Food Feature Friday #32: Joe's Crab Shack with a Side of Review.

Let me start off by saying that I am in no way, shape, or form, a fan of seafood. I do enjoy sushi every now and then, but only a VERY select few. Literally two types of rolls. Regarding other forms of seafood, fish sticks are normally as "fishy" as I'll get. I've never been a seafood fan and I don't think I ever truly will be. That being said, today's FFF is all about seafood from an infamous eatery. 

This past week we decided to venture into the "no man's land" and try something completely out of character for us. Joe's Crab Shack. 

Eating here wasn't exactly something I set out to do, but I've been determined to try new things and I got a coupon to eat here, so why not save some money of a [potentially] good meal. My immediate intentions were to simply taste a few items here and there, but I ended up putting the restaurant to the test.

Upon entering I could tell that taking care of there environment was part of their priority, seeing as how it was immaculate. And not the kind of "clean" that only happens when their aren't many customer - which there weren't - but the kind of "clean" that you could tell was a consistent concern of theirs, putting me a little at ease. Seafood needs a clean and professional environment, to reduce risk of contamination or infection. 

We were greeted with a friendly face and sat in a booth, remote from other guests. Something I truly enjoyed, because more often than not hostesses tend to seat us next to the other guests, regardless of their mass amount of space. Thankfully we were surrounded by empty chairs and quick service. 

Within seconds a server came to our table and took our drink orders. I personally ordered a banana smoothie (delicious by the way), while my padawan ordered a simple lemonade - his signature drink. 

After browsing the menu quickly, I immediately decided on the Build-Your-Own Steampot, with a few add-ons. My little guy chose mac-n-cheese - another classic of his - with a side of fries, which he said was "good", but he didn't finish it. In lament's terms, it wasn't his favorite. 

I also chose to get an appetizer - the classic sampler - which came with hush puppies, crab dip, and calamari. 

The hush puppies were scrumptious without a doubt with a creamy rich inside, perfectly seasoned. It closely resembled an artichoke dip, which is a favorite of mine. The calamari rings were tolerable with very little fish flavor, but the calamari tentacles were something I just couldn't stomach. 

For the record, they weren't nasty tasting, but they were way to chewy for me. I felt like I was biting into rubber. The texture and taste were something I don't wish to ever truly experience again. Seeing as how I couldn't handle it, I spit it into a napkin. TMI I know, but I just couldn't stomach it.

As for the main course, the steampot was priced at $18.99, with add-on's ranging from $15 to $2, depending on the add-on itself. Everything that was included in the pot was different types of crab, lobster, shrimp, corn, potatoes, and sausage. 

With an excellent presentation in a big black pot, the very kind [what I'm guessing is the] manager brought out the huge portion of seafood goodness. 

Steam and the smell of cajun spices masked any previous food set before, bringing me to a smile of gleeful excitement. 

I will say that I finally learned how to eat crab legs properly and open up all the hard-shelled seafood. Messy, but effective with the tools given by Joe's Crab Shack. 

The sausage was beyond my favorite thing, but again, not a seafood fanatic. The potatoes, corn, and shrimp were all excellent and I would definitely re-order them again. 

Everything was perfectly cooked with juicy tenderness, but I can say that I am not a giant lobster fan. It was slightly too "ocean" for me. The crab was a lot less "sea" and a lot mroe "meat". No I don't mean it resembled beef - which I was craving at this point - but it didn't need any sort of butter or additive to mask the flavor. Lemon sufficed, but it truly didn't need that either. 

The sausage had a slight spice to it with mouth-watering seasoning and savory juices spilling out every bite. I truly wish I had an abundance of it, instead of the seafood. But ce la vie. 

I would also like to say that the bucket for trash and roll of paper towels made me extremely happy, because I wasn't overwhelmed with trash or shells all over the place. Blatantly exercising their "let's have a clean place" persona. Bravo Joe, bravo.

After everything was said and done, we sat back with bellies full - my spawn ate a few shrimp, but everything else was "too much" for him - and decided to order dessert. 

I went for an "a la mode" chocolate cake minus the nuts. My little guy went for apple pie with ice cream. 

The chocolate cake was a bit much for me and wasn't as moist as I prefer. The caramel was a bit "fake", but the ice cream was delectable. I truly enjoyed that. I didn't let it go to waste, but I didn't enjoy it necessarily - and unfortunately. 

The apple pie and ice cream however, well my little one wasn't going to finish it, so I took it upon myself to help it not go to waste either. 

The warm crumble of the caramel and spiced apple pie were the best part of the entire experience. Hot pie, cold ice cream, a perfect duo to the end of an...interesting day. Far better than Julian apple pie, which is hard to come by might I say.

Overall I don't think that it was a "bad" eat, but it's not my cup of tea. The seafood was appetizing and definitely filled me, which I would recommend for those who are into this style of eats. The dessert was my favorite, well the apple pie anyways. 

Like I said, I would recommend, but I certainly won't be going back. Perhaps for a slice of apple pie after a good movie, seeing as how the movie theater is just around the corner. Other than that, I won't be rushing to eat seafood here (or anywhere), anytime soon. 

PS, for a free appetizer, sign up ahead of time on Joe's Crab Shack's website. I say ahead of time, because it can take about 24 hours for the coupon to come through to your email. 

Well another week has come and gone. I'm off to bed for an eventful weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to get some rest in there somewhere. Regardless, I will do my best to be positive through it all, as should you Jedi's! Happy weekend and keep on rockin'!