Oh, please. Faidley's is real, Gertrude's is yuppie. Two totally different target demographics.

mmmmm crab cakes.

No G&M?

I wonder if either restaurant uses actual fresh Chesapeake Bay crab meat, especially this late in the season. There should be some sort of disqualification for using frozen Asian crab meat.

Funny, when I saw the commercial for this new show, I immediately thought that crab cakes would be a perfect "Feud". But, I also immediately thought of Faidley's vs G&M. That is the fair fight. Pitting Faidleys against Gertrude's is like comparing apples and clove spiked orange.

oh, goodie. lissa's back making her snotty comments about everything that she isn't.

Gert's offers a number of different crabcakes. Clayton's is fresh Chespeake crabmeat in an Eastern Shore-style cake, but I think a lot of the other crabcakes use Texas and Louisiana crabmeat. Not sure if this has been affected since the oil spill. Pretty sure they don't use Asian crabmeat.

The best crab cake is the Mrs. Tawes at Gertrude's. Call it anything you want (yuppy, non-authentic, etc.) BUT know that it is domestic blue crab and it is crab cake heaven here on earth. Faidley's does remain a close second. Looking forward to hearing Symon's reaction.

Anon.e.mouse - LOL. My sentiments exactly.

What makes Faidley's real, Lissa, versus John Shields? JS has been a culinary icon in Baltimore for probably longer than your yuppie ass has probably been born. Sure, Faidley's crabcake is outstanding and it so is Gertrudes, but I'm just grateful Baltimore has been getting such amazing exposure for its restaurants recently courtesy of the Food Network (Blue Moon Cafe, Dangerously Delicious, Chaps, Helen's Garden RIP)

So get over it...

B'More in the house. Tonight we're gonna party like it's 1999!!

Oh goodie, the anonymous ones are back making their personal attacks without the guts to do it under their real name.

Oh goodie, Hal the sycophant is back, why don't you MYOB. She made a statement, let her respond to criticism. I don't think she needs the clique to defend her.

I have to say Hip Hop Anonymous calling Lissa a yuppie is the funniest thing I have read on this or any blog. This has to be the comment of the week, month, year, century, well you get the point.

(Time, delicately, to deflect the dialog.) I have commented before about how tired I am of all the competition on the Food Network. I recall being wistful for the old days when "dump and stir" was the formula for a good cooking show. It looks like the Cooking Channel may offer some respite, by my plaintive cry to add it to their standard lineup has fallen on deaf Comcast ears.

"Oh goodie", I'll be much more impressed if you have the courage to sign your name to your snark.

I know Lissa is real. Not so sure about the anonymous posters who seem so intent on driving her away.

@Hal I could care less if you are impressed. I think you should mind your own business. What are you some kind of internet defender?. And of course your hypocrisy shows, because there is no anonymity in any of the other screennames listed in these comments.

You can't shame a malignant narcissist.

Faidley's and Gertrude's have totally different audiences. We've also talked here about how food tastes different depending on the surroundings and who you are with.

At Faidley's, you've got cranky but really helpful staff, you stand at a table, there is noise, chaos and life all around.

At Gertrude's, you make your reservation, sit out in the sculpture garden or at a white tablecloth covered table inside, are waited on by waitstaff who may be cranky but sure as hell won't show it and you eat with a background of quiet conversation and music.

You could serve identical Big Macs in both places, and they'd taste differently.

So, even leaving aside the quality of their respective crab cakes (and I haven't had Gertrude's, although I've eaten there), comparing them makes no sense at all. It is like comparing a 1992 Toyota half ton pickup to a 2011 Cooper Mini.

(Anyone who's met me knows that I am a yuppie.)

Next - Compare and contrast the square root of -1 and yo mama's so fat.

You go Lissa and Hal and all the other long time regulars.
Illegitimi non carborundum.

Oh goodie, the anonymous ones are back making their personal attacks without the guts to do it under their real name.

These are the rules:
1) Everyone must use their real names
2) No horse play
3) No bottles in the pool area
4) No running
5) No loud music
6) No "rock n roll"
7) Nobody puts hmpstd in the corner
8) Humor will be limited to easily recognized puns
9) This is serious business. Limit your comments to factual opinions about subjective matters that further the narrowing of thought to fallacious concrete materialistic constructs.
10) Self-righteous moralizing and buttinskyism is limited to the Gang of Three.

It must really suck to be an adult all the time.

Oops,
11) Get off my lawn!

I don't get it - is there an actual feud between Faidley's and Gertrude's? If there's a crabcake feud in this town, I think there's more than two competitors - including home cooks.

it's an insipid contrived piece of nonsense for a stupid tv show. reduce a city to food cliche and then have different species "battle". Blech. Dance monkeys dance

What did you say?

I just can't wait for TruTV's next episode of "Drug Feud," filmed in Baltimore! Eastside Red Caps vs. Westside Yellow Caps!

Or maybe Costco vs. BJ's...

John Sheilds, the proprietor and head chef at Gertrudes, was born and raised in Baltimore just as I'm sure the folks at Faidley's are. I've had crab cakes from both....they're both great. I can't say which is better because they stand on their own. Just because Gertrude's is attached to the BMA does not mean it doesn't know "real" Baltimore crab cakes, John Sheilds IS real Baltimore. Being attached to the BMA also does not automatically make Gertrude's "yuppy".

sorry for spelling his name wrong...it's Shields! duh.

Lissa offered her opinion, one with which other readers might not agree. Anon.e.mouse responded with a nasty personal attack. Gotta' agree with Hal Laurent. This forum is at its best when we enjoy a lively dining debate...and at its worst when we slam each other needlessly (and anonymously.)

You do not want debate. The regulars or clique don't like to be treated with the same tone they treat subjects and others that do not tow the party line. And this whole anonymous thing, how would anyone know what any name posted here is accurate or not. I am not anonymous I am oh goodie. Lissa posted a comment received criticism and gave back a counter point, no harm no foul.

Play nice, people, play nice. Koko's gets a nod in my book. Out in the county, Timbuktu. I like 'em all.

Oh Goodie, we love debate here. What is not universally appreciated is snarky personal attacks, which is what we got from anon.e.mouse and some others.

Not accepted: snarky personal attacks? Are YOU KIDDING? If it wasn't for snark at least half the posts in the history of this blog would disappear.

Goodie, you missed the "personal attacks" part. Snark, sure.

Most of the snark here is a type of personal attack.

Your story has become tiresome.

Great you can't counter my argument so you dismiss. Typical close minded clique.

you can't argue with stupid.

Anyway, moving on with life...

I never really liked crab that much, but I agree with the Koco's nod. They are huge and delish.

Also, not crab cakes per se, but the crab pretzel bites at 13.5% are really really good.

Anyway moving on with life, sean is a d0uche and this blog is a clique dominated morass

I smell a troll. Don't feed the troll.

I smell a pompous gasbag. Hal, any more snarky comments?

Yup, definitely a troll.

How dare you anonymously attack me? Sycophant.

You're right, I am a troll. I'm sorry. I just don't really have a life, and I'm jealous that you guys actually might have intelligent things to say to one-another about food, dining, etc. This is how I spend my sad, lonely, lonely days.

No one loves me.

Forever alone...

Boy what a bunch of lemmings. Are you going to cry net? Don't break your arm patting yourself on the back. You don't really have intelligent things to say. You sure do seem to care about this old thread how pathetic are you?

Boy what a bunch of lemmings. Are you going to cry next? Don't break your arm patting yourself on the back. You don't really have intelligent things to say. You sure do seem to care about this old thread how pathetic are you?

Why do I keep doing this to myself?

For a group that does not care about trolls, you sure seem to care. Clique away!

Respect the delicate ecology of your delusions

Who are you people? Stop taking yourselves so seriously.

@Ella, that is the most insightful post I have ever seen on this blog. Be careful the clique snark attack will be looking for you. Look out for Not anonymous Hal to come after you.

As someone who is visiting B'more in a couple of days, I would like some local advice on the best crabcakes.

So, how about cutting the feud for a few minutes and giving a tourist, actually visiting on business, some advice. I am staying at the Marriott Inner Harbor hotel.

As someone who is visiting B'more in a couple of days, I would like some local advice on the best crabcakes.

How about asking what the best religion is?

If you want a really good crab cake, I recommend getting a steak.

As listed Faidley's at LExington Market open M-S til 6pm. Gertrudes a sit down restaurant at Baltimore museum of Art. Both in city. G & M located out of city is a good choice also.

Just go anywhere. It's meatloaf of the sea.

Good point.

Been a while but Sip and Bite was always a favorite.

Been a while but Sip and Bite was always a favorite.