The choice is extensive, catering to most diets and degrees of hunger. Old Bay Steamer has two floors, with a dining room on each. The upstairs is reached by steps or elevator. We sat upstairs, at a booth offering one of about four window views. Old Bay makes maximum use of space to seat its many diners, so don’t be discouraged by the prospect of a wait. The staff is organized and efficient, and you don’t even have to wear a homing device for them to notify you that your table is ready.

Our server, nicknamed “Spleen,” was a treasure. At one point she and a lone busser seemed to be running the entire upstairs dining room. We ordered drinks, and when my friend’s cocktail proved defective Spleen made two trips back to the bar until things were satisfactory. All through the meal she served the heck out of us.

Old Bay offers 12 appetizers, including raw or steamed oysters, shrimp, clams, mussels, crab claws, tuna and crab dip, gumbo, crawfish, and steamed stuffed mushrooms. We chose a shrimp cocktail and steamed clams. The shrimp were of a good size, chilled but not freezing, and about the only criticism I could make was that the “cocktail sauce” was simply ketchup. My friend jazzed it up with hot sauce (on the table), but some horseradish would have helped. The tasty little clams came in their shells, a dozen in all, soaking in garlic butter that wanted bread to dip into it. There was no bread, just crackers, so I used a shell to spoon most of it up.

As the name might indicate, the emphasis at Old Bay Steamer is on steamed seafood. Even so, if steak, ribs or pasta is what you want, you won’t be disappointed. A New York strip steak is available paired with your choice of shrimp, crab, king crab, or oysters. The menu does not specify it, but I expect that you could have the steak on its own if you asked for it. Pasta can be had with various shellfish, grilled chicken breast, or simply with primavera, marinara or Alfredo sauce. There’s also the fresh catch of the day and a pair of crabmeat-stuffed bell peppers.

A full page of the menu is devoted to steamer meals, for one, two, or the whole family. Prices vary according to size and contents. Lobster, snow crab, king crab, shrimp, marinated blue crab claws, oysters, mussels, clams, and combinations of same are all offered, accompanied by new potatoes and corn on the cob. Most meals start off with a salad, which was served in a large bowl for sharing. If you like croutons, you’re in luck at Old Bay Steamer.

My friend ordered barbecued pork ribs, served in a long rack with a sweet sauce. The meat fell off the bone as she handed a sample of it over to me, and you can’t get much better than that. I had the misleadingly named “Little Steamer,” a heaping plate of Royal Red shrimp, clams, oysters, mussels, snow crab, king crab (available for a few dollars more) potatoes and corn. The fish was steamed in a spicy, slightly salty seasoning and much of it accompanied me home for next day. If you eat steamed crab, you know that it takes a little patience and effort to get to the meat. Old Bay Steamer expedites this process with a combination tool, a scissors/cracker that allows you to break and then slice through the sometimes leathery crab shells. A roll of napkins sits on the table, because steamed seafood, while arguably healthier than fried, is indisputably messier. For the truly finicky, the server brings a large fingerbowl.

Dessert was a simple choice, since only two were offered. This may change from night to night. When we ate there it was a key lime pie and a turtle cheesecake. Both were standard and substantial versions of these two perennials. I doubt that many diners have room for dessert, but if you do, I’d recommend the turtle cheesecake by a slight margin.

I noticed that many of the diners were family groups, as well as teenage or college age kids on group dates. By and large, prices at Old Bay Steamer are pretty reasonable for the amount and quality of the food you get. Endure the brief wait and indulge your inner messy child at Old Bay, you’ll be glad you did.

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