Under normal circumstances, I would never advise you to head down to
a chain restaurant and spend $59 for a pound of crab legs. But these
are not ordinary circumstances. If you are lucky enough to carry a fat
bankroll, I highly advise a trip down to the swanky Oceanaire
Seafood Room, home for a limited time to Florida stone crab claws.
These handsome pinkish-red claws, with perfect shiny black pincers that
look freshly manicured, hold the sweetest, firmest, most succulent
crabmeat I’ve ever tasted. A slightly creepy but heartwarming fact
about the stone crab and sustainability: Only the claws of the stone
crab are harvested because after they are ripped off, they grow
back.
Those with smaller wallets but equally demanding appetites should
head to Ballard’s Leif Erikson Lodge on Saturday, January 26,
for their benefit crab feed. For $30, you get a veritable feast: a
whole Dungeness crab, baked potato, coleslaw, garlic bread, and ice
cream. There will also be a silent auction and live jazz music for
dancing. How can you not love a community crab feed that advises people
to bring their own picks, pliers, and nutcrackers? 
Florida stone crab is available until mid-February at the
Oceanaire, 1700 Seventh Ave, 267-2277; Crab feed is Sat Jan 26 at Leif
Erikson Lodge, 2245 NW 57th St, 783-1274, 6 pm, $12/$30.
