Get them while they're hot — errr, cold.
Florida stone crab season, kicking off Oct. 15 and running through May 15, has a few Bay area food festivals planned in the coming weeks. Here's at least three places where you can crack into some fresh claws.
First up is Clearwater Beach's Cooters Restaurant & Bar with its four-day smorgasbord. Cooters 23rd Annual Crab Fest — set for Oct. 20 to 23, or until the crab buckets run dry — will feature an array of fresh crab throughout the event (and stone crab season's entirety). Those who aren't fans of stone crab may indulge in snow, king and Dungeness varieties as well as the year-round Cooters menu.
Hosted at Frenchy's Original Cafe, the Frenchy’s Stone Crab Festival will return Oct. 21 and 22. For a 32nd year, attendees will grub on fresh-off-the-boat stone crab claws at super wallet-friendly prices while supplies last. Food and drink specials, plus a raffle whose proceeds will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, will also be showcased at the anticipated Clearwater Beach celebration.
Local food, craft beer and live music are the focus of the Dunedin Craft Beer & Crab Festival, put on by Olde Bay Café. Held Oct. 22 and 23, the event allows eaters to dig into tasty stone crab meat at downtown's Edgewater Park. Proceeds will go to the Homeless Emergency Project.
This article appears in Sep 29 – Oct 7, 2016.