab House has consistently served great crabs and seafood for almost 60 years - that alone is worth a trip. I know, I'll be back.

- Charles

T & J Waffles - Clarksville, MD.

My friend Sean told me that every Saturday morning from 8 a.m to 2 p.m, T & J Waffles truck is parked in the Kendall Hardware parking lot on Route 108 in Clarksville, Maryland.

His family graciously invited me to join them on a recent Saturday morning.

Me and my friend Sean who introduced
me to the waffle truck  

The van that hauls the waffle truck.

T & J Waffles' origins is a very interesting story. The waffle truck was started by a Howard County high school senior Thomas Reboullet who needed money for college. He co-founded the waffle truck with his dad Thierry Rebouleet, a french pastry chef with over 30 years of experience. It's so cool to see teenagers interested in food.

This truck is so popular that I suggest you get there early to avoid big lines. Luckily we only had a moderate line considering it was 10:30 a.m.

The breakfast menu is visible on the counter as you wait in line to be served. There was another menu on the side of the truck, however it seems to list only a few of the items on the counter menu. 

Waffle with whipped cream and powdered sugar topping 

My friend Sean ordered the plain waffle with whipped cream and powdered sugar. The waffle was crisp on the outside and fluffy as you bit into it. The smooth whipped cream made it a sweet and cold contrast from the warm waffle.

Breakfast sandwich waffle 

Have you ever seen eggs and bacon on a waffle?  Sean's brother ordered the breakfast sandwich. Very cool combo. The bacon was very crisp - just the way he likes it.  At times, the sandwich could be hard to hold. However, it is worth it for such a creative and unique sandwich.

Waffle with cinnamon and apples

     I selected the waffle with cinnamon and apples. The apples were very fresh, sweet, and ripe.  I could tell that they use high quality ingredients. The cinnamon added a nice burst of flavor - almost like an open faced apple pie. With the added powdered sugar sprinkled on the waffle - this is as good as it gets!

Waffle with fresh strawberries and powdered sugar

Sean's sister ordered a waffle with fresh strawberries. This reminded me of eating strawberries dipped in sugar? Add the waffle and you'll understand this dish.











The menu also list some other cool items such as a variety of French quiches and crepes, pepperberry chicken asiago waffle, smoke salmon waffle, a grilled cheese waffle sandwich with tomato basil soup and chicken salad waffle.  

T & J Waffles is definitely worth the trip. It's fun to wake up, roll out of bed to something different. I really liked eating outside for a change.

Thank you Mrs. Hennessey and family for introducing  (and treating) me to T & J waffles.

- Thomas