12.26.08
Review of Back Forty crab boil, Wednesday September 2008
190 Ave. B & 12/11 Sts., 212-338-1990
Great for: Haute Barnyard fans, friendly bar scene, rare high quality food in Alphabet City
Four days after the heinous theft of my Chanel bag, I was still sans purse and therefore money except credit card, but I certainly was not giving up a reservation I’d had to call a week in advance at midnight to get. E and her boyfriend had come to one of Back Forty’s first Wednesday crab boils in August, and when she described it, I knew I had to experience it for myself. (I think they said they’ll do it again next summer; check the site in July.)
First they brought out a bunch of vegetables that I don’t eat (peppers, raw broccoli, etc.) with bleu cheese and pesto. I wouldn’t have wasted tummy space on them anyway, so I didn’t care. I was delighted when they came with a basin of steamed crabs covered in Old Bay seasoning and just dumped them in front of us on the newspaper-covered big wooden table we shared with about ten other people. The waiter instructed us in the best way to get at the crab meat and we were off! There is a vertical tab running down mid-crab that, once flipped up, allows the shell to be easily pried open. It’s as though the crab wants to be devoured. We were supposed to have four rounds but the others were such wimps we only got through three. I ate about twelve ridiculously delicious crabs; I lost track in a haze of efficient meat extraction.
Not content with providing scrumptious shellfish, the kitchen also periodically sent out redskin potato chunks and corn on the cob slathered in spicy buttery amazingness. It was a hedonistic experience eating everything with my fingers, worrying about nothing but having as much crab as possible. The peach cobbler they brought at the end was quite good, though according to E not as mind-blowing as the berry one they’d served before.
I had a regular cocktail, they brought E a replacement glass of wine after we dropped potato in hers, and her Concord Fizz was deliciously fresh and fizzy. Our waiter, though he must have been very busy, never showed it. Overall it is a lovely friendly place and I’ll be glad to go and try their regular menu soon. And of course, at least fifteen crabs should be living in fear of me next summer.
Rating: 8 / 10
Our cost: $110 (2 cocktails)
Noise level: raucous party
Chance of walking in: it’s quite popular, so take advantage of their reservations.
