DMV Dining

We have long heard the stories about the legendary Crab Bomb served at Jerry’s Seafood. After living in the area for more than a decade and having not once been to the Lanham institution, we had to do something about it. It was time.

With our friends Jim and Livya, we drove to Jerry’s last Saturday night to finally experience what some have deemed the best crab cakes in the entire DMV.

Despite all the praise Jerry’s receives, you wouldn’t know it by judging from the exterior, let alone the interior of the restaurant. If you’re looking for ambiance, you best turn around. Nestled next to a liquor store and beauty supply shop, people come to Jerry’s with a purpose: to enjoy some of the best seafood inside the Beltway.

While the restaurant does not take reservations, we had lucked out as several large parties left just before we arrived, so there was no wait time at all!

Our friendly waitress greeted us, took our drink orders, and served us some warm, delicious rolls.

Rachel and I decided to start the evening off with a bowl of their crab bisque. We knew we were in for a treat upon tasting the first spoonful of it. Simply put, it was heavenly. While there’s no denying the kitchen does not show restraint on the heavy cream, the intoxicating combination of crab and sherry makes it nearly impossible to put the spoon down.

As for the entrees, well, that was an easy decision: CRAB BOMB! The Crab Bomb isn’t really a crab cake per se (although they do offer them on the menu), but simply ten glorious ounces of baked jumbo lump crab, Old Bay, and a smidgen of mayonnaise to hold it together.

It is practically the size of a softball. A delicious, crabby softball.

It’s so large in fact that they serve a smaller version appropriately dubbed the “Baby Bomb”. It’s only four ounces less than its predecessor, but just as amazing.

Rachel and I each ordered a Baby Bomb and made every effort to savor each bite. It was that good. In fact, it was so good that we both deemed it the best crab we have ever had. That’s saying a lot given that we have had our fair share of crab cakes.

Lightly crisp on the outside without a scratch of filler to be found inside, the Crab Bomb is worth its $34 price tag (the Baby Bomb is $26). While the price might be daunting to some, rest assured, you are getting A LOT of crab meat.

It also helps that each entrée comes with two sides. Rachel went with the stewed tomatoes and a side salad while I ordered the steamed broccoli and a baked potato. Next time I’ll make sure to order a side salad as it could have been a meal in itself.

The stewed tomatoes were a nice change of pace from what other seafood restaurants traditionally offer while the broccoli, lightly coated with butter, was fine. The baked potato was a bit too dry but given how the Baby Bomb overshadowed everything else, I didn’t seem to mind.

Jerry’s certainly lived up to its billing on Saturday. The crab was to die for while the service was fantastic. While it may not be in DC, trust us, it is worth the trip. We cannot wait to go back.

Having traveled the last few weekends in a row, and simply turned off to the idea of going out to dinner for Valentine’s Day along with the rest of the world, Rachel and I postponed our plans until two days after the Hallmark holiday.

It could not have worked out better.

With Groupon in hand (by far one of the better deals the website has offered), we made our way to Foggy Bottom, but not before partaking in some Happy Hour first. Kinkead’s kicked off their bar specials earlier this week, so the timing was perfect.

And how could one not resist half-priced oysters? Certainly not us. With Bass drafts for $5, a glass of their wine of the day for $8, and not to mention a very friendly bartender, it was a shame we only had a short time to enjoy it since happy hour only lasts till 6:30.

After we paid our tab, our reservation was ready and we made our way to the upstairs dining room. We started our meal off with their fresh bread basket which included some very warm and delicious pieces of cornbread, soda bread, and whole wheat.

For the first course, Rachel ordered the lobster medallions, served in an asparagus stew with a lobster “knuckle” sandwich and crispy Vidalia onion rings. While the presentation was gorgeous, it was the medallions that really stole the show. Flavorful and tender, it was hard to ration the lobster given how large the medallions were.

In fact, it might have been the dish’s only downfall as the medallions were too difficult to cut away at as we eventually wound up eating them too quickly. It might have been better if the soup was served in a shallow bowl so that one could cut the lobster instead of it being served in a deeper, smaller bowl.

The “knuckle” sandwich was a nice touch and felt like a seafood takeoff on grilled cheese and tomato soup. Rachel also had the great idea of throwing the onion rings into the broth which gave it a subtle, crunchy texture.

I went with the shrimp bisque, but had we known beforehand that Rachel’s appetizer was also primarily a soup (we overlooked that when reading the menu), I probably would have ordered something else. That’s not to say the bisque wasn’t good. In fact, it was fantastic!  Hearty but not too rich, it was the perfect dish for a winter’s eve. We just did not realize the texture of both soups would be so similar.

For our main course, I ordered the sesame seared rare tuna, served with seaweed salad, soba noodles, wasabi, and a soy dipping sauce. It turned out to be a generous portion as the tuna was perfectly cooked while the seaweed salad and noodles were fitting sides for the Asian-inspired entree. The sauce was very salty, of course, but at least it was served on the side so I could add just the right amount onto the fish.

Rachel decided to try the skate since it’s a fish she has never had before, and the crispy wing balanced out well with a lemon sabayon, grapefruit segments, and jumbo grilled asparagus. It was a beautiful presentation and she enjoyed the dish, but I could tell that she was eyeing mine more than her own. I think the sauce was a little too overpowering, and while she debated ordering the skate versus the whole black bass, the latter may have been the better choice. At least now she knows what skate tastes like.

Overall, we had a great meal, and combined with the $50 discount from Groupon, it was an even better value. Kinkead’s might be part of the “old guard” in DC, but as evidenced on Wednesday night, it has held up rather well throughout the years.

Kinkeads is located on 2000 Pennsylvania Ave NW in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, DC.