Crab Cracker

I will start by saying that this was the second visit for my girlfriends who had prev. done the Happy Hour thing which they both thought was good - though they didn't like the Spring Rolls (can't remember the exact appetizer name). I LOVE seafood and eat often at Ray's, Anthony's and Duke's. I assumed the Crab Cracker would be the same quality, based on the prices on the menu. I ordered the prawn/crab stuffed/bacon wrapped over pasta meal, my girlfriends the crab al graten & the other was the chicken/sausage pasta dish. NONE of us really cared for our meal. Flavor blah, noodles over cooked, the crab dish was not what we expected and salty. We all agreed the for the $$ and for our monthly dinner visit we chose the wrong restaurant. We all took 1/2 our meals to go, one threw hers out later. When I tried to pawn off my meal on my husband, he told me the bacon was raw...which I didn't notice, thankfully I didn't get sick. Yes they serve seafood, but they have not perfected the flavor or the paring of veggies etc. Flavor of Denny's, cost of Ray's. more

We had visited a few years ago and enjoyed the food and service. This time the experience was a bit disappointing. When the waitress came by and asked for our drink orders, referring to the wine list, I said "I think we could use some help." She turned and walked away without saying a word. We were left to fend for ourselves for the wine. Initially we chose one bottle, but changed our minds. I asked the waitress to change our order and she did obligingly. My husband wanted to try the crab artichoke dip as an appetizer, and ordered it. I pointed out the homemade prawn tamales. Again we changed our order, and the waitress again obliged us. The tamales were soft and gooey, not firm and dry as expected. The prawns were chewy and overcooked. However the overall flavor was pleasant. Hubby ordered the cioppino and I ordered the "crab trio" which included King, Snow and Dungeness crab legs with a smattering of vegetables. The cioppino was interesting it contained large scallops, a good-sized salmon filet, overcooked prawns and was topped with crab legs. It also came with two large pieces of garlic bread. This cioppino was surprisingly spicy and the soup part was more like a sauce in it's amount than a hearty soup. Hubby enjoyed it and ate every bite. The crab trio wasn't quite up to snuff. The king crab legs were tasty, but the snow crab and the Dungeness were salty and the snow crab was also a bit dry. The portions were more than adequate and the accompanying vegetables were nice. My husband finished his meal way ahead of me, but the waitress brought out damp, warm napkins for wiping our hands after he finished. By the time I finished mine I was wiping my hands on a cold, damp napkin. I thought she could have waited and brought my towel out after I had finished. We were stuffed so we didn't have dessert there. You'd expect a restaurant with crab in it's name to do it right. This place does have paper tablecloths and crayons so it's family friendly. I think next time we might hit it at happy hour and take advantage of the appetizer specials. more

I personally think that the Crab Cracker is a bit overrated...one of those bandwagon resturants but this doesn't mean the food isn't decent. I've been here a few times with friends and family and it's a decent environment for either. Sometimes a little loud, so don't say I didn't warn you. No louder that say TGI Fridays? If you go to the Crab Cracker, order the crab! more