Washington D.C. (including Baltimore) - St Michaels's, Maryland

Will be there for a day trip. Any recommendations on where to eat dinner before we head back to the Hyatt in Cambridge?

One couple has never been to MD, I spent my teenage years there. A restaurant with a view would be nice for them, one that has crabs (either steamed or soft shell) would be great for me!

Am not sure we will make it there...but a recommendation for Annapolis would also be much appreciated.

not sure of your timeline, but The Crab Claw on St Michael's Harbor is great for fresh local crab; however, give them a call in advance -- the window is narrowing for fresh local crab.

As for Annapolis, there are lots of good restaurant choices, but for local seafood it would be Cantler's IMO, but that is not downtown. If you are downtown, and want to enjoy the view, I would probably cross the bridge to Eastport, and look back across the creek to Annapolis. Carroll's Creek is pretty reliable. Note: I can't speak if their seafood is local.

If downtown Annapolis is a must, and you want to have a view of Ego Alley, I would probably eat at Pussers. Again, I can't speak if it is local seafood.

Enjoy!

CBH

May warrant further research, but I have a friend who works at The Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michael's & she's told me that the restaurant there, Sherwood Landing, is pretty good. That said, the Trip Advisor reviews are mixed...

Zagat's reviews are decent though.

http://www.perrycabin.com/web/omic/sherwoods_landing.jsp

A little late, but hope the OP had a nice trip and dinner.

Two constants at most every Maryland restaraunt:

At a minimum,crab cakes on the menu, however many also serve steamed crabs year round. The peak season for soft shell crabs is late May through July, although sometimes the season can stretch.
Crap imperial is an option for your chicken and beef dishes.

The crab imperial thing may be a state law. ;)