Crack Some Claws at This Birmingham Stone Crab Menu Takeover #DetroitFood

Stone crab season is coming to Hazel, Ravines and Downtown. | HRD [Courtesy photo]

Pair the pincers with conch fritters, alligator bites, and barbecue shrimp

It’s time to brush off those crab mallets. Birmingham restaurant Hazel, Ravines and Downtown is once again bringing that sea spray feel to its dining room with a new menu takeover devoted to stone crab season. From Tuesday, January 21 through Sunday, February 16, the restaurant will be redubbed Hazel’s Crab Trap, an ode to Gulf Coast fish houses.

Owners Beth Hussey and chef Emmele Herrold plan to redesign the menu during the duration of the takeover and ship in seafood daily from Florida fishermen, similar to its wildly popular New England-inspired summer pop-up Hazel’s Lobster Pound. “The takeover is a major undertaking,” Hussey says in a statement. “If it were easy, I suppose everyone would do it.”

Herrold’s menu typically includes a raw bar with items like oysters, snow crab, and shrimp, but the Hazel’s Crab Trap will expand the offerings with a la carte options stone crab with mustard sauce and platters. Diners can expect options like the Sailor’s Sampler, a shareable plate comprised of conch fritters, popcorn grouper, alligator bites, peel and eat shrimp, and hushpuppies. There’s also a grouper reuben and head-on barbecue shrimp in peppery butter sauce. The Crazy Crabganza features a three-pound heap of stone crab, king crab, and snow crab. Hazel’s is also partnering with pop-up outfit Street Beet to create a vegan sandwich option called the Not-So-Crabby Patty.

On the beverage menu, look for beach drinks like frozen margaritas, daiquiris, and Hurricanes, as well as boozy milkshakes. For dessert, pastry chef Olivia Rinke is preparing key lime, coconut, and banoffee (banana, cream, and toffee) pie. Regulars will still be able to find popular items like the Token burger, spicy chicken wings, and cheese bread. The restaurant is currently accepting reservations.

Stone crab season runs from mid-October through mid-May and are typically served with mustard sauce in Florida. The pricey black-tipped claws make for pretty photos, which is perhaps why they’re such a popular seafood snapshot on Instagram, but they taste pretty darned good, too.

• All Pop-Ups Coverage [ED]
• All Hazel, Ravines and Downtown Coverage [ED]

from Eater Detroit - All