Seaside Restaurant   

A low-slung brick building wrapped by a small wooden deck and an always-crowded parking lot, Seaside Restaurant in Glen Burnie could easily be missed -- but shouldn't be. This popular seafood spot's parking lot is ridiculously small considering the size of the restaurant, so inevitably parking spills over into the residential areas behind the restaurant. Divided into three parts -- dining room, bar and carryout -- the establishment is busy in all of them most days. Hang a left at the front door to enter the spacious dining room, which is set with a mix of large round tables accommodating up to eight people and smaller rectangular tables for four. Despite the huge mural along one wall and a few nautical knickknacks, the seating area is a fairly plain, dim space where people get straight down to the business of cracking crabs. Steamed crabs are the big draw here but seafood of every sort is on the menu. The cream of crab soup is the specialty. Landlubbers will enjoy salads, burgers or the barbecues fare, such as ribs and chicken. On the opposite side of the restaurant, the bar occupies a somewhat brighter corner. Smokers, small groups and people waiting on their takeout occupy the tables and bar in this more casual setting. The takeout area, adjacent to the bar, has its own entry on the side of the building. -- Laureen Miles Brunelli