STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS The Crazy Crab Jarvis Creek rises from the ashes with a new look,
a new chef, a new bar and the same great seafood that made it an institution. BY BARRY KAUFMAN
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COURTESY OF COASTAL RESTAURANTS & BARS
There’s a common misconception that fire is a force of destruction. We tend to only focus on the ashes and the charred timbers of a forest fire, but we don’t see the saplings poking out of that soot which will renew the entire ecosystem. Just as a fire reinvigorates a forest by clearing away old growth, The Crazy Crab north has re-emerged from a devastating fire, just as it did 20 years ago. And what it has become is nothing less than amazing. “We had to totally redo everything,” said The Crazy Crab Partner Courtney Kenneweg. Tom Reilley opened the restaurant along with Kenneweg’s father Peter and a handful of investors in 1984. And just as they did in 1999, the partners had to reinvent the restaurant following a fire. Back then, The Crazy Crab burned down completely. This time, the flames were contained to the attic, the result of a grease fire in the kitchen that wasn’t properly dealt with. But with the roof gone, water damage swept through the restaurant. A handful of things survived – an old wooden skiff that 40
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hangs from the rafters. An enormous grouper that hangs along one wall. The neon sign bearing the restaurant’s logo, carefully packed up in Kenneweg’s truck to be restored in Charleston. They were even able to save one of the restaurant’s resident eels from the iconic fishtank. “As soon as the fire department let us back in, Curtis Richter who maintains our tank went in headfirst, scooped out the eel and was able to save it,” said Kenneweg. Some of the changes are cosmetic – the low-pile carpeting, threadbare in spots, was torn out and replaced with gorgeous hardwood floors. The old timber planks that framed the fish tank were replaced with shining white subway tiles with golden accents. Fresh rustic shiplap hugs each wall in the main dining room, illuminated by new light fixtures. “Pretty much everything you touch is new here,” said Kenneweg. But along with the small changes were the big changes. The entryway was completely revamped, with an expanded retail section featuring a wide selection of locally made products.