Crabfries surprise

Photo by Chickie's & Pete's

I had the good fortune of stumbling into a fine dinner a Chickie’s & Pete’s restaurant. It’s menu dedicated to gluten-free foods is not extensive, but it contains all of the regional chain’s signature foods. 

(Shout out to our server, Emily, who clued me in, after I ordered a GF beer.)

C&P’s is popular for its seafood selections, but mostly for its Crabfries. These are crinkle-cut French fries dusted with a blend of seasonings, including Old Bay, and served with small vats of melted American cheese on the side.

The company offers Redbridge beer and it has dishes that are naturally GF or that can be easily modified. The GF menu includes all of its salads (without croutons) and dressings, as well as burgers (without the bun), all styles of nachos and chicken wings, and four hot sandwiches (without the roll), including the Philly cheesesteak. Seafood items on the GF menu include mussels, steamers, hot and cold shrimp, lobster tail and crabs.  

C&P's signature red or white sauces that drown the mussels are great for dipping. Typically, they're served with a basket of bread. While there are no GF bread products on the menu, I’ve brought my own, in the past, and encountered no problems.

On this week's visit, when I discovered the GF menu, I noshed off shared plates of cheesesteak nachos, Crabfries and mussels with red sauce, while sipping a Redbridge. My entrée was the signature salad, topped with grilled chicken.

The GF menu does contain a disclaimer that alerts customers to the potential for cross-contamination, especially with the fries. This is where diners should use their own discretion. Personally, I have eaten at C&P’s establishments multiple times and have never felt “glutened.” Others may be more sensitive.

Originating in Philadelphia, where it has multiple locations, CnP has restaurants in Bordentown and Egg Harbor City and operates limited-menu boardwalk establishments, which are appropriately called Crabfries. These small, seasonal outposts are at two locations in Ocean City, and one each in Wildwood and Atlantic City, where it is part of the Tropicana casino.

In addition, C&P's food stands can be found on the Jersey side of the Delaware River at the minor league baseball venues Waterfront Park in Trenton and Campbell's Field in Camden, as well as the entertainment venue Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden. Meanwhile, the first of the company's Express stands is located in the Shop Rite of Brooklawn.