It was the Friday before the Easter Weekend and I had just found out that we were getting 2 hours of free leave, so I made it a point to ride home for lunch and grab my camera and my bike. What better way to spend the free time than riding and checking out a restaurant?
1014 Winchester Avenue was home to the Chesapeake Crab Company. However it was changed earlier this year to Mother Shuckers Crab Shack. At first glance it’s a gray crab shack with a mutant Maryland crab guarding the front door and waiting to remove the head of anyone who gets too close. I pulled up out front and parked at about 4PM and there weren’t a lot of customers yet, which is good because the seating is somewhat limited. Upon walking inside you’re greeted by a small dining room with two booths and two tables with another slightly large dining area to your right. I walked up to the counter and placed my order as I did the last time I was here, but that time was carryout. You can grab a seat and a server will be over like at any other restaurant. I know, I’m difficult that way. I place my order of the Ahi Tuna and the Baltimore Cheesesteak with crab dip and a side of hushpuppies before taking up residence in a booth at the back.
The Ahi Tuna was the first item out and was very nicely plated in a ring on a bit of lettuce. Their Ahi Tuna is sashimi grade tuna seared lightly then sliced to show the nice raw middle. This order was served with a horseradish sauce and drizzled with what tasted like a mix of sesame oil and teriyaki sauce. The tuna was cooked perfectly and the mixture of dark sauces was a nice touch, adding a new depth to the flavor without overpowering the delicate flavor of the tuna itself. Before I get to fancy, I’ll say this: it was bangin’. Another bite with just a small bit of the horse radish sauce left me indecisive and alternating between sauced and naked; did I like it better with the slight spiciness or just bare? I think bare in this case with the addition of the dark sauces.
Up next was the Baltimore Cheesesteak and hush puppies .
I tried the hushpuppies first and growing up in the South, I can spot a bad hushpuppy from a mile away. Wait, did I just hear one of you Northerners ask, “What is a hushpuppy?” Be still my heart! The ignorance may kill me yet! Well, all deep South drama and Southern drawl asides, a hush puppy is a really simple creation. It’s a ball of cornmeal batter filled with spices and generally deep fried. The hushpuppies from Mother Shuckers Crab Shack were great. They had a really good flavor with a nice almost crisp exterior and a moist warm middle that was bursting with flavor.
The Baltimore Cheesesteak is a cheesesteak sub with crab dip spread on the bun. It was delicious. The steak was tender and flavorful and the crab dip added a very contrasting but ultimately tasty combination to a traditional cheesesteak. This went down man style; sans vegetable toppings for those not in the know.
I know it’s kind of a copout ordering a cheesesteak at a seafood restaurant, but I promise to go back this summer and order some crabs and update this review. It’s still a little too early in the season for crabs and I didn’t have the largest appetite when visiting, so I didn’t want it to be a waste. Besides, crabs without beer is like life without breathing; there is no such thing.
By now you’re probably asking yourself, “Self, should I go and eat at Mother Shuckers Crab Shack? The review sounded good, but what’s this nitwit’s opinion on the place?!” Well this nitwit says yes, you should eat at Mother Shuckers Crab Shack. The several times I’ve been the service has been great, the food has come out quickly, and most important of all it has all been delicious. If you pass this place up in your travels to Martinsburg and you like seafood, you will be doing yourself a disservice.
Location: Mother Shuckers Crab Shack