Fine flip-flop fare

This year's brightest new crab-cake venue, it turns out, required a road trip to Forked River (on the mainland just north of Long Beach Island), where the Mud City Crab Cake Co. was opened recently by the owners of the Mud City Crab House in Manahawkin. Unlike the crab house, there are no whole crabs to crack at this tidy strip-mall unit just off Lacey Road. But the pleasant 30-seat space, decked with nautical photos, cedar plank walls, and a blackboard menu with the daily specials, is one of the more appealing updates to the quick-serve seafood counter I've seen.

The crab cakes are the main event, of course, and they deliver a purist's pleasure, each five-ounce cake a bundle of crab bound with mayo and a light touch of Old Bay-and-mustard seasoning. There are other good reasons to visit, however, including deep-fried pickles that arrive with the unique combination of hot, crisp, and juicy sour. The skewers of local dry-pack scallops wrapped in broiler-crisped bacon are dangerously addictive. The fine key lime and Toll House pies are baked fresh on site.

Longtime fans of the crab house will also find the restaurant's signature "muddy sauce," a blend of breadcrumbs, garlic and white wine that comes with the fresh fries and steamed clams. This gruel-like slurry may be one of the ugliest foods I've ever enjoyed, but it tastes like heaven on seafood. Messy, but worth the effort - score yet another tasty point for the "freakies."

Next Sunday, Craig LaBan reviews Union Trust on Chestnut Street. Contact him at 215-854-2682 or claban@phillynews.com.