I have walked by Crisfield Seafood in Silver Spring, Maryland many times and have always wanted to try it. When I heard that after 80 years it was closing, I decided I had to have one meal there. It took a couple of attempts, but I finally had that meal.

Crisfield Seafood was started in 1944 by Captain White, naming it after the small fishing village where he lived. The restaurant has been operated by the Landis family since 1945. It only served fresh seafood. Three generations of the Landis family has run the restaurant.

I made my first attempt to dine at Crisfield Seasfood on a Saturday one week before they closed. The place was packed with people. Many were lined up for take out orders. Since it was not clear how long the wait would be, we decided to eat elsewhere that night. I returned the following Friday, two days before closing. There was a line outside the door, but that was because they had moved the line there. Only diners were inside the restaurant. And there was no to take out line. It turns out Crisfield had run out of containers and had stopped taking to go orders. The line appeared to be moving quickly, so I decided to wait. I ended up waiting well over an hour, but I got a seat at the bar.

As it was a chilly winter night, I decided to start with a cup of soup. The choices were clam chowder, oyster stew, or a seafood bisque. I decided on the bisque. It had a decent amount of seafood, but was not packed with it. Nevertheless, it was thick and creamy and had good flavor. It warmed me right up.

Entree choices were: Seafood Salads, Crisfield Signature Dishes, Seafood – Fried Eastern Shore Style, Seafood Norfolk Style, Light Fare Entrees, and Sandwiches (all of which are seafood). I decided to stick with the Signature Dishes, and ordered the Stuffed Flounder. Other dishes that were very popular that night were the Stuffed Shrimp and the Lobster Tail.

The flounder was a good sized piece of fish and there was plenty of stuffing. The fish itself, while not dry, was a little more cooked than I like. But the star of the dish was the stuffing. It had plenty of lump crab meat, all covered in a cream sauce. It was reminiscent of a crab imperial. It looked like it was the same stuffing used in the Stuffed Shrimp.

All entrees come with two sides. The choices were French fries, baked potato,coleslaw, apple sauce, or sliced tomatoes (fresh tomatoes). I went with the baked potato and the coleslaw. The baked potato is a standard Idaho potato, served with sour cream. Butter was available on request. An oldie but a goodie.

The coleslaw was mayonnaise based, but very light on the mayo. It had a slight tang to it, but was not too strong. It was very good coleslaw, but having it with the flounder overpowered the delicate flavor of the fish. I recommend eating it on the side.

Ambience

The main area of Crisfield Seafood was a rectangular bar that filled all of the floor space. The walls are covered with photos and other memorabilia. There is a small room to the side that had tables. I did not get a good look at that, but it was much smaller than the main room.

As I was there a couple of days before it closed, the place was packed. It took awhile to place an order, but once I did the food came out quickly. (That was partially due to what I ordered. Some dishes, such as the Stuffed Shrimp, took longer to prepare.) I imagine in a less hectic time, Crisfields would be a pleasant and neighborly place to dine. Despite the crowds, everyone was good natured and friendly. I am glad I had a chance to dine there before they closed.