JOE'S CRAB SHACK

Having arrived in the U.S. on the second Friday of Lent, my sister Janine and her husband  Cyril decided to have dinner at Joe's Crab Shack, a New Orleans import to the South Plainfield, NJ restaurant scene. They don't take reservations and it took about 20 minutes for us to be seated. It looked like a fun place, with many big groups chowing down on Alaskan King Crab, shrimp, mussels, and other seafood (They also have meat on their menu).

The very busy dining area made to look like a shack, with tin-clad walls

We ordered the Crab Nachos. Never thought tortillas and crab was a good combo, but then I thought, why not? There's fish tacos anyway. This was really good, a crab and cheese (the Italians would blanch at this mix) base over tri-color tortillas, beans, lettuce, corn and chopped bell pepper. I had this with a mild margarita served in a Mason jar (reminded me of the Nescafe, Cafe Puro and Blend 45 free coffee cups of the 70s). 

Yes, this is how most drinks are served here. Fun! 

The Crab Nachos. I love nachos. Now I love crabs with them.

One of the steampots that we ordered. This is meant to be for one

 The shrimp fritter in the seafood combo was also good, with the fish with mango salsa being the standout. The shrimp fritter wasn't as good but I liked the idea of frying shrimp dipped in a sweet potato hay batter.

The seafood combo platter.

My niece Nicole and my sister Janine showing off their personalized bibs.

Overall, the service was great, the food was good, and I definitely will try the stand-alone crab dip and cake when I return.