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Very Best Restaurants: The Original Crisfield

Very Best Listing | Very Best by Cuisine | Very Best by Location

The Original Crisfield *
Silver Spring , $$

Back when good restaurants were few and far between here, Crisfield (now officially "The Original Crisfield") had crowds lined up in the street for a chance to eat in its plain dining room. Today's clientele is likely to wonder why it should pay K Street prices to dine on bare tables with paper place mats, paper containers for cocktail sauce and tartar sauce, and a primitive wine list. But this Silver Spring landmark still has old-fashioned charm and delicious, fresh seafood.

Successful starters have included the raw oysters and a shrimp salad, made with small but well-cooked shrimp, which was ordered as a platter and shared. Clam chowder was overly thickened, and the oyster stew tame.

The crab imperial was excellent, with the mostly lump crab fresh, buttery, and browned. Swordfish was fresh and clean tasting. The extraordinarily rich and buttery seafood Norfolk combination was marred by tough shrimp and lobster. The broiled seafood combination was better, and the side dishes, especially fried potatoes and coleslaw, were first rate.

The plus side of the wine list:The most expensive wine offered, Fetzer Sundial Chardonnay, is only $14.

The Original Crisfield , 8012 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring ; 301-589-1306. Open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner. MapIt!

QUALITY: ****Excellent; *** Superior; **Very Good; * Good
PRICE RANGE: $$$= Very Expensive; $$ Expensive; $=Moderate; ¢=Inexpensive

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