Joe's Crab Shack*

So the wife and I decided to go against the grain and spend some money we don't have in this terrible economy. We dropped the kids off at the sitter, and went out to dinner and a movie. I know she loves crab legs, so I decided to zip over to Joe's Crab Shack.

We walk in and everyone is in a good mood...the hostesses, the servers, and even the other people waiting in line. It made being in a good mood very easy. When the hostess called our name, she said "(insert name here), party of two...move your feet or lose your seat." I thought that was better than the humdrum, "(insert name here), party of two, your table is now available."

We were lead through the packed house to a table, and our server was with us almost immediately despite the crowd size. His head was shaved, with the exeption of the top, which would have been a flat-top, but it was about 2 1/2 feet long and pulled into a pony-tail. (Interesting look unless you grew up in the late 80's early 90's, then it's just retro). Really nice guy.

We got our drinks right away. I always get unsweet tea. You can usually tell something about a restaurant from its tea. If the tea is cloudy, don't get anything risky, and question whether to even eat there in my opinion. Keeping a clean tea dispenser means most other parts of the place should be clean as well, but I digress. My wife got a "Shark-Bite." It is a lovely blue drink served in a large marguerita glass with a test-tube of grenadine shoved down a rubber shark's throat, which is hung on the side. As he approached the table, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Shark in the water!" to which all the servers replied in kind. At the table the shark is plunged headfirst into the glass, giving the effect of something close to a scene from jaws in her glass. she had two of those, and loved them both.

For appetizers, my wife got the crab-cake and I got the NE clam chowder. The crab-cake was nothing short of phenomenal! Not full of fillers and garbage that sucks away the flavor of the crab. It was light and flaky and delicious. On the side was what appeared to be the house version of cole-slaw. To my surprise, it was shredded lettuce, not cabbage, and the dressing was creamy Italian dressing, not a fancy cloeslaw sauce. There were some red onions in there too. It was a good salad.

The clam chowder came out, and I loved it. There were big chunks of clams, and they were not rubbery or overly chewy. The chowder was not overpowered by a vat of bacon-grease like you can experience from time-to-time at other places. The potatoes were cooked to just the right consitency: not to hard, and not powdery soft. Excelent chowder!

Between appetizers and the main course, volunteers were called from the dining room. four children and three adults volunteered from many tables throughout the restaurant. They proceeded to be led into a game of musical chairs. That was fun to watch. a few minutes later, the Cha-cha slide starts playing. one by one, servers join in two lines on either side of the place and participate in the slide. Very fun to watch.

Dinner time! (where did the time go!!!!)

My wife got the king crab steam-pot, with no seasonings. You have your choice of several falvors, but she is a straight-up steamed kind of girl. It was excellent (I finished it off for her). The dinner plate is a metal bucket of steamed crab legs, new potatoes, and a half-ear of corn and a cup of drawn butter on the side. The shells were easy to crack, and the meat came out in nice large hunks, indicating that this is not the first time these bad boys were served up at Joe's...they know there way around the steamer. (There's nothing worse than overcooked crab that bends like plastic instead of breaking).

I got the Joe's Steampot with Dungeoness crab, snow crab, and shrimp (I added clams to the mix for good measure). I chose the Chessapeake Bay Seasoning flavor. I experienced the same excellence in preparation as did my wife. Mine also comes with new potatoes, a half-ear of corn, and a sausage. I tried the sausage...I'm not a big sausage fan, but it was okay. If you like sausage, you would have enjoyed it. It was like biting into a Boar's Head or Sabrett's hot dog. It snaps when you bite into it. The crab legs were all cooked to perfection...and let's face it, crab-legs are just fun to eat. The shrimp was excellent, and the clams were delicious.

During dinner we were treated to the Macharana (spelling), Joe's style. They did silly things based on what a leading dancer would shout out to them. It was very entertaining.

So, when we were done with our buckets of crab and what-not we realized our mistake...we should have brought the kids with us...they would have loved it too!

Now comes the check. It was a bit pricey, but when you order market price seafood, I guess it's going to be. So, the two specialty drinks, the two appetizers, and the two big steampots clocked in at about $100 including 20% tip. Not too shabby. I would reccomend this to families or couples. If your date likes seafood and fun, this is a great first-date place.

*Of course, Joe's Crab Shack, any mention of processes, songs or specific seasonings, does not imply permission to use those names or processes. I am not a paid advertiser for anyone. I am just relating my dining experience to share with the world.