The "Soup Du Jour" Story

It was an ordinary day. We have just come home from lunch at Woody’s Crab House in North East, Maryland. Today we EACH had a bowl of cream of crab soup. I usually get a bowl when we go out to eat and Carol will take a few spoonfuls of it, but then pass it to me to eat the rest of the bowlful. We have been rating cream of crab soup for many years. It is now time to release the results! But, before I do I must tell you that my friend Dale K. has been testing it with Carol and I all those years. His wife Pat doesn’t like seafood so she isn’t part of our testing. Can you believe someone who lives near the Chesapeake Bay wouldn’t like cream of crab soup? It’s Unamerican! We have traveled to many cities, mostly cities which border the upper Chesapeake Bay, since the bay is famous for their “blue” crabs which make the best cream of crab soup. A few of the cities which have been part of our testing are: Alexandria, Annapolis, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, Chesapeake City, Chestertown, Havre de Grace, North East, Rock Hall, St. Michaels and Tilghman Island. Some cities we have been in more than one restaurant to test the soup. And most cities were visited several times over the years. Some were fantastic, some were very good and some were just OK. Remember this is cream of crab soup and anything with crab meat in it can’t be any worse than than just OK. We tested a bowl in a restaurant on the waterfront in Rock Hall, Maryland which had broken into our “Top 3”, but when we went back the next time for another bowl to make sure, it was filled with shells. What a disappointment. Eat a spoonful, spit the shells on the floor, eat a spoonful, spit the shells on the floor, etc. We took it off our “Top 3” list. We tried a bowl at The Crab Claw in St. Michaels, Maryland. It was very tasty, but was mostly cream sauce and did not have much crab meat in it. Same goes for Inner Harbor and Chestertown. After trying many bowls over the last five or more years, we have come up with our top 3 places to try Cream of Crab soup. Time for a drumroll..da..da..da..da. And the Winners are: #3 would have to be a tie between The Tidewater Grill in Havre de Grace, Maryland and Woody’s Crab House in Northeast, Maryland. Both are about equal. They are thick and rich with an adequate amount of crab meat in them. Neither restaurant is very fancy, and therefore may influence our opinion a little; #2 is The Chesapeake Inn located in Chesapeake City, Maryland. This soup has more than the creamy flavor, it has pureed vegetables and plenty of crab meat in it. The ambiance of the restaurant does help. Linens on the table by the waterfront always make anything taste better. You get a very large serving which is so rich that you may have trouble finishing your main entree; And....... Our #1 Choice for Best Cream of Crab Soup has to be without a doubt Carrol’s Creek Waterfront Restaurant in Annapolis, Maryland. Their historic location overlooks the waters of one of America’s most charming and historic cities. Their soup is rich in flavor with Jumbo crab meat pieces and a touch of Sherry. That touch of Sherry really does it for me. What a taste! They have been entering their soup in Maryland’s contests for years and have been judged as Maryland’s Best for many of those years. Have been there a few times and have never been disappointed. We found their recipe for the soup online a few years ago. Don’t know if it is still there. Carol, Dale and I are unanimous in our choice as #1. Try one of these places and see if you agree!!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - For best Maryland Crab Soup (tomato based) the Bayard House Restaurant in Chesapeake City has the best, also voted #1 by the State of Maryland in their annual contest.