Crisfield Seafood Restaurant, Silver Spring, Md.

The other night Robert and I went to Crisfield Seafood Restaurant, just across the D.C. line in Silver Spring, Md. Crisfield's is one of those old eateries that's been around for over sixty years, and the place probably hasn't changed a bit in all those decades.

We'd never been to the place before, and misjudged it as more of an inexpensive diner than it turned out to be. Most of the entrees were in the $20-something range, about the same as one would pay in a more elegant establishment, and fried foods were predominant on the menu. While the food was tasty, I would have been happier had the prices been cheaper to reflect the casual diner-type atmosphere (complete with a large counter with bar stools).

We started our meals with bowls of soup, Robert electing the seafood chowder and me getting the clam chowder. Both were thick, rustic soups with plenty of seafood in them. I had the sense that my soup was super-hot because it had been being held on a steam table for some time during the dinner rush.

For main courses, we opted for sandwiches because they were only $9 or $10 each. Robert got the fried perch sandwich, and got two large filets on his bun. I had crab cake. The crab cake was excellent. It was thick and full of crab, and the outside was so evenly browned that I think it was deep fried instead of pan fried. Both sandwiches came on standard hamburger buns and were served with a nice, sweetish cole slaw (French fries were an available alternative).

I don't know whether or not we will go back to Crisfield's. It was certainly popular with a more mature, white crowd, and stayed full the entire time we were there. If we return, we'll want to try the main entrees and seafood platters.