Faidley’s at Lexington Market – Baltimore

Faidley Seafood World Famous Lexington Market
203 North Paca Baltimore, Maryland 21201
(410) 727-4898
Monday through Saturday 9 AM until 5 PM
website

After hearing much about Faidley’s from John, and having gone last year but only to pick up a quick crabcake sandwich for Craig (thus not eating too much of it, it was his sandwich, you know) I was keen on going back for a regular old crabcake.  I mean, what he’d had last year was good, I knew both of us had enjoyed it thoroughly (going so far as to “bicker” over who got the last piece!). 

So after our trip to the Baltimore Zoo, we headed over to Lexington Market to check out the scene.  I was surprised to discover that the entier place was dedicated to food- it was all stalls/booths selling fried chicken, deep fried veggies, chocolate, fried rice, candy, cakes, and maybe two or three selling fresh produce and/or [raw] meat.  We stopped at a few places and my b. decided to pick up some English toffee and marshmallow eggs from this one candy stand.  I can’t remember the name of the place, but they were only OKAY. 

We continued on our merry and hungry way to Faidley’s, where there was a line though it moved very quickly.  They’ve got their system down!  I ordered the all lump crab cake platter, which came with two sides for a whopping $16.95.  I chose cucumber salad and french fries (at my b.’s request); honestly when I first saw the cucumber salad I was greatly disappointed, thinking it was going to be with mayo but instead it was more like marinated.  But it wasn’t quite vinegary, though definitely had a slight tang, they must have added sugar.  It was FREAKING GOOD.  The fries were good, though I’m not a fan of steak fries.  It also came with a smattering of greens and crackers, I suppose to put the crab meat on, but I like just eating the crabcake, so it was perfect the way it was (I ate my tomatoes alone).  YUMMY. 

I beg you to look carefully at the *EXTREME CLOSE UP* of the crabcake, on the right.  Notice how it’s still juicy and tender in the center, with the crab juices blending neatly with the meat.  Notice, if you will, in the upper right hand portion, a dab of orange; that is the good stuff, the roe.  So f*cking good.  I had asked for tartar sauce; once I started eating, I was ashamed to have asked.  This needed nothing; no salt, no sauce, no pepper, nothing.  It was that good. 

My companion had ordered the regular crabcake, and was pleased with his, though it was much smaller than mine.  For sides, he had macaroni salad, which I really liked- it had chopped bits of cucumber and/or celery, and was a touch sweet as well.  I detected a sprinkling of dill, which complimented the celery and cucumber very well.  Yumm. 

Seriously, writing this review I wish I was still there to buy another one.  Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to try their soups, though they sound yummy too. 

Note: Faidley’s has its own section of Lexington Market, which has a scattering of tables with no chairs.  You can only eat Faidley’s bought food at these tables.  However, Lexington Market itself has a whole second floor dedicated to seating, so if your dining companion wants something from somewhere else, by all means, meet upstairs to indulge in this fantastic meal.  They also have a central “bar” area where you can order raw clams and oysters to suck down while standing, and they do serve certain beers and wines (don’t expect much from the wines, I believe I saw “rose” and “white” as the two options).  Our meal for two- two platters, two bottled drinks, did come out to nearly $30 but it’s so worth it.  Seriously.  It was that good.  They give you a lot of sides to fill you up, too. 

Yvo says: Definitely, definitely, definitely go here for a crabcake or ten.  They were so good, I’m wishing I was there right now.  Yum.  They also can be ordered online to cook yourself, but I’m not sure how much I would go for that.  YUMMY. 

Also, note that though I grew up eating them and love eating blue crab- or perhaps because I grew up eating them- blue crab is not my fave type of crab.  It’s dungeness.  So I definitely enjoy dungeness crabcakes more, but they are much rarer on the East Coast, so I settle for these- the best blue crab crabcakes available to me 🙂