Is there any greater luxury than a delicate mouthful of sweet Humboldt Dungeness crab that’s been picked for you? Or finding a finger of leg meat intact or the trembling point of a claw on your fork? What about on your fries?
The Crabby Fries at Trinidad Bay Eatery and Gallery began as a fun seasonal special but became popular enough to land on the regular menu, explains owner Betsy Musick. The plate of jackets-on, hand-punched fries dusted in shaved parmesan cheese and heaped with warm, butter-tossed crab, zig-zagged with Old Bay aioli and sprinkled with fresh herbs from the little kitchen garden just outside in the sea air (market price, $36). Start with a fork if you must, but unless you’re made of stone, you’ll be greedily pinching bundles of potato and juicy crab in no time — maybe giving the lemon wedge a second squeeze.
During the local season, Musick gets her catch primarily from Ashley Seafood and a couple crabbers who set out of Trinidad. And the Eatery makes the most of it, along with a host of other ingredients from our region.
“Our greens are grown just for us,” says Musick, adding the upgrade to lettuces from Woody Ryno and INI farms was met with universal approval among the staff. A bite of the Trinidad Bay Salad has bright flavor and juiciness to it even before you hit the generous pile of chilled, picked Dungeness crowning it (market price, $46). Along with the smoky tang and pith of dredged and fried lemon slices and dabs of Cypress Grove chèvre, a savory “granola” of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds and sesame seeds baked with maple syrup add toasty flavor and crunch against the homemade citrus vinaigrette.
The lettuces came on the heels of revamping the restaurant’s burger, a task set before Musick when she returned to Humboldt for a planned month of running the place while her parents Steve and Karen Musick, then owners, were traveling. Betsy Musick had helped out at the Trinidad Bay Eatery and ran the coffee cart out front when she’d been fresh from school, having taken a few years study in oenology and viticulture. She’d worked in the wine industry in Napa and Sonoma, and was living in the Bay Area when her parents asked her back up. “Three days in, I knew,” she says, recalling how stunned friends were to see her so happy with the work.
As server Kimberly brings out a crusty sourdough bread bowl that’s been grilled with butter and garlic before filled to brimming with clam chowder ($20), offers a grin and a pro tip: “Everything’s better with our chowder.” Especially, she says, the thick onion rings that arrive hot with a thin, audibly crunchy herbed batter, their insides sweet and silky. But any sandwich, she says, is improved with a dip of a corner into the soup. Immediate research proves her assertion. The chowder is thick and creamy, though not overly so, with still-tender hunks of clam, potatoes and celery, as good in the first spoonful as it is when you get down to the softened bread and the crisp bottom. (Your grandparents did not scrimp and save for you to grow up and waste a gorgeous loaf of bread.)
The soup dipping holds true for the Crabby Melt, too. The exterior has the buttery crunch of the ideal grilled cheese sandwich, while between the slices of sourdough is an even layering of cheddar cheese, tomato and crab tossed with green onion ($38 with fries). It’s a standard made the best possible way. That seems to be a hallmark of the Eatery’s “farm to table diner” menu.
Another Northern California classic is the cioppino, a deep red seafood stew with roots in the Italian American fishing community in San Francisco. The Eatery’s cioppino begins with a longer cooked soup base with tomatoes, garlic, red pepper, aromatics and wine in which mussels, clams, shrimp and cod simmer just to firmness before the crab is added as a finishing touch ($38). It’s “all the fish in the house,” says Kimberly. Served with garlic and parmesan toasts, it’s hearty and spicy but still lets the seafood shine through. (Plan to share.)
Given Betsy Musick’s background in wine, and the appreciation handed down from her parents, it’s no surprise the Eatery has a well-curated list with an emphasis on organic and natural wines. While the crab boats are busy, she recommends a few pairings to go with local Dungeness. The Trousseau Gris from Two Shepherds out of Windsor, California, is a strong enough favorite to warrant a road trip, she says, noting, “We pick it up ourselves.”
She says, “I always love a bubbly and right now, my favorite is from Humboldt County Wine Prospect,” the playfully named and natural Call Me Maybe. Also recommended to accompany crab is the aptly named Blanc de Mer from Santa Barbara that she declares “is good with any shellfish,” including the Humboldt Bay oysters on the menu.
Of course, a mimosa might be more your speed if you arrive early enough for the breakfast menu and its stars the crab Benedict and crab omelet. Enjoy the luxury while the season lasts.
Trinidad Bay Eatery and Gallery
607 Parker St, Trinidad
(707) 677-3777
trinidadeatery.com
@trinidadbayeatery
This article appears in My Humboldt Life February 2026.
