Cantler's crabs a hit for 35 years

The road that leads to the crab house tucked away on Mill Creek is long and winding.

Inside, a rendering of today's special - a fish-fry combination and crab soup - is etched across a blackboard by the bar. The spicy scent of Old Bay seasoning fills the air. "Revolution," by The Beatles, plays softly in the background.

Out on the deck, casually dressed diners crack open crustaceans on this sunny October afternoon.

This is Cantler's Riverside Inn, one of the area's quintessential crab houses. And it recently marked its 35th year of serving up the sweet buttery meat of the Maryland blue crab.

While many other Maryland restaurants prefer cheaper meat that travels thousands of miles from Venezuela or Asia before hitting the plate, Cantler's still supports the local food chain. Local watermen bring their catch right up to the docks at Cantler's during the crabbing season that lasts from May to mid-October, said restaurant co-owner Dan Donnelly.

Cantler's also orders 2,000 pounds of crabmeat each week from Rippons Brothers Seafood and Paul's Pride, two Maryland suppliers. That's enough meat to feed 1,000 diners a day during the crab season, Donnelly said.

Though he prefers to stay "true to the bay," some Louisiana crabs have been shipped in to keep up with demand, he said. And he'll occasionally use pasteurized meat, if need be.

But in September, diners are guaranteed to be eating "100 percent" Maryland hard crabs.

"They are more abundant," Donnelly said. "The crabs are starting to migrate south, so we catch them a lot up here at that point."

And the crabs seem to be recession-proof. Donnelly wouldn't provide sales figures, but said the restaurant saw a 15 percent revenue increase this crab season over last year.

"We were waiting for when it would stop," he said.

The local food trend seems to be helping restaurants like Cantler's, said Paul Hartgen, president and chief executive officer of the Restaurant Association of Maryland. "The buzz that it builds because of their reputation I think solidifies their brand."

While Cantler's proudly sticks to its hometown roots, the concept of local is lost on some seafood restaurants. Many sophisticated restaurants have publicly said they prefer to use pasteurized meat because the Maryland crab "tastes too fishy," said Marty Katz, Maryland editor of the Zagat Survey.

To Marylanders, that "means too fresh," he added.

"The crab responds to the chef's will and some of the tastes they are adding are what they are after," he said.

Humble beginnings

Nestled in an enclave of summer cottages on Whitehall Bay, Cantler's origins can be traced to 1942, when it became a watering hole for local watermen. Jimmy Cantler bought the building in 1974 and "moved upstairs," Donnelly recalled.

Cantler started steaming crabs out of an aluminum shed nearby and serving them up on collapsible tables. Cantler also often gave away clams, Donnelly said.

"When he charged for (the clams), it was two bucks," he said.

Business grew when one of Cantler's brothers, Carroll, caught a 300-pound shark in the bay and hung it up for everyone to see.

"People just came down to check out the place," Donnelly said.

Donnelly, a Philadelphia native who worked for Red Lobster, entered the picture in 1994 after his wife, Mary, worked as a bookkeeper for Cantler's.

Donnelly took the reins as general manager of the restaurant while Cantler built a home in the Florida Keys. Cantler can still be found in the restaurant during crabbing season.

Cantler's isn't fancy by any stretch. During crab season, locals and tourists sit elbow-to-elbow at cafeteria-style tables, where they scrape the gills off the state's delicacy together.

But under Donnelly, the restaurant began to follow menu trends, adding Caesar salads, shrimp salads and daily chef specials.

"I'm trying to put things out there and see what people like," he said.

In the lower level of the restaurant, kids can check out Maryland crabs going through the molting process.

Famous faces

It's amazing what some people will do for Cantler's crabs. Donnelly said three guys from Oklahoma fly to Maryland every other week for the local fare, and some ladies from Michigan recently stopped in.

"They had their crabs and they left," Donnelly said.

Even celebrities and politicians are hooked. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, singer Jimmy Buffett, Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. have been patrons.

Last month, actress Drew Barrymore and her friends arrived by boat and ate crabs on the outside deck. Fellow diners were excited to see the blond celebrity, but no one approached her - they were too nervous, Donnelly said.

However, Donnelly managed to get his picture taken with Barrymore, who was wearing blue sunglasses and a sunny smile.

"She was just as pleasant as can be," he said.