Recently, my friend went home to Maryland and was sending me pictures of crab cakes. Crab is my most favorite seafood. I looooove a good crab cake, so when I read in the City Paper that The Mason Jar serves up some hefty crab cakes, my mind was made up to head there asap. I had never heard of The Mason Jar before I read about it.
I am not the type to crave a meat & 3 but I definitely appreciate good, southern cooking, especially when it involves seafood. The saying "don't judge a book by its cover" definitely applies to this situation. When Will and I pulled up in the car, we were second guessing our decision to check out The Mason Jar. Its in a strip mall type area and is nothing to look at from the outside.
The inside is nothing to get excited about either, but its fitting for a "diner" type setting. But let's be honest, we didn't come here expecting anything but good, southern cooking. We were greeted by a very friendly staff who's mission was to make sure you were on the receiving end of a delicious meal.
There were so many things I wanted to try. I ended up going with the seafood platter, with fried fish and a crab cake. I knew it was going to be a lot of food so I skipped the shrimp, which could be added on. The fish was flaky and perfectly cooked- it wasn't greasy at all. The crab cake was perfect. It was exactly what I was wanting and was served with a remoulade sauce, that had quite the kick to it. It was delicious and really hit the spot. It was a really good portion, too.
The platter will come with either corn bread or hushpuppies. As you can see, I chose the hushpuppies which were nicely done with corn kernels on the inside- very savory and delicious with their homemade tartar sauce. Lastly, you get TWO sides on the platter as well. The cole slaw I ordered was the cole slaw you expect and it was crunchy, fresh and had the perfect balance with the mayonnaise dressing. The potato salad was bland- don't order that.
Will ordered the Hog Dog - a hot dog with bacon, pulled pork and topped with slaw. The bacon was crispy, the bread was toasted and it hit the spot for him. I had a bite and thought it was as delicious as it sounds. The slaw is a must as it breaks up the texture of the three meats, adding a cold, crunchy freshness. He got the fries as a side which were ok- standard french fries, nothing special.
Will we go back? If we are in the area, yes. It was delicious, traditional Lowcountry cooking that was executed really well. It was nice to eat this type of cuisine without all of the grease associated with it. If you are in the area, its definitely worth stopping by! They have an all you can eat buffet Thursday nights and a seafood buffet on Fridays. Check it out and let me know your thoughts!
