Going south to Washington. DC is only an excuse to stop by Faidley’s, in Baltimore.
Faidley’s is open. Say no more.
It’s one of those kinds of places with quippy signs.
Applebee’s has fake ones, mass produced. In this case they’re not boastful, merely true.
The best crab cakes in Baltimore, on the eastern seaboard and maybe throughout the world. Faidley’s started out at Lexington Market in 1886 when John and Flossie Faidley combined their seafood stall with the adjoining business to form Smith & Faidley’s seafood. John’s son, Edward took over the business before World War II, and, in 1948, John W. Faidley, Jr. joined him and changed the name of the company to John W. Faidley’s seafood.
Black, white, blue and red customers, having in common a hankering for crab and beer, form long, cheerful lines to get their food. In The Wire, McNulty bribed some fellow cops with crab cakes from Faidley’s.
Of course there is paper and plastic. Nothing fancy. Only perfect.
The rest of the Lexington Market in downtown Baltimore is shuttered, being reconstructed (a Covid casualty?). Only Faidley’s has managed to remain open. In the ladie’s room, the metal paper holder is bolted to the wall.
At Faidley’s the crab cakes include mustard and crumbled saltines. (You can easily get the recipe on food.com but of course that’s not the same as going there.) Hence the wall of crackers. We might have supply chain shortages, but they’l never run out.
Yes, there is a great raw bar, but it’s really just a distraction from the crab cakes.
Promise me that at some point in your life, whether you’re coming from New York or Timbuktoo, you will visit Faidley’s.
Jean Zimmerman 