Editor Maria, here. Monday, March 9 is National Crab Meat Day. To celebrate, I set out to find a true Maryland-style crab cake. Enter: Poppy’s: A Taste of Maryland in Denver — about 30 minutes from Uptown.
The Lake Norman-area woman-owned carryout and catering kitchen serves handcrafted crab cakes, creamy crab soup, crabby mac and cheese, and crab dip, all made from scratch by owner Rebecca Tapper.
“We’ve got people driving from three hours away just to try our crab cakes,” Tapper told CLTtoday.
Poppy’s also serves as a tribute to Tapper’s late father.
“It’s named after my father. He loved cooking and crab, and North Carolina needs some good seafood,” Tapper said. “This kitchen is a piece of him, and every dish keeps his memory alive.”
The menu is minimal, letting the lump crab shine — just like in the Chesapeake Bay — with little filler or breading in the crab cakes.
My pro tip: Show up hungry.
