Bobby�s Crabcakes knows how to treat Maryland�s signature dish right. Bread crumbs, veggies, mayo, and other fillers are kept to an absolute minimum. Instead, owner Bobby Bloch relies on jumbo lump meat�from Chesapeake blue crabs when available�which is precariously held together with just enough binder and seasonings. Broiled and carefully placed on a potato roll�with some killer fries on the side�this crab cake has no peer. If it weren�t for the plates, silverware, and marble-and-wood d�cor, you�d think you were on the Eastern Shore, eating from a cardboard tray. It tastes that authentic. And just think: It�s less than half the drive from D.C.

—Scott Reitz