EC Diner
From the road the EC Diner looks like a classic east coast diner, and that’s what it is. It has a vast menu of comfort food items and “crabby” servers that make you feel at home…if you are used to diners. If not, you might be a little wary of the place. I’ve been to this diner many times before as my kid’s dentist and orthodontist are both in the complex behind this restaurant. I have had many great meals at the EC Diner, but I’ve always stuck to the pancakes or grilled cheese or burger, all of which are pretty great.
It’s also important to note that the desserts at the EC Diner are ridiculously amazing. My daughter and I went there one morning after a long ortho appointment and the ladies sitting next to us had come in just for fries and dessert, and when I saw their desserts I knew I had ordered incorrectly. The next time we went, we copied what these ladies had done. They have these things called Extreme Shakes and it’s like a sundae/milkshake/whole-piece-of-cake all in one. You can check out some pictures of these colossal masterpieces on the Only in Your State blog. They seem pricey at $12.99, but I assure you they are worth every penny.
It’s also important to note that the desserts at the EC Diner are ridiculously amazing.
I was struck when someone on the “Maryland is a cult. Not a State.” Facebook group said that this was where they got the best crab cake in Maryland. Could it be that the best crab cake was 15 minutes from my house and I never knew it? Is it possible that this unassuming diner is like the best restaurant ever? I had to find out.
My son wanted to get in on the crab cake goodness but he’s been under the weather so I decided on carry-out as to not share our germs. I tried to time it so that they would be as hot and fresh as possible and they were still very warm when I got them home.
The Meal
I plated the spread, but I’m not so great at food presentation so it just looks like dinner. It’s a good thing I don’t work in fine dining. But hey, it’s still an okay-looking plate. For $29.99 we got a side salad (there were options of a house, caesar, or greek (additional charge), and a choice of 2 other sides from a decent list. We chose coleslaw and french fries. I have had the fries before and they are pretty good thick cut fries. The crab cake also came with tartar and cocktail sauces. Since we got two crab cakes we also opted for the soup of the day instead of the salad for the second one.
The Crab Cake
Obviously I had to start with the main focus: the crab cake. First note is that it is HUGE. We were both delighted by the size of this lovely looking cake. Neither of us were able to finish our meal, but not because it was bad. This crab cake had a perfect combination of back fin and lump crab meat. It was nicely broiled although a little dry around the edges. The crab flavor was the star here, but to me it seemed to have a little too much filler. This is a common complaint among Marylanders, and I’ve seen much much much worse offenders. The flavor was nice, but a little under seasoned.
The Accoutrements
Under seasoned was really the phrase of the day. The cocktail sauce mostly tasted like ketchup, and while you can see specks of horseradish in there, it was barely detectable on the palate. The tartar sauce was much too full of mayo and lacked acid. The coleslaw also lacked acid. Since we were at home, we added lemon juice to everything to make it more balanced. We were out of fresh horseradish to correct the cocktail sauce, but the fries were good dipped in the sauce they sent, so it all worked out.
We think the soup was minestrone, but we aren’t sure and we weren’t very fond of it. It could be that it just isn’t our thing, so don’t take my word for the value of the soup. The salad was small, but fresh and crisp. We didn’t mind the size as there was so much food. We still have leftovers. I put some crab cake on some leftover pizza for dinner. Crabby pizza is best pizza. (Shout out to Mimi’s Kabob for their excellent pizza)
I put some crab cake on some leftover pizza for dinner. Crabby pizza is best pizza.
Overall this was a decent crab cake. Best in Maryland? I can’t say yet as I haven’t tried them all, but that is my goal. This was definitely worth eating and I’m glad to know that I can get a really good crab cake and a really good dessert close to home. If you are in the area, I highly recommend checking out the EC Diner. This place gets better every time I visit.
Light in the Dark 