Looks can be deceiving.
Quick and random post here. You native Howard Countians may be mad at me for saying this but I ain’t about that Clyde’s life anymore. Yesterday, my mother-in-love treated my daughter and I to the new and improved Clyde’s. Now this is about the third time I’ve been there. Each time I visit I order the famous crab cake since they seem to tout it as their signature dish. The platter was not memorable at all the first two times I tried it so I thought maybe it’s different now since the renovations have occurred. I was wrong. Let me tell you something about my taste. I am pretty easy to please as I don’t give food the power to make or break my day. I’m not a food critic. I don’t analyze every single bite to figure out what the chef put in it and what’s missing. Food should be tasty but I don’t expect every meal to knock my socks off. However, if you brag about a dish like it’s the bee knees, bring your A game.
The atmosphere is definitely improved in Clyde’s. It’s lighter, seemingly more spacious, and the view of Lake Kitti*&^%&$?>(I can’t spell that word) is very nice. However, that crab cake is worthless. It was cooked well, had some good herbs in it and the meat is real crab with no filler. Great! But there’s no flavor. No kick. No Old Bay Seasoning (or at least not enough to taste it). No lemon zest. C’mon son! THIS IS MARYLAND! WE KNOW CRABS! I had to add salt and that’s a deal breaker. I believe that restaurant food already has enough salt cooked into it which is what makes many dishes taste so good (and unhealthy). If I have to add salt and pepper that means that somewhere along the way somebody in that kitchen got lazy. Why do I have to work at a dish to make it taste good? And I’m paying for this? Puleeze!!
I may return to Clyde’s one day and eat something else on the menu or for happy hour but right now, I’ll spend my money elsewhere. There are plenty of smaller scale restaurants to try and love. And with the help of Groupon and Living Social I can try my luck in a budget friendly way. For those of you who love Clyde’s, Bon Appetit!
hocofood@@@
