100 Favorite Dishes: Crab cake at the Kitchen

Number 94: Crab cake at the Kitchen
We were first introduced to the crab cakes at the Kitchen when we entered the Grand Garage building in downtown Stillwater and noticed that someone had hastily taped a homemade sign to the glass doors, right under the words public restroom. "Crab cakes at The Kitchen," it read. "Have you tried them? DO IT!!!"

Yes, m'am! Turns out one of the proprietors of another Grand Garage shop liked the cakes so much that she had taken to doing her own promotional campaign. Our server called 'em "the best crab cake on the planet," due to the fact that they're "99 percent crab." The secret to a good crab cake isn't such a secret, in fact: it's the crab--a crab cake should have just enough binder to keep the thing together, and not a gram more, so the predominant flavor is one of pure, sweet, seaside succulence.

And take a look at this beaut, which does just that. Garnished with just a bit of grapefruit and cilantro, the golden-seared puck slides across the plate on an avocado puree, like a slap-shot straight to your mouth: Goal!

Hungry for more? The dishes in our countdown thus far are linked below:
No. 100: Volcano Salad at Tiger Sushi
No. 99: Eclair at Butter
No. 98: Moussaka at Gardens of Salonica
No. 97: "Flappers" at Colossal Cafe
No. 96: Bento Box at Obento-Ya
No. 95: Sausage, salami, onion, and green olive pizza at Black Sheep