Dining review: The Crabby Lady is secretly kind of nice

On my way to Goodland on a steamy summer afternoon, I had done my research. Little Bar: closed. Stan’s Idle Hour: closed. But there was this new place, the Crabby Lady, and it was open.

I arrived about 90 minutes before closing (which is at 5 on this particular Sunday). I expected to be one of only a handful of people there, if not entirely alone. My expectations were way off.

The Crabby Lady was packed. There was live music, and I happily waited nearly 20 minutes for a table. While waiting I discovered the staff was very friendly, helpful and acted like a family -- and I’m guessing a few of them were. 

Things got off to an appetizing start with Joe’s crab balls. One was quite a bit larger than the other, but I hear that’s perfectly normal. And you can see at least one ingredient, Chex cereal had a visible presence. They looked like Frankenstein’s balls -- hmmm! Maybe I should rethink that. But you know what I mean.

Even though the look was not so appealing, the taste was another story. The mix of spices with the lump crab meat make for a very delightful foray into this crabby world we entered.

My partner in dine got the seafood bisque; from which I stole a spoonful -- thanks to an extra utensil from a sever who was in collusion with me. And no, she wasn’t Russian. We can still joke about these things, yes?

I’m not a bisque fan, but this was tasty, comfort food that would be perfect for any day that slipped below 90 degrees. Unfortunately, this was not one of those days.
For his main course, my friend in food got the fresh soft shell crab caught in local waters. How do I know this, you ask? Because the guy that caught them came by our table for a chat. Nice touch Crabby Lady.

With the proper tools in hand, he worked on this dish long after I was finished; and a bit past closing time. But people were still pouring in, asking for food. And I'm a patient guy.

I ordered the crab wrap, -- I mean, when in Rome -- which was accompanied with cole slaw. It was a bit juicy, but nothing this taco-lover couldn’t handle by looping one end of the wrap closed with my thumb. I might add -- this is not the best place to eat if you are more the knife and fork type.

The crab was fresh and tasty in all its forms. The atmosphere was pure Goodland; and that’s a good thing. On this day, the Crabby Lady proves it belongs in the drinking village with a fishing problem. And on occasion, so do I.

One word of warning, we left with a few welts courtesy of the local mosquito population, so pack your bug spray.

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If you go

The Crabby Lady

123 Bayshore Way, Goodland

239-500-2722

crabbylady.com