Craw Station, San Leandro

The culinary team at Craw Station lures lovers of fresh seafood and shellfish with its simple, no-nonsense menu of dungeness crab, shrimp, clams, and crawfish, serenading palates with the help of zesty lemon butter, garlic, and Cajun-style seasonings. After revving up their appetites with fried calamari or oysters on the half shell, guests choose a tasty crustacean or gastropod for a main course that chefs can prepare in levels of spiciness ranging from non-spicy to Dynamite, which generates sweat faster than a bicycle-powered lie-detector machine. Sides of sweet-potato fries, corn, and gumbo wingman entrees, and sips of wine and frosty draft beer ensure that bites go down smooth.