Two More Chances for Crabs

After weeks and weeks of trying, some friends and I recently snagged a reservation for Back Forty's popular crab boil. Experiencing overwhelming success last year, Back Forty brought back this fun summer feature in which every Tuesday they throw out the regular menu and instead serve up Maryland crabs by the bucket with sides of corn and potatoes. This isn't an event for food sissies. You sit at communal tables, sharing sides with your neighbors, and servers come by not once but thrice with delicious crabs they plunk down on the newspaper covered tables.

At the start of the meal the friendly folks at Back Forty will give you a tutorial on how to eat the crabs with your hands and will provide you a mallet in case you need a little extra help getting to that succulent crab meat. Then it starts getting messy. The crabs are coated in seasoning, which makes them delicious, but also a little sloppy, so wear something you don't care about and roll up your sleeves.

Here's the skinny on how you too can get crabs. For two more Tuesday nights Back Forty will be running its crab boil (9/22, 9/29). Go to their website the previous Wednesday (9/16, 9/23), fill out the reservation request form to submit at 10am, pray that everyone else has already gotten crabs. Then anxiously wait to hear back from Back Forty. Flexibility in your dining time will help. Also, its a great group activity but may not make for a perfect first date so get a handful of your favorite food compatriots together for best results. Good luck and have fun!

Back Forty
190 Avenue B
(212) 388-1990
Crab Boil Price: $40 +tax&tip!