“The Restaurant Insider”
Your Guide to Dining in the Lowcountry
 
Coosaw Creek Crab Shack…
Jimmy Buffet Atmosphere, Great Seafood, and Kid Friendly

This past Tuesday night my family and I decided to go out to eat after a day of shopping, and took advantage of the convenient location of the Coosaw Creek Crab Shack. Upon our arrival we were promptly seated by a very friendly hostess who showed us to a corner booth. We love the barrels of free peanuts, and the buckets in the center of the tables to dispose of the shells. Our waitress, who was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, helping to create a Jimmy Buffet type atmosphere, arrived immediately.

My husband and I started off with the hot crab and artichoke dip for an appetizer, while our two kids started off with the buffalo fried shrimp. The hot crab and artichoke dip is a hot creamy crab dip with cream cheese and artichoke hearts, served in a bowl with pita bread and is fantastic. The kids absolutely loved the buffalo shrimp, which they dipped in the bleu cheese dressing. For our main course, I ordered the snow crab leg dinner and my husband ordered the Charleston Platter. Our two children ordered the fried shrimp and corn dog off the children’s menu. Our food arrived right as we were finishing up our appetizers, and was a sight for sore eyes.

We could not believe the size of the portions, they were huge! The crab legs are prepared in such a manner that they are ridiculously easy to shell - nice touch. It also came with potatoes, corn, and coleslaw for the sides. All of which were very good. My husband's platter came with flounder, shrimp, and oysters, also with the potatoes, corn, and coleslaw. It was a pleasant surprise to see the platter covered with seafood instead of side dishes, as is the case in most other restaurants.

Our kids ate their entire meal, received a free toy out of the treasure chest, and were made honorary members of “Claude the Crab Kids Klub”. Needless to say, they were happy, and we enjoyed the distractions that the Crab Shack provided for the youngsters. Our waitress checked on us frequently to make sure that everything was okay and that we had drink refills.

After dinner we tried the “Shack Attack”, a seven layer chocolate cake, for desert. It was excellent, just like the rest of the meal. The entire family had a wonderful evening, and the next time we are in the area we plan on stopping by the Crab Shack for a repeat performance.

Beach music filled the dining room of the Folly Beach Crab Shack, bringing pure summertime into the atmosphere of the casual restaurant.  We chose one of the many large tables with holes for throwing shells away, and prepared ourselves to dig in.

The food is not fancy by any stretch, but it tastes great. A shelf rises above the holes in the tables and supports all the fixins and a big roll of paper towels. Any place that claims on the wine list, “We may serve our wines in plastic, but they still taste fantastic,” is sure of its mission, and that’s just what the Shack accomplished. Simple food, in a fun atmosphere. Smack in the middle of Center Street at Folly, the Shack took over the space formerly occupied by Marker 24. Since 1999, Ron Hill & Staff have been running the Shack with humor and the spirit of  Folly Island.

We started with the Caesar salad ($3.97) and The Shack’s Crab Dip ($4.86). The Crab Dip had just the right amount of chunky crabmeat and creamy mayonnaise and came in a wooden bowl surrounded by packets of captain’s wafers. I sprinkled on some lemon juice and tore into the plastic on the crackers.

It’s impossible for me to resist a steam pot in a restaurant like this one, and the Shacks Shacktacular Seafood Sampler (single $21.91, double $33.91) fit the bill just fine. A basket with all the proper condiments and tools one could imagine to break into was set up in preparation for the exercise to come. Shortly thereafter a gargantuan pile of oysters, mussels, clams, and snow crab legs balanced on potatoes, corn, and sausage swimming in a buttery broth came to the table. The Crab Shack’s Famous Deviled Crab was also included in my entrée, which is on the appetizer menu as well. Most deviled crabs are too bready, but this one was not guilty of that problem, and had a good heat level and crabmeat that was still lumpy and not over-mixed. There’s a primitive satisfaction in wrenching open and cracking shells to get to the treasure inside while juice drips down your elbows and chin, and I was happy to be lost in it for a while. As an afterthought, I tasted the coleslaw that came with the dinner and was very pleasantly surprised. The slaw was tart and peppery, with none of Miracle Whip-like sweetness that plagues some of them.

It’s possible to skip the veggies and sausage and go straight for buckets of each kind of shellfish. For more civilized dinners, the Shack offers other dinner specialties, such as Shrimp and Crab Casserole ($12.85) and Shrimp and Grits covered with a well-known bacon gravy ($11.93). Sandwiches like barbecue, grilled chicken, and burgers are options too, and there’s a Fiddler Crab menu for beach-weary kids.

We split a slice of Key lime pie ($3.97) for dessert, because the Shack Attack, an enormous slice of cake with layer of different chocolates, was way too much after our large dinner.  We walked out looking forward to visiting the Shack’s outdoor deck when real summertime gets here, which won’t be a moment too soon.

Our “Shack-tacular” Experience at the Folly Beach Crab Shack
 
We arrived at the Crab Shack, hungry and thirsty after a long day soaking up the sun on beautiful Folly beach. We were promptly greeted by a friendly hostess and decided to take advantage of the inviting outdoor seating. The deck atmosphere welcomed us with a cool breeze and a cozy table in the corner. Banana palms, fishing nets, buoys and crab traps completed the rustic, laid back “Island feel” complete with Jimmy Buffett music playing in the background. The Shack, just as the locals that recommended this restaurant, was filled with families and couples vacationing on Folly as well as a lot of Locals that are quick to point out that this is their favorite place. 
 
Our server, Brian, greeted us within a few moments and suggested we start out with the “shacks” famous margarita. They jumped on his suggestion, while I went for one of the specialty drinks. All the specialty drinks had cute names, but I went for the one named after our beloved Folly Beach, “the Edge of America” (Malibu, pineapple and cranberry). When the drinks arrived, Brian did well with the margarita…it was perfect, but mine went perfect with the theme of this “Island style” restaurant.  Brian was well versed on the menu and proceeded to tell us about the specials, which made the choices even harder.

This seafood restaurant has something for almost anyone. The menu offers seafood grilled, steamed, and fried. It also caters to the non-seafood lover too with thing like chicken,  Ribs & steak. To start off, we enjoyed the hot crab and artichoke Dip and the crab stuffed mushrooms. Brian suggested a sample of the She crab soup, which he said was the best on the Island. I have tried she crab soup all over the lowcountry and this was indeed on of the best I’ve ever had, but wanted to save room for appetizers we had ordered. Both appetizers flew out of the Kitchen and were very satisfying. The Dip was thick with crab and artichokes melted together with a delicious cream cheese with just the right amount of seasoning then topped with Old Bay seasoning, and served with a healthy portion of warm pita bread. The mushrooms were stuffed with blue crabmeat, herbs, white wine, and topped with a creamy crab sauce, which if I’m not mistaken is the she crab soup that I tried earlier. The she crab soup was an excellent topping for the mushrooms because it made a “signature” dish for this restaurant.
 
After hearing about the specials, Brian also pointed out that if we wanted, the specials and the fresh catch of the day could all be prepared healthy by leaving off the potatoes and adding a side garden “chopped” salad.  I thought that was a nice thing to suggest, but we were not interested in leaving anything off the plate tonight. Maybe we would walk the beach after dinner I thought to myself as I looked over the menu. We found an array of salads, sandwiches, sampler platters (which features a pile of steamed seafood with a home made devil crab served with sausage potatoes and corn.) entrée choices, as well as buckets of steamed oysters, clams, mussels and crab legs.
 
I decided on the special blackened Mahi Mahi topped with the blue crab cream sauce, served with roasted new potatoes, corn-on-the –cob and Cole slaw. They went for the Charleston favorite shrimp and grits with the bacon gravy. Waiting for our meals, we enjoyed our cocktails and watched the lazy evening traffic of beach cruisers and dog walkers, as well as the sunset. When you’re on Folly you should never be in a rush. This is one laid back Island…Relax, you're on Folly Time. When the dinner arrived, the portions were healthy and looked delicious. We were not disappointed. After sharing both entrees we couldn’t decide whose was better. The Mahi Mahi had a subtle spice, with a nice rich creamy crab sauce. The fish was cooked perfectly and was very moist.  The grits were cooked to perfection, with plenty of shrimp, the gravy made this dish awesome. The only thing that kept us from finishing our meals was the hope of saving room for a slice of the homemade key-lime pie.  This was the real thing if you know your key-lime pie, and was the perfect finish to a great dining experience.
 
All in All, the Crab Shack delivers a friendly, easygoing environment.  The Staff seemed to work very well together and was very friendly, stopping to check on us during the meal. The prices are reasonable and the food was great. No wonder so many locals recommended this Folly Beach favorite. I can’t wait for another excuse to visit Folly Beach and The Crab Shack.

“The Restaurant Insider”
Your Guide to Dining in the Lowcountry
 
Upon entering the East Bay Crab Shack, I felt immediately relaxed by the casual décor and the beach music playing in the background. This comfortable restaurant is on the corner of East Bay Street and Cumberland Street, right across from the U. S, Customs House. The seaside décor of crab traps, a giant sailfish, and lowcountry murals create a fabulous ambiance for casual dining.

The Crab Shack’s menu and décor make you want to have an old-fashioned oyster roast. This is how the restaurant is set to operate, from a huge steamed seafood selection to the holes for shells in the middle of every table. The bar is located in the back of the restaurant and has an entrance on Cumberland Street. It is very cozy with large communal type tables for people to congregate for drinks.

The first trip to the East Bay Crab Shack was for lunch on a Tuesday early afternoon. The lunch menu is quite diverse featuring many southern style lunch entrees they like to call “Put a Little South in your Mouth”. In addition there are a substantial number of fried and steamed seafood selections. They also had some wonderful specials, which a few were stated to be low in calories and carbohydrates.  After contemplating over a “Shacketizer” we selected the she crab soup, and the crab dip.

The she crab was a perfect texture with generous portioning of crab and sherry. The crab dip was a huge helping of crab with cheese and spices and just enough horseradish to spice it up a notch. As a main course the country-fried steak was great, served with plenty of gravy and with my selection of sides, which were fried green tomatoes and macaroni and cheese. The fried green tomatoes were very crispy and served with a Cajun remoulade sauce that accentuated the tomatoes taste. The Charleston platter was a combination of shrimp, oysters, and flounder that were all fried lightly and served with tartar and cocktail sauce. For lunch, this portion was huge and I didn’t completely finish the flounder or the fries and Cole slaw that it was served with. The servers were quick and efficient and all the food we ordered was delivered to the table very promptly.

Dinner at the Crab Shack was even more laid back than our lunch experience. Deciding for some local flavor, splitting a bucket of steamed oysters seamed to fit the bill. They came out steaming hot, and dusted with old bay seasoning. We didn’t hesitate to dig in.  Shucking the oysters was no problem for me but my guest wasn’t quite as skilled, and our server gave us a quick lesson on the proper technique.  Shortly after finishing our oysters the entrees arrived as our server cleared away the now empty bucket.

The crab encrusted tuna special was to die for. It arrived cooked medium rare just as I asked and served with fresh green beans sautéed with sesame seeds and a touch of soy. The crab cakes entrée was two large crab cakes topped with a touch of their great she crab soup. They were full of crabmeat and I could not detect a single breadcrumb, which a lot of recipes use to bind the cake. They were served with corn on the cob, boiled red potatoes, and Cole slaw, which went perfectly with the crab.  Even though I had no room for desert after the entrees I still tried a slice of their homemade key lime pie. The texture was firm yet creamy and the taste was tart yet still sweet, and for less than four dollars a slice I considered it a bargain.

Overall, the East Bay Crab Shack is an excellent place to have a very casual lunch or dinner. The atmosphere and décor seem to make you feel right at home as soon as you enter the door. Their selections are many with a good variety of dishes but mostly good southern style seafood. The lunch entrée’s range in price from their daily value lunch that is $4.99 to the highest hitting in the $8 range.  Appetizers were in the range of$4 to $8 and dinner entrees from $10 to the highest being the Dungeness crab leg dinner at $19.98. The service and quality of food were great and upon paying the bill you will feel a bargain as well.

“The Restaurant Insider”
Your Guide to Dining In the Lowcountry
May 2002

A version of a backyard feast or an everyday oyster roast is a great way to describe this restaurant which opened its doors for business on May 7, 2001. Your dining experience begins outside the restaurant, which is surrounded by trees and has an outward shack appearance. The crab traps, fishnets and life preservers lure you in, with an inviting patio for outside dining. The interior walls are painted with Lowcountry murals, and was decorated by the employees in what can best be described as authentic nautical décor. Tables, private booths and a large bar are available for seating. The floors were specially made to be wheel chair accessible and wide ramps are positioned around the restaurant.

During our visit we started with a section of the diverse menu labeled Shacketizers. Selecting the Crab Shacks famous deviled crab, and the Lowcountry boiled shrimp. Upon tasting these dishes we were quickly able to determine that this was not your run of the mill seafood restaurant. After finishing these delicious appetizers we ask our server what she would recommend for our dinner selections. “One of the most requested entrees is our Shacktacular seafood sampler, made up of potatoes, corn on the cob, smoked sausage, crab legs, deviled crab, mussels, shrimp, oysters and clams,” was her response. Needless to say, we were sold. We kept our menus after giving her our order, just to see what could have been. One option was fresh seafood by the bucket, including the Shack’s buckets of oysters, clams and crab legs. Other Shack specialties include Shrimp and crab casserole, Lowcountry crab cakes, and Beaufort stew. Soup, Salads and Sandwiches (also known as Shackwiches) are also on the menu. For a grand finale the Crab Shack tempts you with Shack Sweets such as key lime pie and the shack attack.
 
We were beginning to doubt our decision to accept her recommendation, when our waitress walked up to the table with a tray piled high with an assortment of shellfish. The platter was huge, looked wonderful with the steam rising from it, and smelled wonderful. My companion stated that he now knows were the term “Come Roll Up Your Sleeves” originated, and proceeded to do just that. The subsequent forty five minutes turned into a butter soaked frenzy of oyster wrenching, shell cracking, shrimp peeling culinary excess. I have never had a seafood experience to match this. In the end we were both standing over our table finishing off the last of the delectable morsels., as well as the remaining paper towels left on a depleted roll. It is very evident that the staff of the Crab Shacks, spend a lot of time preparing the tastiest and freshest seafood available. If you’re looking to roll up your sleeves and dig right into a good meal, this fun, festive place offers something for everyone.

We entered the Lexington Crab Shack with hopes of great quality steamed seafood and a relaxed dining experience – I found that and more. The first item to catch our attention was a large barrel filled to the rim with roasted salty peanuts. We filled a paper boat and approached the hostess stand. The hostess was smiling and seemed quite happy to lead us toward our table on the spacious outside deck. As I looked around I noticed she wasn’t the only one smiling and enjoying herself. Other patrons were laughing and enjoying buckets of crab legs, mussels, clams, and oysters. The dining area was adorned with all the fittings of a sea-going vessel. I commented to my friend how relaxed and comfortable the restaurant felt.
 
My server greeted us and recommended a specialty drink from the bar. I chose an Oyster Diver ($6.95) which was described as a pina colada and melon flavored drink and my companion chose a Crab Walk ($5.95) – a combination of Jose Cuervo Gold tequila, pineapple and orange juice. Our drinks arrived and we placed the order for some appetizers. We decided to share the Hot Crab and Artichoke dip ($ 7.93), Stuffed Shrimp ( $8.93), and a Dozen Oysters on the Half Shell ($8.24). After placing our order, we sipped our drinks and munched on some of the complimentary roasted peanuts. Our cocktails were just as yummy as the server had promised. The creamy pina colada and melon flavors mixed perfectly and although I had never thought to mix orange and pineapple juices with tequila, it was a great combination.
 
Our appetizers came to the table within seven minutes and I took in a long whiff of the delightful smell coming from the server’s tray. The oysters were fresh and served with ample amounts of crackers, cocktail sauce, and horseradish. The stuffed shrimp were stuffed with the chef’s homemade deviled crab mix, wrapped in bacon, and flash fried to crispy perfection. My personal favorite was the Hot Crab and Artichoke Dip; rich and creamy and served with warm pita bread triangles.
 
It was then time for the main course. I chose the Crab Cake dinner ($14.82) and my friend chose the Shacktacular Seafood Sampler ($21.82). Our server cleared our appetizer plates once our entrées were ready and replaced them with a grand assortment of fresh seafood. The seafood sampler was a fantastic sampling of the chef’s freshest steamed shellfish – mussels, clams, oysters, crab legs, deviled crab, shrimp and served with boiled red bliss new potatoes, corn on the cob, and homemade coleslaw. My crab cakes were the best I have ever had, and that is saying a lot since I try them as often as possible. They were filled with chunks of freshly picked blue crab meat and held together by the slightest bit of breading. They were laced with a rich and creamy sauce that was so delicious; I had to find out more. After questioning my server about the sauce I was told it was in fact the chef’s homemade she crab soup. I decided at that moment the next time I came that I would begin my meal with a cup.
 
Luckily, we both saved room for their homemade desserts. We decided to share a slice of Key Lime Pie ($4.95). I have to tell you, it is the first time I have ever shared heaven. What a delightful end to an absolutely perfect meal. As we sipped our coffee and enjoyed our pie, we watched the sunset behind the pond that the deck overlooks and I said a silent thank you for the luxuries of my occupation.