City Crab Shack (CLOSED)

City Crab is like an upbeat, upscale Bennigan’s, which isn’t entirely a bad thing: Service is attentive in the bustling, loftlike space. Downstairs, next to the large bar, diners perch on stools to eat at elevated tables. Upstairs, the seating is conventional, and the conversational roar more muted. The menu includes everything that scuttles—you’ll find an alluring (seasonal) list of stone, soft-shell, Dungeness, king and blue crabs. Maryland lump-crab cakes are filled with chunky bits of delicately spiced meat. Fair warning: The food may be coastal, but the portion sizes are Midwestern.