Adams Morgan mainstay closing
For over 15 years, San Marco has been an Italian mainstay in Adams Morgan. It had long been rumored that it would close, but tomorrow night they will be closing their doors for good. So stop by for a last plate of lasagna and wish owners Pino Mele and Roberto Massarin well.

Dish of the Week: Blue crabs

I’m a little crab obsessed, and I know soft shells have been the dish of the week before. It’s part of being from the Baltimore-area, where every event is stocked up with hot crab dip, or crab cakes. And no summer feels complete without some hard shell action on a picnic bench decked out with newspaper, cold beer and sweet white corn. (Although those in the know get their crabs in late August through October when they are at the largest, most plentiful and delicious). Though they don’t have the yield that larger crabs such as Dungeness have, nor the ease of popping a mouthful of lump crab, the delicate sweetness of blues make all the work worthwhile. There is a certain sense of accomplishment after emerging with a pile of shells and tiny cuts smarting from Old Bay, knowing that you’ve defeated the little suckers. Unfortunately, D.C. does not have the small shacks and trucks scattered around that I grew up with, where you could buy your live or steamed crabs. The messiness seems to preclude them from any fine dining scene. So what are your options?

Though it would be preferable to go farther north to Baltimore or Annapolis, you can check out Bethesda Crab House, which dishes out only crabs and not the sides that are available from places like Cameron’s or Quarterdeck. The Maine Avenue Fish Market has also proven to be a great resource for both steamed and live crabs.

Photo by geraintwn