Waterfront Crabhouse (CLOSED)

While its waterfront morphs into a strip of high-rises that could easily pass for Battery Park City, LIC’s old school is in session at the Waterfront Crabhouse, where the portions are huge and the fish fresh. Lodged in a landmark 1881 brick building, the joint’s bizarre decor (shoes hang from the ceiling, while the bar has a bathtub full of peanuts) won’t distract you from the signature crabs, best sampled in a lively garlic sauce, or lobster tails stuffed with juicy crabmeat. The menu casts a wide net, much of the catch finding its way into the “bouillabaisse” of shrimp, scallops, mussels, crab, among other sea creatures, served over linguini in a choice of sauces.