WE FOUND the people of Cheticamp a bit crabby.

Not unfriendly — the opposite, in fact — but oddly preoccupied with crab.

My friend Neal and I spent three days in Cape Breton playing golf, and on the course at Le Portage, our playing partner offered to get out his cellphone and call a buddy to arrange to have some crab dropped off to where we were staying.

In the clubhouse, when we ordered a bowl of their famous spicy soup, the woman behind the counter asked: "And a crab sandwich to go with that?" And when we pulled into the parking lot at the All Aboard restaurant, a big sign out front said Fresh Crab.

The All Aboard, which had been recommended by a reader and several people in Cheticamp once we got there, was opened last year by childhood friends Sharon Chiasson, who handles the front of the house, and Linda Snyder, who runs the kitchen.

It’s in a building that used to be an arcade and, before that, a general store. The old, wide-planked wooden floors remain and seashore murals cover two walls.

There’s a good-sized parking lot next to the restaurant and auxiliary parking across the street, always a good sign, but when Neal and I and our new friend, Terry, walked in last Friday night, the place was about half full.

The wine list consists of eight Jost offerings and beer is available only in bottles. Neal drank Labatt Light and Terry had Canadian, neither of which I would drink, but since I was the designated driver, I stuck with 7UP.

For appetizers, we had onion rings that were perfectly acceptable and kettle chips, which are basically hot, thick potato chips and very tasty, if not extraordinarily healthy.

I had forgotten to tell Terry he could eat anything he wanted, just as long as it wasn’t what Neal or I ordered. So naturally after Neal asked for the baked scallop dinner, Terry did the same and with the waitress standing right there, I couldn’t very well tell him that was going to give me fewer foods to write about.

"How are the ribs?" I asked.

"They’re excellent," said the waitress. "We have a barbecue-like grill in the kitchen and the ribs come out great."

I’ve been told that before, and always found the rave unwarranted, but this time it was true. The ribs at the All Aboard are fantastic. Outstanding. Sensational.

Barbecued ribs, contrary to popular belief, are not supposed to "fall off the bone." That just means they’ve been boiled or steamed. No, barbecued ribs are supposed to have a little resistance when you bite into them, as these do, indicating they’ve been cooked perfectly.

I wouldn’t have guessed the quest to find great ribs would have been satisfied by a woman in Cheticamp, but Linda Snyder knows how to operate a grill. And the sauce she makes herself is great, too. Side dishes of coleslaw and fries were just average, but who cares?

Both my dining companions reported the scallop dinner was very tasty but that the scallops were a tiny bit rubbery, perhaps indicative of having spent a tad too long in the oven.

Naturally, the menu here is heavy on the seafood and we saw a man at one table tucking into the Skipper’s Platter, which is huge, while a family of tourists was having a great time wrestling with their lobsters.

Our waitress informed us that the All Aboard desserts are made from scratch on site and when I called back a few days later, Chiasson confirmed that.

"It’s all local ladies that cook here, and I don’t think they know how to bake out of a package," she said.

My piece of Memere’s apple pie wasn’t as good as my mother’s, but it was still pretty good. Neal had the whipped cheesecake with strawberries and liked it so much he actually shuddered every time he took a bite.

Supper for three, including three beer, two appetizers, two desserts, tax and tip, was $99 and I wasn’t the least bit crabby as we left.

Bill Spurr is a features writer for The Chronicle Herald

and a freelance restaurant reviewer. ( bspurr@herald.ca)