Dispatches from the Beach: Mini-Restaurant Review of Harris Crab House

We're in Bethany this week, for our annual week of sun and sweet tea vodka drinks with Mike, Alicia, Bill, Kyle, Mary and all the kids. It's chaos, as usual, but in a good way. Dixon keeps waking up really early and has been singing a lot of Lady Gaga. Par for the course.

We sent Dixon down on Thursday night with Cooper's parents, and the two of us had a leisurely drive down on Friday afternoon. So leisurely that we stopped for a late lunch at Harris Crab House (Kent Narrows Way North, 410-827-9500), just over the bridge.

We'd been to Harris before - it had been a few years, but we knew what to expect. The interior is straight up crab house, but in a cute way, not a dirty way (and there is a difference). Brown paper on the tables, big airy decks, nice views of the marina, and walls lined with vintage oyster cans.

The last time we were there, I had crabs, which, if I remember correctly, were good. Friday, we didn't really have time for a long sit-down (and when we eat crabs, it takes some time) so we each ordered a lunch special. I had the stuffed soft shell crab and Cooper had a grilled rockfish sandwich.

Both of us were totally, completely happy with our meals. My softshell was crispy from a light saute and stuffed with a lumpy imperial. It came with onion rings (awesome) and a perfectly cooked, very sweet ear of local corn. Cooper's rockfish was sweet and tender on the inside and charred and crispy outside - exactly what he'd hoped for.

So the seafood was great, of course, but we might have been most impressed with the house-made Old Bayish seasoning that was on the table - it had great spice without being too salty - and the squeeze bottle cocktail sauce, which looked like thin ketchup but had just enough of a horseradish kick that it was perfect. We tend to be judgy and picky about cocktail sauce and seasoning, so we were surprised to be impressed by both.

The service fit the spot - friendly and prompt and wearing t-shirts.

It was a perfect spot to kick off our trip and - so far it seems - a good omen. It's been a great trip so far. Rainy on Saturday as we moved into the Bethany house, but sunny and not even too hot all day on Sunday and Monday. The waves are a little rough, but the water feels good and the kids are happy. So really, what more could we ask for?