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Joe's Crab
Shack
My
main complaints last time I reviewed Joe's Crab Shack was that the
prices and the manufactured schtick were too over the top for me.
Not
to mention the rather average quality of the food.
Well,
they've dropped the prices below gouging level on their new menu,
but the same goofy ambiance prevails, and I'm sad to say the food's
about the same.
There
are three Joe's Crab Shacks in the Austin area. Another in San Marcos.
They've all got the same gray, shingled exterior meant to convey the
weathered sheen that a place near the ocean might take on.
They've
got other little nautical doo-dads as well.
They've
got wait people who are alternately goofy and cerebral, depending
on the orchestrated theme of the month. They've got music that's calibrated
to make you feel really good as it loosens your purse strings.
They've
got great locations in high density areas.
Eat
at Joe’s -- for faux fish schtick.
But
what they don't have is particularly good food.
I
found their redfish to be dry and tasteless, and the soft shell crabs
were a disappointment.
The
seafood gumbo was bland and indifferent, as was the crab cake sandwich.
And their so-called signature items, like the Alaskan king crab legs,
are still overpriced at 19 bucks.
And
the fisherman's platter? Who the heck ever heard of putting popcorn
shrimp on a fisherman's platter? This is where you're supposed to
trot out the good stuff. Come on.
To
be fair, there is one dish I like -- the crab balls. But it's too
little too late.
I
am convinced that the people who frequent Joe's must be poor landlocked
souls who've never really had seafood and who take some enjoyment
from seeing the waitstaff dressed as nerds during Rush Week.
Alvin
Toffler predicted this in his famous book “Future Shock.” He said
that ultimately we'd derive pleasure from totally manufactured experiences.
Hence, the rise in theme parks and virtual reality and concocted experiences
like Joe's Crab Shack.
But
this faux fish business is getting old. Do yourself a favor and go
someplace where seafood, and not the "experience," is the
main attraction. And
that place, most definitely, is not Joe's Crab Shack.
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