Despite the surprisingly high cost of Price’s  Seafood in Havre de Grace, the restaurant pleases with its atmosphere and delicious food. I’m not a big seafood eater, so I’m no expert, but I haven’t seen any restaurant that compares to Price’s décor and food.

Price’s has a rustic feel. It’s more of a crab house than a restaurant, with wooden picnic tables inside and out. Instead of table cloths, it has simple brown paper that’s perfect for eating hard-shelled crabs. The decorations are inviting and suited to the casual crab house atmosphere, making it great for a family outing. Blue jeans and a t-shirt are perfectly acceptable, as is fancier attire.

The food at Price’s Seafood is amazing. Besides the normal Maryland style hard-shelled crabs, Price’s has a variety of both standard dishes and specials. One of their most popular dishes is the seafood mac and cheese, which features extra-cheesy pasta with several types of seafood, including crawfish.

I tried one of the specials: salmon topped with crab imperial. It was fantastic. The salmon was perfectly cooked and they didn’t skimp on the crab imperial. I did think the imperial had a little too much sour cream, but it was a minor setback compared to the fish.

The sides were healthy portions of fresh broccoli and mashed potatoes. They’re simple, everyday foods, but delicious nonetheless. However, I do wish that I had their sauteed Brussels sprouts with my meal. Even though I don’t like Brussels sprouts, Price’s sautees them with onions and carrots making them so tender and delectable. They are not only tolerable, but desired.

Price’s, however, loses some appeal with its high cost. Of course, I didn’t really expect anything different from a seafood restaurant, but still,  $24 for mac and cheese, even with seafood, is a little high. The good thing is that you can buy discounted gift certificates at Restaurant.com. I usually save a third of the cost of my meal by using a gift certificate.

If you’re looking for a good seafood restaurant, for the family or yourself, and are willing to spend a little money, consider Price’s.

Rebecca Driver is a Copy Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.