Barking Up The Right Tree

Owing to my mother’s insatiable appetite for seafood and my father’s idiosyncratic habit of driving until he finds “authentic” restaurants, I’ve eaten in my share of rugged waterfront establishments. It is telling that my family’s favorite restaurant in Maine is a riverside shack that serves lobster and steamers at picnic tables and encourages patrons to bring coolers with their own appetizers and alcoholic beverages.

The Barking Crab, located on the waterfront near the Financial District, does the East Coast justice. After summers of soggy fries and rubbery fried clams, it was refreshing to eat at a place where the food was as pleasant as the atmosphere. The restaurant is a minor trek from the South Station T-stop, located directly on the water. During the warmer months, limited boat docking is available for customers.

The restaurant itself has a traditional indoor seating area in addition to the deck, which stays open year-round, thanks to space heaters and double-thick plastic insulation. Even in the still-brisk weather, the deck brings forth memories of summer nights, with its rustic marine-themed décor, complete with mini lobster-traps lit with Christmas lights dangling from the ceiling. The oversized, well-worn picnic tables are set with large plastic buckets filled with plastic utensils and large black rocks. The rocks, General Manager Joy Tarr explains, are for cracking the shells of the crabs and lobsters. “The health board hates us,” she laughs. “But they work the best and our customers think it’s fun!”

The Barking Crab’s rudimentary cracking devices, along with its blasé Jimmy Buffet atmosphere, make for a fun and relaxing dining experience. Even the waitstaff is in good spirits, sailing from table to table while whistling along to the eclectic background music. Tarr and the rest of the restaurant’s staff don’t differentiate between work and play. “We have a very happy staff,” Tarr says, maybe because “the people who come in are usually in a good mood and fun to work for.” Unlike stodgier establishments, where staff are discouraged from talking to customers, at the Barking Crab it’s not unusual for waiters and waitresses to get to know their tables, sometimes even sitting down to chat. “We’re not corporate,” Tarr explains, “so we can have a little more fun.”

With its unpretentious attitude and kitschy decor, the Barking Crab fits nicely into the genre of salty New England seafood shacks—multitudes of which line the coast. Unlike other generic seaside establishments, the Barking Crab has more to offer than a nice view. Typically, when a restaurant snags a stellar location, they forget to bring their food up to the same level—instead serving over-battered, over-fried assortments of semi-fresh seafood. After many bellyache-inducing meals of lackluster fisherman’s platters, it was refreshing to have seafood that wasn’t all breading and grease.

The menu features standard waterfront fare, including the requisite steamers, fish and chips, miscellaneous seafood platters and crab cakes. The crab choices change daily, according to the market. The night we were there, the “Lonely Crab” choices ranged from whole Jonah crab to one-pound servings King Crab legs. Lobsters are priced by the pound and come in a variety of sizes. The restaurant offers the option of turning basic steamed crab and lobster dishes into “New England Clambakes” by adding clam chowder, steamers, mussels, corn on the cob, coleslaw and watermelon to the order.

Their award-winning clam chowder is uniquely seasoned, with a deliciously thick consistency. The seafood is fresh and, for them most part, simply prepared. Instead of layering on the spices and gimmicks, the Barking Crab rely on quality ingredients and thoughtful preparation. Even the more inventive offerings, such as the baked stuffed salmon, feature only minimal fussing. The salmon was filled with juicy crabmeat, then cooked to a perfectly tender consistency and served atop a fresh mesclun greens. The crab cakes, one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, eschewed fancy seasonings in favor of tons of fresh crabmeat and a small amount of breadcrumbs. The accompanying seasoned roast potatoes and spinach made for a nice change from french fries. The spartan dessert menu features only three options—key lime pie, cheesecake and ice cream.

Due in part to the semi-communal tables, the restaurant takes on the air of a very laid-back family gathering, with some twenty-somethings and businessmen thrown in for good measure. “We get a huge mix,” Tarr says. “We have construction workers rubbing elbows with financial analysts.”

The one demographic they haven’t quite mastered, she admits, is the college scene. Tarr, who took on the management position only a few months ago, is on a mission to change that. The restaurant offers live music Sundays through Thursdays, featuring a range of artists that includes a husband and wife duo that can “play anything you ask for,” a reggae act and a local jazz artist. In the near future, the restaurant will host a number of special events aimed at students—a CD release party for an up-and-coming singer/songwriter and a kickoff summer luau.

With the weather finally warming up and classes finally winding down, it’s the perfect time to escape straightlaced Cambridge for a completely relaxed dining experience. The Barking Crab is worth the trip—and you don’t even have to change out of your DHAs.