Crab

For last year's 20th anniversary season at Camden Yards, the Orioles and its concessionaire, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, brought in local favorites Gino's Burgers and Chicken and Stuggy's to the yard along with Dempsey's Brew Pub and Restaurant , a year-round restaurant located in the stadium's warehouse, and the Roof Top Deck in centerfield, an instant fan favorite. And then the Orioles did what they did. This year is more about tweaking, upgrading and responding to requests from fans — including, the Orioles acknowledge, vegetarians who were still making do with french fries and pizza.

Crabbing season officially begins in Maryland today, but the Chesapeake Bay's blue crabs apparently haven't gotten the word. My colleague Richard Gorelick reports that watermen, seafood dealers, restaurateurs and state natural resource officials all believe that chilly bay water temperatures lately could mean a meager harvest for now. "The cold temperatures are likely to keep early catches low," Brenda Davis, blue crab program manager of...

The soft-shell crab sandwich would join Maryland's roster of state symbols under legislation passed Monday night by the Senate. The 43-1 vote sends the bill to the House of Delegates, where it faces an uncertain fate. The House has generally been less enthusiastic about symbol bills than the upper chamber. According to the Maryland Manual, the state has 23 state symbols, including the blue crab as state crustacean. Since the blue crab in its recently molted form is the key ingredient in the classic soft-shell sandwich, the bill would make the species Callinectes sapidus doubly symbolic.

April 1 is the official start to the blue crab harvest in Maryland. But don't reach for your mallet just yet. "It's not time for crabs," said Jessica Borowski, a manager at Midtown BBQ and Brew. "It's too cold out. " The crabs seem to agree. The Chesapeake Bay's water temperature hasn't risen enough for the crabs to become active - and catchable. Consumers set on Maryland crabs will see limited availability for now - and prices to match. Prices for Chesapeake Bay crabs are typically high at the start of the season, and people who want them in April will have to pay even more than usual.

If you can find steamed crabs in Baltimore, consider yourself lucky. Bo Brooks in Canton has an outgoing voice message telling customers there aren't any crabs. A hostess confirmed the bad news. The crabs aren't coming in. The problem is on the supply side. The Maryland crab harvest doesn't begin until April 1, and the supply from the winter harvest from the Gulf of Mexico has dwindled. "This is the worst winter we've had in recent memory," said Dan Donnelly, general manager of Cantler's Riverside Inn in Annapolis, who said his suppliers simply don't have crabs to give him. "If they did, I'd be getting them," Donnelly said.

In Baltimore, everybody knows Costas Inn. The Dundalk institution has been around since 1971, when Costas Triantafilos - still the owner, now working with his son, Pete - opened the restaurant. Since the '70s, Costas has grown into a nationally recognized crab powerhouse, serving steamed crabs year-round and shipping crab cakes and crab seasoning all over the country. But back in Baltimore, the restaurant is more than just a place to pick crabs. We visited Costas during the "off" season to see what else the Baltimore landmark has to offer.

Hotel restaurants often get a bad rap. Many are known for boring decor, pricey food and lackadaisical service. FountainSide at the Doubletree by Hilton in Pikesville fits some of those descriptions - but the service is anything but lazy. The restaurant and its lounge occupy a large space on the Reisterstown Road side of the Doubletree. We entered through the lobby, finding the space fairly easily, despite the lack of clear signage. Later we realized that the hotel's side door was actually more convenient to the restaurant, but first-time visitors would have trouble finding that entrance.

The folks at Aramark sent over some game-day recipes from M&T Bank Stadium's Executive Chef Joe Bachman . There was one for Maryland crab cakes, another for pit beef sandwiches, but I thou ght you'd want to see the one for Maryland Crab Tots. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Aramark is the exclusive food and beverage partner for M&T Bank Stadium. Here's the recipe for Maryland Crab Tots from M&T Bank Stadium: •    2 pounds tots (any supermarket brand will do)

Researchers at Queen's University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, are out with a new study that they say indicates that crabs feel pain. Or at least the shore crab ( Carcinus maenas ) does. The experiment, designed by Barry Magee and Robert W. Elwood, introduced crabs to a new environment that included two shelters, one benign and one that gave out mild electric shocks. When the crabs were reintroduced to the environment, they pretty much did whatever they did the first time. But the third time they went in the tank, they tended to steer clear of the shock-giving shelter.

The Crabs Atlantic Stars of Maryland, the only East Coast team at the 12th annual Adrenaline Challenge last weekend in Del Mar, Calif., went undefeated to win their age bracket, capped by a last-minute win in the final. In the STX Middle School A bracket championship against the three-time defending champion L.A. Lazers, the Crabs trailed by a goal with 1:27 to go. Luke Shilling tied the game on an inside roll with 29 seconds to go. The Crabs won the ensuing faceoff, and coach Andy Shilling called a timeout.