Jerry's Seafood, or Why I Like G&M

A friend was eager to try Jerry's Seafood on Saturday for lunch so out we went. The place is almost missable as you peak into Lanham. Jerry's is on the end of a strip mall in a small grouping of several.

We received a kind greeting that was perfectly appropriate though slightly less effusive than I was lead to expect by reading some reviews.

An attractive oyster bar was spread before us, but we chose to sit and order.

The challenge for me was to see if Jerry's could live up to the value and taste of the crabcakes at G&M in Linthicum, a favorite of mine and my friends from Baltimore who profess to know crab well.

Due to some budgetary constraints (I thought about $50 for lunch for two would be best), I was unable to do a side-by-side comparison of the large crabcakes both G&M and Jerry's offer. Why? Jerry's "Crab Bomb" http://www.jerrys-seafood.com/crab-cakes/crab-bomb.cfm costs nearly $35!!!! In contrast, G&M ( http://www.gandmcrabcakes.com ) offers one for 15.50 and two for $20.50. G&M also includes "a Tossed Salad, 2 Vegetables, Bread & Butter and Coffee or Hot Tea" while Jerry's offered rolls, and a choice of two sides.

So onto the food. My dining partner and I each ordered the crabcake plate lunch ($18.95). Her choices were string beans and a tossed salad; mine, vanilla-cinnamon apple sauce and a tossed salad.

The accompanying rolls were heavenly, soft and served warm with a chilled side-bowl with pats of salted butter. These were angelic, fluffy, white rolls with just enough crisp to keep the light steam in.

The side dishes were fresh and basic. Definitely what I would expect.

And now for the crab. It was awfully small for $18.95. The taste was wonderful. Enough spice and Old Bay to season it without distracting from the texture or getting in the way of the lumps of crab. Honestly, I wish I had the cash to try the larger one. I was grateful to have filled up on bread because the crabcake, were it not worth savoring at a more measured pace, could have disappeared with 3-4 sweeps of a moderately loaded fork.

On another note, I was appreciative of the attentive though not intrusive service. The sweet tea, which is always a find, was superb.

For the price though, I just don't see going back again. I think we would have faired much better at G and M.

Note: I have not yet tried Stoney's and the other crabcake places people rave about. I'll add to this once I make it out there.