Last night a few of my girlfriends and I gathered at City Crab on Park Avenue South for dinner.  It was humid stormy Monday night so it was no surprise that the restaurant wasn’t very crowded.  I was first to arrived so I waited at the bar and had a ‘virgin’ mary which was made to perfection – spicy with the perfect blend of horseradish, tobasco and pepper.  Had I been able to have it with alcohol it really would have been amazing.  Shari joined next and we ordered the artichoke dip with maryland crab and baby shrimp while we waited.  A generous portion with fresh chips arrived and were perfect to munch on although I found the dip to be somewhat bland.  I thought it would have had more zest.  When everyone arrived we moved to out table upstairs.  The area was relatively quiet so we were able to talk and catch up.  The menu at City Crab has everything you would think of – maryland blue crabs, crab cakes, shrimp, fish, lobster and even a variety of steaks.  I ordered the Maine Lobster Cobb Salad while the girls all had a variety of shrimp dishes.  My salad was a mix of fresh lobster, shrimp and crab with egg, avocado and artichokes over mixed greens.  It was a generous portion although I could have done without the many shells from the shrimp that somehow made their way into the salad.  The shrimp dishes each came with a choice of potato or vegetable on the side so there was no need to order extra sides.  The portions were moderate but I thought they should have been a little bigger.  We finished off the meal by splitting a fabulous warm, chocolate brownie sundae which was heavanly.  I thought it was the best part of the meal and anyone who knows me, knows I’m not much of a desser t person but this was really good. 

Overall, I’d say the restaurant was just ‘okay’.  I’ve certainly have had better seafood but the prices were relatively fair although a little high given thequality was lacking a bit.  Better fish and seafood can be found elsewhere but if you are in the area and want a casual seafood place that won’t put you in the poor house, you might want to stop in.