Thursday's Father's Day?

I really want to know what hunger, what desperation was going on in that first native's mind when they first looked at one of these little buggers and thought: "Hey, I could eat that." What other food produces twice the trash as it does edible fodder, has parts so sharp they can make you bleed, and requires you to burn as many calories as you earn? Crabs are crazy creatures, but we're Marylanders and we love them. They are a part of not only our cuisine, but our identity.

Tools of the Trade

So what would any good Annapolitan daughter do for her daddy on Father's Day? Take him crab bangin'.

So your first thought, of course, is our own Cantler's Riverside Inn. Yes, you and every other Annapolitan daughter. That's why I took my Dad a little further down the West River to Thursday's in Galesville.

Thursday's

The West River is a bit quieter than the other rivers of Annapolis. Beautiful sailboats glide by Thursday's wrap-around deck while boaters, bikers, and families enjoy crabs, steaks, and some fun Tex-Mex inspired appetizers along with their seabreezes and ice cold beers. In case you can't tell, I love this place.

A pretty sailboat on the West River

Dad got half a dozen local males and Mom got a broiled crab cake... so, about the same amount of crab meat but without the work. But c'mon, crabangin' is half the fun. It's the second official sport of Maryland after jousting.

Awesome right? So save the bay!

And of course, there was some beer to wash down all that Old Bay and crab meat. Dad likes 'em hoppy so he got a Harpoon IPA.

A crabby mess

About two messy hours later, six empty shells were in the bucket and Dad reached for the wet naps. He enjoyed the feast of crabs as much this year as every year we've had this family tradition. Two years now have been spent at Thursday's, and I have a feeling it's going to stick.