eat Home > Restaurant Reviews

A visit to Captain Larry’s reminds us of the praiseworthiness of a short menu. Rather than a pages-long list filled with potential bombs, Larry’s offers up a few sandwiches (burger, fish, chicken, crab cake, scrapple) and appetizers (crab dip, steamed shrimp, fried clam strips), one soup (Maryland crab), one salad (Caesar), and that’s it. And it’s all really, really good. Even better, Captain Larry’s is an unpretentious, slow-paced, yet classy oasis in South Baltimore’s go-go bar scene.

The crab cake (market price) is among the city’s best, full of lumps with a well-spiced binding, and you’ll want to order it every time you visit. That is, until you try the steamed shrimp (market price, aka expensive, so go on Thursday night, when a pound of shrimp and a pitcher of beer is $10). These are huge (though not actually jumbo) bugs, prepared in a beer boil and terrifically seasoned. Also try that salad ($4.50), which, while not a true Caesar (no anchovies or raw egg), is worth noting for its copious sprinkling of fresh Parmesan and, as a crouton substitute, tiny, cheese-filled fried tortellini (yum). Get some of Larry’s good grilled chicken or even better mahimahi on top for a few bucks more, and you’ve got yourself a very nice light supper.

E-mail Christopher Skokna