Miners Landing at Pier 57 is a short walk from my office. I’ve been there many times over the years but now, things are different. The waterfront has always been a place that I take out of town guests to walk around. I also wander around during warm summer days to take in the view of the Sound, fight seagulls for french fries, and marvel at how lucky I am to live in Seattle. There’s a lot of construction happening but it’s not just buildings and roads that are changing. Late last year, Chef Nick Novello came on board with a clear vision of the future. The first time I got to try his revamped concept was at The Fisherman’s Restaurant, also at Miners Landing. You can read more here. Now, Chef Nick has re-imagined the classic crab feed at The Crab Pot, with The Royal Crab Feast on the menu for the summer.

My Seattle Foodie Podcast co-host Nelson Lau and I were invited to experience The Royal Crab Feast with a group of influencers and friends. As we entered the private room, we were each handed a watermelon mojito as we settled in. Now, I have vivid memories of drinking watermelon drinks, the most significant of which was an all-nighter in Portland that started at a bar with an outdoor volleyball court and ended the next day as the sun rose and I walked groggily up my driveway (I used to live there). I suppose that’s a story for another time. The moral of the story is that watermelon drinks are delicious and this was no exception! We also tried watermelon margaritas that day. Yum!

As we excitedly got ready for our feast, we sipped drinks and ate lovely sourdough bread baked fresh from Alaskan Sourdough Bakery, also at Miners Landing. Sometimes I’ll walk from my office and buy a round to take home to the family. It makes the perfect chowder bowl, which brings me to the clam chowder we got to eat! I love clam chowder! It was just the right thickness that I like, the ingredients blended together for a harmonious bite.

Each of us was served a single, perfect langoustine. Sometimes they’re called Norway lobsters. They have a delicate flavor and honestly, I think I could have eaten two dozen of them. They were so delicious!

We were ready for The Royal Crab Feast! Chef Nick did a great job of explaining everything along the way and even gave us crab cracking lessons. As I may have mentioned before, I’m a fan of cracking crab by hand and have been doing so since I was a child. There’s something so satisfying about hearing that “crack” and pulling out a nice chunk of crab meat. Yum!

The Royal Crab Feast

Alaskan Bairdi Crab, Alaskan King Crab, Snow Crab, Red Jacketed Potatoes, Fresh Corn, Andouille Sausage, Head-On Shrimp.

The tables were already lined with butcher paper and our tools laid out for us. Chef Nick gave tutorials around the room as we dug in to the bountiful meal staff came and poured before us from stainless steel bowls. As we ate, our hands became messy, which means cameras and phones were down. We enjoyed each other’s company and conversation. This is what food was always meant to be.

We thought we were full but they served us Strawberry Rhubarb Cake-in-a-Pan and Mud Pie. I’m usually not a fan of fruity desserts but I loved the way this one was done. I didn’t feel overpowered by fruit flavors. It complimented the cake instead of overwhelmed it. And mud pie? Come on! You know I love my chocolate. I’m all in!

The Crab Pot is no longer a singular tourist destination; it’s a place where locals can gather and enjoy quality seafood. My brother was with me that day and he said he wants to go there for his birthday. I love Seattle and it’s my forever home. I want to explore the city as if I just got here because every day is adventure. Many thanks to The Crab Pot for hosting lunch! Check them out you guys!