Only nice people allowed: It’s the local Lauraville family love that makes Koco’s Pub perfect

Our Maryland Crab Cake Tour will be making more stops with Marcella and her gang on Harford Road in Lauraville as we continue to the take the show on the road, presented by The Maryland Lottery, Window Nation and Jiffy Lube. The familiar faces of the place and the parrots, margaritas and Koconut shrimp extend behind the bar and into the kitchen with a great family story. Meet Liz and Sea Bass. They’ve got Orioles Fever, too!

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

crab cake, crab, people, coco, jersey, place, game, week, eat, fry, beautiful, crab meat, neighborhood, wife, mayfield, order, ravens, cakes, talking, oreo

SPEAKERS

Liz Diaz, Nestor Aparicio, Sebastian Sandkuhler

Nestor Aparicio  00:00

Welcome back at W N, st Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore positive we’re positively doing Baltimore positive Maryland crabcake tour activity. So brought to you by our friends at the Maryland lottery. Let myself play along with the Ravens here. We’re scratching off we had $100 winner here on the 50th anniversary a couple of weeks ago. Also our friends at window nation I had the wacky hat on with Max Weiss. I like to wear the wacky hat. It’s kind of like the the Oreo floppy hat. So it got a little bit of that going on 866 90 nation and our newest sponsor at Jiffy Lube. I’m gonna be talking about oil changes. I had mine change America Bulevar two weeks ago. Football season is here. Baseball season this year, and crab cake season is here. I got two people that I’ve never really talked to them because they’re too busy working on that Coco’s part of Maryland crab cake tour. And I’ve had the coconut shrimp pad a cup of cream of crab soup. Usually, it’s sea bass doing something for me up at the bar here. I got a burger a couple of weeks ago, because I’m trying to eat the non crab cake. Everybody knows about the crab cakes here. And Liz is the one usually when you see either her I’m looking at Marcelo right now under the Coco’s parrot one of many parents here. You’re making crab cakes here. I didn’t know you were related. Like this is all new to me.

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Liz Diaz  01:12

I knew nothing I openly admit. Well, I

Nestor Aparicio  01:15

see we’ve already got sibling problems here. All right. Well, I mean, I see. I don’t know if I come off enough. Last couple of weeks. I one of you is always here, if not both of you. But I didn’t know you’re related. Yep. I talked to Liz a couple of weeks ago because I didn’t grow up in the neighborhood. But I spent weekends here most of my childhood. My uncle Nelson, Venezuelan uncle lived on Tyndale right around the corner, right by receipt off at Eastwood. I dated a girl that lived in Iona up the street for five years. So I was in the neighborhood a lot when O’Malley was the mayor and the cops were out in front of his place. And you know, from a neighborhood perspective, I call it Berkshire, or laurelville and Beverly Hills. There’s all the names of these little neighborhoods and you said you’re from May

Liz Diaz  02:07

Mayfield may feel so we’re across the bridge past the church.

Nestor Aparicio  02:14

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So I mean, I think a Montebello on the one side. Right. And I think of like, like where Pepper’s was a million years ago and see the I’m getting you older where the Fontan Rouge was on Bel Air road does that mean anything? Where the park is we’re hearing wrong when a big hill is so

Liz Diaz  02:33

we grew up originally at Bellaire Edison we’re at Chester Belair Edison Chester flower. Yeah, and Bel Air Field. No, that’s not my field. So we’re down the street if you go all the way across Chesterfield to Hartford road. Mayfield is the back area of that. Okay. talks in between Clifton Park and Montebello sorta. Yeah.

Sebastian Sandkuhler  02:57

So if you were good, just never

Nestor Aparicio  02:59

heard Mayfield, right? If I said Colgate to you, you wouldn’t know what that is. But if I said East Point mall, you’d be like, Oh, or Gandak. I mean, neighborhood names when you said Mayfield like, I feel like need to need to learn where Mayfield is. And now you got a brother against us from their two

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Liz Diaz  03:12

sons. My mom’s kid?

Nestor Aparicio  03:15

Well, city kids, right. And you guys, I won’t even work in your long time to have you right.

Liz Diaz  03:20

11 years for me.

Sebastian Sandkuhler  03:21

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I’ve been in here about 910 years myself.

Nestor Aparicio  03:23

Did you have any memory of this being anything other than Coco’s, because you’re a little younger than me, I was born 68. I mean, this place was born in 85. It says so right on the shirt, right? So was this ever any other thing in your mind?

Sebastian Sandkuhler  03:34

Well, like I didn’t even know this place existed until later started working here. We actually have an another sister of ours that actually introduced us to this place initially, the first thing I ever did was I went to the bar, watch an oil game with the sister of mine got an order of crabs, it clearly that’s a fantastic appetizer option. But we just did that we share that. And it wasn’t until she got loose starting to work here. And I was looking for another job opportunity. So a couple years after that, then I was introduced as a potential opportunity to work here as well. And ever since that happened, I kind of just been

Liz Diaz  04:10

so he is he is sort of our server and sort of our graphic designer here. Well, I

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Nestor Aparicio  04:15

mean, we got the ad on the website because you right? Yes, sir. Is that your parent? As a stock parent?

Sebastian Sandkuhler  04:21

No, no. So like, it is my parent. Like there’s there’s so many different variations of the parent and I use different ones depending on what the situation calls for. So some of them are going to be a little more specific and highly detailed. Others are going to be a little more generalized and less complicated.

Nestor Aparicio  04:40

They all remind me Jimmy Buffet

Sebastian Sandkuhler  04:41

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well that’s well that’s not that’s not a credit to me, that’s a credit to the plate and still

Nestor Aparicio  04:46

left and right. Cheeseburger paradise. I had that here. Liz for the crabcakes and you making them sort of out in the middle of the air because it’s such a small place, right like just going to the bathroom. I love being small just because I have barely get through the door. And here’s the thing I’m a friendly person to they would let me in here it says that on the door. It’s the only place I’ve ever been where that be nicer get out. I like that.

Liz Diaz  05:09

And sometimes people listen, sometimes they don’t.

Nestor Aparicio  05:11

Are you the heavy? No, you’re too busy making crabcakes 11 ounce crabcakes I see you making these things. And I mean, if you’ve never been to Coco’s there’s literally cooler in the middle of the dining room that has all the crab cakes. And it’s like a lot of places you go, they have wine, you know, cooler and all that. No, no, no. Why it’s a crab cake. Cool. Are you? Is there ever a point where you’re not making crab cakes? Because I mean, it feels like there’s 10 hours a day of creation of crabcakes here,

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Liz Diaz  05:40

it’s a long day and split generally between the three of us. If I’m not back there, I’m back in the kitchen. So what would you make? Week by week, we kind of go based on it’s usually the same number we pick up heavier on the weekend. So we’ll do more on Fridays and Saturdays, we build into the weekends and stuff like that. So it’s it. It’s just knowledge now

Nestor Aparicio  06:06

Oh, man in the aorta crabcakes. Here. I mean, I every time I’m here, I’m looking at tables. Is there ever been a table where people look for six people and they don’t get a crab cake.

Liz Diaz  06:16

We had a burger special few months back. And it was sort of based off of a case study a burger has what we thought it entire table came in and got case to be a burgers. So it is cool, we do have a really good menu. Our chef creations are phenomenal. It’s hard to push because people come in for the crab cakes and you don’t want to hurt them from getting their crab cake. But we No no, don’t get the crabs. We do, you know have our servers try to push the specials

Nestor Aparicio  06:45

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in their car and they drive over here like Ross is here from their lottery, she not going to crabcake and sometimes like I got into this and part of the crabcake toward last five years. And a part of me is just getting older. And like I talked about Akabane and the last thing I got to get some other things off the menu. But when you when you go and you have a thing wherever your thing is, that’s what you get, and especially when you’re known for it and people make that that travel but I love the coconut shrimp here I love the burger I got and when I did the show with the mayor here like three years ago with it the other direction we had our masculine Marcella and I became friends on Facebook and she’s always putting stuff up like so special and it never has anything to do with a crab cake like it’s always some pork BBQ it’s always something seasonal and different. And I’m like man they have like a lot going on over there and I didn’t know that about your restaurant so

Liz Diaz  07:35

it’s not how we advertise it more consistently now over the past three years. Eric and I have been back in the kitchen now for 10 years it’s it’s a big part for us to do something different to practice methods and creativity and kind of kind of build up a portfolio for ourselves you know? And they’re they really are amazing specials. We put a lot of effort time care into them so if you will they sell out often I

Nestor Aparicio  08:05

came back from cheeseburger paradise last week and had to settle for a cheeseburger I mean not to Coco is just a paradise but you know I mean but I did get the regular burger

Liz Diaz  08:14

and it’s yeah it’s sold out fast I’m surprised that the Nashville hot chicken that we have up right now isn’t off the shelves it is

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Nestor Aparicio  08:20

I was getting a little too spicy for me it’s spicy

Sebastian Sandkuhler  08:24

I’m kind of worse so if I can Oh really? Yeah Oh no, I don’t have a big tolerance for

Nestor Aparicio  08:29

once it says Nashville chicken I’m because that can go either wrecking go bad for me.

Sebastian Sandkuhler  08:34

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Well, it’s Nashville, especially tomorrow morning.

Nestor Aparicio  08:35

And you know, I’m just saying I don’t need all that I’ll leave that gotta put us Nashville

Sebastian Sandkuhler  08:38

hot chicken, but it’s in Baltimore. So if you went to Nashville and actually ordered it there, you better believe it’s probably gonna be spicier. I mean, every now and then we’ve run a gumbo or some sort of like that is

Nestor Aparicio  08:48

a love combo.

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Liz Diaz  08:49

We do shrimp and grits. Gumbo fantastic. Our shrimp and grits if you have the opportunity to get them.

Nestor Aparicio  08:56

I thought it was going to crab cake. I thought I was getting a coconut shrimp. That’s what I mean. Like there’s things on this menu like the imported baby back. I just don’t think I’m gonna get there. I almost got the fish and chips. Couple of weeks ago, I made fun of the salmon BLT and said who gets that for six? Like my wife gets it all the time. I’m like, okay, you know, but I don’t get to that.

Sebastian Sandkuhler  09:14

I mean, I’ve got customers that they will all like regulars. There’s this one couple. Absolutely fantastic. They come in almost like once a week sometimes twice or sorry, once every two weeks. And they always get the salmon one gets it with the salmon Greek salad. And the other gets the same MPL. It’s all they get.

Nestor Aparicio  09:33

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All right, well, I just want him to let people know that there’s more going on and cocoas and just the crabcake Yes, it’s good. It’s delicious. It’s large. The size of it the 11 ounce thing you anything you want to say about that? Because Marcel was mother just the way she made it. That’s basically it. That’s as much as she can fit into her hands and mold. Never 12 Never 10 Always 11 We measure everyone now but we’ll let you listen to my last name is Aparicio. Right so I bought my Oriole. jersey for the year. It’s been a long I lost my jersey sometime during my move when they were losing 120 games. And I was off the bandwagon that I’ve been on for 40 years. 4050 years sorry. I’m looking for my jersey a month ago. Can’t find it. White stitched up beautiful. I’ve had it since 1992. So I’ve had it 33 years. I got it and I was 25 and I was you know, that’s pretty sexy and skinny and fit me You know, I put it on fit like this. And then I started gaining weight. And it started really and then then I lost weight and oh six now fits again. I lost like 30 pounds, and 2006 and stuff started fitting me. So I’ve been wearing it. We haven’t won anything, and I couldn’t find it. So I went out on the internet because I collect these crazy rock and roll belt buckles. And I thought I’m gonna look for an Oriole jerseys. I put Luis Aparicio, Orioles jersey, all these white sox jerseys popped up Red Sox really weird stuff. And then there was this beautiful orange 1979 Oriole logo, so it’s a 79 Jersey doesn’t look like what they were on Saturday night here with the script. It’s a little different. It’s the 79 Orioles. My team. On the back. It’s Aparicio. 11 Louis played here. My cousin is a Hall of Fame baseball player for the Orioles played your 63 to 67 so all the Oreo pictures Louis are of that era. They’re gray. They see Baltimore their block letters, you’re an artist, right? You appreciate the vibe. And I had Todd Reedham on you know, Todd, right. I taught on this week talking about jerseys and the bad luck of the city connect jerseys and the art and all that stuff. So I see the 79 jersey and that’s my team. And to see my name, and Louise name and number 11. On the back of it. It kind of took because the pipe the piping on it was the 79 R and I’m like, I’ve never seen that. Like I didn’t even know such a thing. And it was my size. And I looked at a guy want $189 And I’m like no for Thundarr so I held out and then finally my son came over a couple of weeks ago. And he’s like You ever get that jersey? I’m like, No, I’m too cheap. He’s like just off from 99 bucks. He’ll take it. So I offered him 99 bucks and 15 minutes later I had a sale. And when it when the when it came in the mail this would speak to my orcas. I know you’re big Oreo. It came in the mail and my wife likes we get belt buckles all the time. And she said she thinks I’m wearing my Baltimore Colts belt buckle today for my childhood right? Because colts week here. I’m because in this neighborhood, I think of 33rd street like always because I used to walk from the sixth house, my uncle, my uncle Nelson. So the jersey combs and my wife knows what it is. It’s in a little plastic wrap. She literally said, here, it’s here and she sat down. And she went like this. She’s like, I want to see it. And I’m like, Oh man, it’s a lot of pressure. You know? So I took it out. And it fit me and I put it on. And I looked in the mirror and I’m like, that looks great. Like it’s a series jersey, right? So I wore it for the first time last Thursday. I got it like last Monday and award on Thursday. It’s the first time I’ve had anything Oreos on in a while. Because like, I didn’t have my jersey right. And I walked down stadium and everywhere I went people are coming off yelling at me about my cousin about the jersey, me my hair, whatever. And I’m thinking to myself, this is the best $99 Plus shipping that I have spent on anything in a long time and it’s because it says Oreos on it right? It’s because we have this vide going right now. The games matter. You’re excited. You’re a young guy, man. You don’t know anything about

Sebastian Sandkuhler  13:41

man giving me chills talking about it. Alright guys, I’m just sort of enjoying the chills on my arm. No, they’ve been absolutely fantastic to watch. So you said you last word on Thursday. I think we lost that

Nestor Aparicio  13:51

game. I worked Friday. We lost that game. I’m not wearing it anymore. But it looks good. I didn’t where I work Thursday, Friday, and we lost and I came home I was feeling really bad about it. Like, I’m only two in this thread. Man. This isn’t good.

Sebastian Sandkuhler  14:03

I went to the game on Sunday. And that was unreal. That was the one where it was back and forth, back and forth. And we want an extra innings. And I’m telling you what I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an amazing vibe. And like the mood around the stadium. Every fan was just electric. I mean, by the time the game was over, I’ve never seen a celebration like this since I went to a playoff game in 2014. Against the Tigers. You were to Dominion game. No, I was not at the okay. That would have been fantastic. Okay, yeah, I was at one of the earlier games in the in that series. But just going on Sunday, it was just absolutely phenomenal. And we’ve got all these young players and even if we don’t win the World Series, that’s that’s like, no, no, no,

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Nestor Aparicio  14:42

I’m stopping that. And that’s it. I’ve said we’re not going to talk about not win. If we just get to the World Series. It’s good. I’m putting an end to that right now.

Sebastian Sandkuhler  14:52

Well, let me let me restate that. I’ve been we started on the last segment.

Nestor Aparicio  14:55

Just get to the World Series. It’ll be good enough. No, it won’t be out

Liz Diaz  15:00

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up just in case, if we lose,

Nestor Aparicio  15:02

no, no, no, no, no no family

Sebastian Sandkuhler  15:05

violence. Okay, so I’ve been saying to my wife since June, we’re going to the World Series. I’ve been saying that since June. And then Monday night comes and we’re down by two runs and got two runners on base. Marlins comes up to the plate. My wife has fallen asleep on the chair. It was late. And she says, you know, if he hits a three run home run, we’re going to the World Series. And what do you know it happens? And I am, again, it’s late, and I’m still yelling, I’m pretty sure the neighbors were probably ready to call 911 Because they’re like, oh my gosh, there’s so much shouting coming from that house. We were just so pumped, so excited. And she couldn’t fall asleep for another hour, just because she was still riding that adrenaline high. And that has been constant.

Nestor Aparicio  15:44

The West Coast games were killing me a couple of weeks ago, you know, we got to the west coast. But so this ride we’re about to go on, right, because this is we’re a week out on playoffs here, as this is going to run next week. And tickets are on sale. I was checking it out. And I haven’t dived into $250 ticket yet. I’m figuring all this out. Luke and I are going to travel next month because the Ravens threw me out. I have flights book i flights held. And this I shouldn’t even admit this, I have flights held to Tampa to Dallas, and it’s gonna be harder to go there because the seating Do you know, but the seating they don’t receipt. So this baseball playoff system is different than it ever used to be. And I’m not accustomed to it because we haven’t been a part of it. I literally had to look this up two days ago when I held flights to say Alright, so we’re the, let’s pretend we’re the one seat and we’re going to we are going to be the one seat. We’re gonna have the three days off the two and the one get three days off. So that would be Austin, let’s say Houston or whoever wins the West. Three, play six. The three six winner has to play two, we will play the four five winner which is problematic because the four is going to be Tampa Tampa is going to be the best team. But they’re going to be the four C and I’m thinking to myself, Well why don’t we get them if they clean the clocks with Toronto for two games and it’s over with real quick. Why do we get Tampa why wouldn’t we get the six seed. And here’s the reason they felt like it would be unfair to have the one seed play at the vision winner. They fit the division winner thing holds weight over the wildcard right as it should. So we cannot play the six seat. So I thought we could play Dallas or go to Dallas or Seattle ever sneaks in there. If they were to beat the three C which would be Minnesota, which isn’t all that far fetched to think Minnesota could lose a three game series Right? Definitely. That’s why you don’t want to be the three seat right? So we can only play the four or five so the four the four is definitely Tampa and whoever they play you think they’re gonna win or beat them so it looks like we would play Tampa and we can’t play as an example we can’t play well we could if they be if Dallas if Texas became the five seed and beat the four seat, we can play the five seat but it looks like that would be Toronto,

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Sebastian Sandkuhler  18:04

it problem looks super, super likely know what we’re getting close enough now that

Nestor Aparicio  18:07

you can start to piece it together. So I held flights for the first time ever for playoff baseball. And the weirdest thing is this is and I told John Martin is from the Maryland lottery. We do these crazy crabcake tours. I tried to do them every week. I try to work with the restaurant based on time and like babies we do in the morning because they too crowded. You know you guys I want to do two to five. Sometimes I do Friday, sometimes they do Thursday. Sometimes there’s a concert and I can’t do Friday or something like that. Next couple of weeks, I can’t really plan it. I had the governor’s people call me two days ago, and they’re like, hey, Governor wants to get a crab cake with you in October. I’m like, Oh, you’re gonna have to wait till November. Because I am not booking a blessing I want to do is have to call and cancel because the game rains last night. And now game three is two in the afternoon. Because the city is going to shut down whenever they play

Sebastian Sandkuhler  18:54

with any luck. I mean, that’d be great for the Baltimore City economy.

Nestor Aparicio  18:59

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The city’s gonna shut down when they play. And as they play more important games. If you know if they win the first series, which they will they get in the ALCS. The momentum of winning will lead to what you haven’t experienced yet, because you’re young and we live with the ravens, right? Yeah. You’re not a football fan.

Sebastian Sandkuhler  19:20

I am a football fan. But for me Football season is only just starting right now. I mean, when they won the Super Bowl couple years ago, that was surreal. Never experienced that since 20.

Nestor Aparicio  19:31

Plus, train once a week, right? So like with baseball, these things are happening every day.

Sebastian Sandkuhler  19:38

And it’s been a lot longer. Wait. All right. Oh, yeah. And a lot

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Nestor Aparicio  19:41

more games of awfulness than the Ravens think for years. You know, it’s a couple of weekends, or it’ll stink for a year. It’s 162 Well, I

Sebastian Sandkuhler  19:49

mean, I remember back in the day, I would be like I Well, the oil game is on do I want to watch it and I’d rather just play video game alright, but nowadays, it’s like I want to watch every single game. I’m that invested in this team and

Nestor Aparicio  20:00

Who’s your guy? You get one jersey, what do you get?

Sebastian Sandkuhler  20:04

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So, if I had the choice and it wasn’t just a gift that somebody was like, Hey, I got you a regimen. I got a regimen for a Secret Santa last year, but quite honestly, I’m a big haze fan. Okay, Haze is outstanding. I mean when they had a walk off home, walk off, run the other day, he came in with the Gatorade tank and dumped it on everybody. And he just was shouting and yelling and he just looks super comical, but he’s been there so long. And he’s really had to fight through a lot of injuries and tough times. He’s made some great plays had some big house standing in the outfield.

Nestor Aparicio  20:36

I love watching scary Rennick he was my guy on a 79 Orioles. So when I’m looking at these jerseys, I’m looking at the apparition, the Rennick. He was only like 129 I’m like, I’m not getting the random key. I’m gonna get an apple receipt. I’m gonna get it. You know, it’s, you know, I want that jersey. But the red key man at 35 and that 1979 pa and it was one of those modern ones that breeds? Yeah, the one that I bought for 100 bucks. It’s 25 it’s polyester thick. It’s legitimate. Yeah, I’m not putting the washing machine no problem. I wasn’t worried about falling apart. I was like, this thing is sturdy. You know it was made last century it has that vibe to it. But the reading teacher and reading he was my guy on a 79 team. I was never like, honestly, I wasn’t a coward Eddie guy was but I always was more of like a Brady Anderson fan or more of like a fan of Kiko Garcia. I like Tom show pay when I was a kid. And that’s to be the star player. That’s why I ask you what your favorite Oriole is because you like if you’re watching them every night. You can say it’s gonna Henderson or rutschman. But if you watch them every night, there’s a chance you’re gonna fall in love with. There is just like the song. Really? Yeah. Oh,

Sebastian Sandkuhler  21:43

there’s the chills again, something magic

Nestor Aparicio  21:45

happens. Well, we’re Coco’s. Yeah, I’m just kidding you guys. I looked at the coconut fried shrimp spelt with a K. And I’m like, I like the editor me wanted to change and I’m like, Oh, we’re Coco’s with the K. Don’t just get the crab. I mean, get the crab cakes. But don’t just get the crab cakes. And you guys are always big on ordering and ordering ahead, you do a lot of curbside. You don’t have the biggest place here. So it’s like when Marcel was like, Don’t tell everybody to come and watch the games here. We don’t have room for everybody. But but this is a neighborhood bar, one point at a pool table in here, right here. But from a spatial standpoint, a lot of people combine the curbside dinner and order ahead, and then you gotta ship crabcakes you’re doing as much shipping Are you doing anything? There’s a lot of different ways people can enjoy this without bellying up to the bar, so they speak right?

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Liz Diaz  22:33

Yeah. Different experience, but same same great food. Always had

Nestor Aparicio  22:39

Marcella gave me a little primer on cooking them at home. You send them home raw, are they half or what are the crabs already cooked? Right? The crabs are cooked. But yeah, it’s it’s the raw form of the crab cake. How do you prefer people to do it when they get a crab cake? Is it broiled? Is that

Liz Diaz  22:56

we boil them? We brought them here. It’s the easiest thing. We get a lot of questions now about air frying. And I don’t know no air fryer,

Sebastian Sandkuhler  23:05

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like you could like you could do it. Like, I’ve heard people talking about doing it on the grill. And I’m like, I mean, yeah, so lots of

Liz Diaz  23:11

ways to cook a crab cake, but we brought it here and it’s most consistent, at least for

Nestor Aparicio  23:16

our purpose for the people that make beautiful crab cakes. And yeah, obviously usually beautiful. They’re picked softballs, but people that make these delicate crab cakes and stuff. They given to me in a box, take it home. I see. You don’t want to see what I want to do to that thing. Because I’m a fry guy. I’m from Dundalk, right. And I know if there’s not like enough binder in it, it’ll just disintegrate into the pan and then it just becomes Fried crab. It’s it becomes an Asian dish. It’s heated with chopsticks, you know, it just it just disappears. But for me with crabcakes like I grew up poor, so I grew up special meat and aandacht and my mom we were having any crab meat my mom got was it didn’t have to be jumbo anything or lump Bernie that but she made little fried hockey pucks and you know, little fried crab cakes, just like they made a memorial stadium and a press box. And so I will fry it. If you You’re sending me home with crap because my wife like my wife had had your crab cake yet. That’s true love. Now why my wife has not had your crab cake yet. So she when she came in, here’s what she said. Your crab cakes too big. I can’t order that. It’s too big. That’s what she said. She said she wasn’t that hungry that you got a cheeseburger instead. So I’m taking the crab cake home. And if I had my way you’d hate me. I mean, I’d flattened that saying it’d be like a pancake that fried off so

Liz Diaz  24:36

we don’t we don’t fry them but we do get special orders for well done smash crabcakes so we’ll smash it. Throw it in the oven extra knockdown

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Nestor Aparicio  24:44

cheese, see laurelville Then they call them artists down here but they’re open minded. Not Gucci, Gucci, they’re like no, we broil our crabcakes are crap. These are only broiled. We don’t do any of that. And then other places are like now we fry them. Oh out of them. And I’m like, Alright, good.

Liz Diaz  25:01

And we’ll do what we can. We’re so small that we can only accommodate so many special requests. But that is a pretty common one. closest we can get to frying a crab cake, I guess.

Nestor Aparicio  25:11

I don’t know that I’ve had more crab cakes than anybody, but I’ve had more than anybody recently. Uh, you know, I mean, like, I’ll just say in the last three years, I’ve been all over the state. I’ve been on back roads on the Eastern Shore back roads in Southern Maryland, been to places where the internet doesn’t work, you know, all sorts of, I’ve done crazy stuff with crab cakes. And every single one is different. Every one of them is different. And when I have conversations now with like young people like you, but with like, older people that are chefs that have their thing about it. I had Andrew Zimmern on the show at the Super Bowl like five years ago, and he thinks he knows everything right? And we like we’re friends, we’re good. And he said, and there’s a guy from not from around here is like, there’s only one way to do a crab cake. You do this and that and that. And that’s crab cake. And I’m like, stop with yourself, man. No, no, don’t come on. Now. There’s a million ways to do this. One thing is very controversial for me and you don’t do it here. But when they put pimento or a little pepper in a crab cake, like more like a crab Imperial sort of recipe. I’m not against that. And that’s controversial. Some people say doesn’t belong in a crab cake. You can make it a funny face or No,

Liz Diaz  26:23

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I just have I’m so crab picked out like eating them. I don’t even know what I would enjoy that like I have number one Coke is crabcakes bias. So when will you eat it? So like peppers? I went through my nose up, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to make it that way. I just don’t think it’s necessary.

Sebastian Sandkuhler  26:41

I mean, I see all the different orders that people are always putting in and I get a lot of unusual requests. Some of them are more unusual than others. But I mean when they’re like should I have this with cocktail tartar sauce and I say well, it’s up to you. I would suggest having it without it first because it’s literally

Nestor Aparicio  26:55

crab cake does not need any cocktail sauce. But certainly don’t need ITAR but that’s your there’s not a crab cake in a world that needs

Liz Diaz  27:01

tarzi but now you’re acting like that guy. There’s only one way to eat a crab cake and

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Nestor Aparicio  27:06

I can eat crab cakes in 30 days Two summers ago, not knowing anything. I got my car I drove across Virginia. I identified places on the internet that like your place and people yelled at me about your crab cakes long before I ever came in here to have it or whatever. When I started having crab cakes and stuff who we got to go to Coco’s Mayor when he was a city councilor. Go to Coco’s and he becomes a marriage here so like I don’t need to sell your your crab cake is unique, sweet, delicious. Big for always fresh because you’re like freshly making them here. But your crab cakes your crab cake. I’ve had some awful concoctions. I mean, I’ve had stuff. I told the story last week I was in I hate to admit this. I was in montgomery county, not for long. All right, I was just going through and I got a crab cake in a place that came recommended and it’s a place if you I’m not I’m never going to out it but if you look it was in a market in the really Tony rich era. Really Daniel Snyder’s neighborhood All right, okay. So Potomac, okay. Go in this joint on a recommendation is a sign that we ship our crabcakes I’m like great. It’s a bit of a deli like a really upscale, like, deli kind of foods, pre prepared foods and stuff and everything with gray wine, crackers, cheese, all sorts of imported meats stuff. Oh my god it to crab cakes. We were on our way to see sticks. And a couple of bands down at that, that hellhole them and asks, so get down there awful. But so we get down there and I got the bag of crab cakes and we have beer in a cooler and chairs tailgate. Get it all out. Beautiful nights summers, August. And my wife likes videotaping me eating the crab cake to like get my reaction. She got the camera on me and I’m sitting there with a plastic fork at the middle of the parking lot Manassas. And I took a bite and I got a crunched. Like I don’t I’m picking at it because I’m always trying to see if it’s got celery like what’s in it. You know, what’s the slurry, some dry, musty? I’m trying to figure things out for the flavor profile. ate it. She’s like, she can make it a funny face. And I’m like, I don’t know what it is. I mean, I don’t recognize it right away. Let me have another bite. So I have another plate. Crunched again. I pulled out a chunk of celery like a green, like a little piece of celery. And I looked at it and I’m like And I said to her taste this what is it? She started tasting like It’s like familiar. They took chicken salad. Like what you would make chicken salad. They took this chicken salad, whatever the slurry is and chicken salad and celery that you would use a chicken salad and they took your beautiful crab meat and put it in with chicken salad recipe. I mean, I’ve seen some issues. I’m from Dundalk. I’ll admit I’ve you know I’ve never seen that since and I never want to see it again. And that’s probably the reason I’m not quantum number County, but they ship these crab cakes and they say that they’re like Maryland crab cakes. And I’m like I don’t

Liz Diaz  30:06

I mean to a person in Florida it might be more of a Maryland crab cake than what they’re used to.

Nestor Aparicio  30:12

So oh brickies is a place right they have their their thing at the airport. I had never eaten brickies in my life right Marcel East Baltimore you probably went to brickies million years ago right? famous as famous could be right like it very famous crab house. And I went there for the first time and the only time in my life because they don’t exist anymore. It’s it’s a different place. And we may have a crab cake tour over there. But I went in with Kenny man candy ballgame in 2005. Six, live downtown, hot day we walked. We walked over, it was right off Broadway between the butcher’s Hill between the park and Broadway. Famous of like, stained glass window. Beautiful, beautiful building beautiful. And I went in and we got crabs. And I’d heard all the ballplayers in would always say I get my crabs that are traveling guys from not from here. And they say I get my crabs that are brickies I’m like, if I must be good, I’ve been hearing about him for 30 years. And I went in and ordered the crabs in the crabs came on the table. And I looked at them. And I’m like, how are they? And I ate them. And they were they were fine. But they didn’t use I don’t want to say Old Bay or Jao I don’t know what you use or how much you don’t use a whole lot of because your your crabs aren’t salty forward. They’re sweet for right? They use white pepper on your crabs. They delivered me crabs that I ate and my fingers didn’t smell like crabs. When I was done eating them, my finger smell like I’d eaten french fries. And I was like, this is the string. It wasn’t bad. It was what pepper with a paper peppery. They were hot, spicy peppery, like Chinese pepper, white pepper, like like what you would put an egg drop soup. And this what they put on the crabs. And I and everybody loved it. And still dues people. But it’s not like any other crab house I’ve ever been to in my

Sebastian Sandkuhler  32:09

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life. I hope you have your mind set on what you’re about to eat. And then it comes out in a totally different way. It’s like the difference between thinking you’re about to drink a glass of milk and it’s orange juice or Pepsi

Nestor Aparicio  32:20

or wine or something. So how do you describe your crap game? I say sweet is what I say. I say sweet slurry.

Sebastian Sandkuhler  32:27

Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely more on the sweet side. I mean, that’s honestly more of a question for her because he actually has a better idea. All I know is that I really enjoy the texture every now and then you will occasionally bump into a shell but that’s that’s that means you came from a crab that means it came it’s fresh. It’s actually a good quality, you know, source that we’re getting it. So I appreciate the texture. I like that it’s not overly season. Because then if I wanted to add a little bit more I could but like if it’s to season then I

Nestor Aparicio  32:58

I’ve had a lot of overseas and crab cakes on my tour. Yeah, I’ve had people trying a little too hard. And a lot of places like Andrew Zimmern is right the crab does the talking for your crab cake it leads with the crab.

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Liz Diaz  33:08

I think that’s our point is that we spend a lot of time are morning people are who get the crab meat and spend a lot of time picking out the best grabbing we can possibly get. We want that flavor to come out. The other seasoning the other stuff that we use it that’s complimentary, that’s just to bring out that flavor of the crabmeat more complimented. And the forefront is the crab meat right

Sebastian Sandkuhler  33:30

and same goes for the fries and the cold saw that is brought out in the platter. I

Liz Diaz  33:34

mean, we don’t overdo it exactly. When your

Nestor Aparicio  33:36

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crab cakes not real wet either. It’s more along the dry. Like I would say like I call it a country club crab cake that that would that’s my designation for it. Because I think it all started at the Pimlico hotel, your recipe is along that line of a sweet side,

Liz Diaz  33:50

I would say original crab cakes, it’s typically more moist. It’s typically a wet graphic. And it depending on the climate that we get in that time of year. Just sucks that moisture up sometimes. So they can tend to be on the drier side. Our goal is actually to make them a bit more

Nestor Aparicio  34:08

juicy, moist. All right, Liz is here. Sea Bass is here. Their brother and sister they don’t fight on my air but they fight in the real world. I took the mallet away from her best way to order advice for people if they want to come here at seven o’clock on a Saturday night. It’s a little more difficult, right? Just from a seating perspective to plan ahead when you’re coming to code. Because you’re only so big and you’re really freaking popular. I mean really,

Sebastian Sandkuhler  34:33

I mean, I mean if you’re coming on the weekend, you definitely want to anticipate that at the very least we’re busy we’re PACs. That carry out might be absolutely chock full of orders already. So don’t wait till the last minute that’s really going to hurt you in the long run and we don’t want to we don’t want to get anybody in a bind with their family where it’s like they’re supposed to be picking up food but we waited too long. We don’t want to see that happen

Nestor Aparicio  34:54

curbside. We’re Coco so brought to you by the Maryland lottery. Scratch off for you, sir. That’s all for you. Roz is coming in. Alternatively stopping by we’re gonna talk some music. We’re gonna talk some lottery. I thought Greg was gonna be here talking to a real baseball and ravens, but he’s not. I got the 18 It’s all right Ross is here. I’ll be back for more from Coco’s. It’s Baltimore positive get on over here and get some coconut shrimp with the K