FAIRFIELD – If you are looking for a good crab house, you don’t have to go to the shore to find it. Just head to down Route 16 towards Emmitsburg and turn down Tract Road, and there you will find Dave and Jane’s Crab House. The scenic farmland may surprise you, but rest assured, you are on your way to a tasty seafood lunch or dinner.
The family-owned restaurant has been making waves in the Maryland/Pennsylvania area since 1995 and have had earned a reputation for having friendly staff and tastebud satisfying crab cakes. It was the lure of those crab cakes that brought me in on a late Saturday afternoon.
The first decision I had to make was to eat inside in their spacious dining room or eat outside on their cozy patio, which comes complete with a bar. The outdoor setting was tempting, but I decided to go with a booth inside. The theme for the dining room is nautical, as one would expect. The menu is filled with options. Whether you are looking for all-you-can eat crab or if you are craving surf and turf, there is a meal to fill any palate. They even have a selection of pizza!
As I mentioned before, I was there for their highly recommended crab cakes but needed to start with an appetizer. It is one of my goals to try a cup of cream of crab anyplace that serves it, so that was my obvious choice. However, there were plenty of starter options on the menu such as clams, fritters, onion rings, wings, crab pretzels, just to name a few. The cream of crab had good flavor but was a little on the thick side, which may not be very appealing to some.
For the entrée, I got two broiled crab cakes with hush puppies and a house side salad with ranch dressing. The crab cakes had great flavor and were loaded with crab meat. I could see why they were so popular with other guests. The hush puppies were a nice option as a side dish, and they gave a generous helping of them. I thought they made a good alternative to fries or baked potatoes.
The last course is always one of my favorites, dessert. There weren’t nearly as many options on their dessert menu as I normally find. There is a triple chocolate cake, key lime pie and one of my favorite choices. I love cheesecake, and whenever I find a new kind of cheesecake to sample, I jump at the opportunity. Dave & Jane’s offers a blueberry lemon cheesecake that was just amazing. I was so glad I saved room for dessert.
The staff was friendly and made sure to check in on me whenever my glass of lemonade got too low. My experience at Dave & Jane’s was a good one, and if you are traveling down Route 16, stop in and pay them a visit. Their address is 2989 Tract Rd. Fairfield, and they are open Monday-Wednesday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday-Friday 11 a.m.- 9 p.m., Saturday- 7 a.m.-9 p.m., and Sunday- 7 a.m.-8 p.m.
