Sue Jackson, Ethan Drake and Pam Perkins (left to right) pose in front of Crabby Dan’s in Mendon. Drake is the restaurant’s new owner. Photo by Deb and Tim Smith
BY DEB AND TIM SMITH
This is the third Smiths Sentinel adventure to Crabby Dan’s. We originally visited for our October 25, 2017 installment of “Skyler Smith’s Tour of Mendon,” we sallied forth a second time on March 6, 2018 to acknowledge Crabby Dan’s distinction of having the best fish fry in the Rochester area, and this week we are here to salute new owner Ethan Drake. We also want to reassure our readers that the secret recipe for the best fish fry in the area is now safely entrusted in Ethan’s hands. When that urge hits you next Friday, don’t forget that the best fish fry in a 5-county area can be had without leaving your hometown.
So who is this dashing new Ethan Drake debuting on the local culinary scene? We have the story for you. His 25-year cooking career has spanned multiple establishments in the area and we’ll share just a couple of his gigs. He spent 8 years at the Baywinde Senior Living Community in Webster. One unique aspect of this assignment upon which Ethan remarked was that he enjoyed how well he got to know his clientele. It was like each member of that community had their own personal chef.
He also spent 9 years as the chef at the Grill at Strathallan Hotel in Rochester. This restaurant has always been considered one of the finest in the city and was the first 4-Diamond AAA Award winning restaurant.
So what does Ethan do with all this fine cooking experience? Coming out of Covid, he felt he wanted to get his own place and have it be a smaller establishment that he could really put his fingerprint on. He went through a realtor and when he came across Crabby Dan’s being for sale, he was immediately taken by the background and layout. He said, “It just fit the footprint of what I was looking for.”
In describing his approach, Ethan says he is versed in a variety of seafood and game and always tries to be very creative in his specials. As serious seafood lovers ourselves, we asked what he would suggest for our next visit. High recommendations were given for the baked Atlantic salmon and the fried tempura battered snapper.
One menu item that has taken off for him has been his breakfast skillets of which he has 5 or 6 varieties, including Italian and spinach & brie. Grab-and-go breakfast sandwiches are available now and coming soon will be wraps and landscaper lunch sandwiches, the latter being perfect for those on a tight schedule. Your specially prepared sandwich of choice will be prepared, wrapped and ready for you. The option of distributing these through a convenient walk-up window is also in the works.
For those interested in pursuing more health-conscious food choices, Crabby Dan’s has plans to further incorporate those healthy options into their menu while continuing to offer the fare their customers have come to love.
The dining room is now open and patrons can expect to be welcomed by the same staff that served them so well under the previous ownership. You will notice some new paint, new equipment and there is some new flooring on the way, but that down-home small-town ambiance still prevails. The current hours are from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm on Tuesday – Thursday and from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm on Friday.
Ethan has embraced his new role in the community. After the recent Mendon Carnival, the Mendon Fire Department’s clean-up crew reported to work early Sunday morning and guess who was there to greet them? It was none other than Ethan Drake, and the news that the work crew was happy to hear was that Ethan had brought 60 of his Crabby Dan’s specialty breakfast sandwiches. We’re sure that made the work go a little easier. If you weren’t part of that work crew please stop by Crabby Dan’s and see for yourself how delicious the food is.
