The Blue-Eyed Crab Grill and Raw Bar
170 Water Street Plymouth, MA 02360
508-747-6776
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Hours Of Operation
Monday 11:30-9
Tuesday & Wednesday 11:30-9
Thursday 11:30-9
Friday 11:30-10
Saturday 12-10
Sunday 11:30-9
This little restaurant was such a surprise it cried out for a review. With one enclosed and one open patio, it's great place for lunch or dinner. For my money the best two seats are inside at the last two high backed chairs at the bar with a view of the comings and goings on the pier across the street plus the parade of food coming from the kitchen. It offers soups, salads, burgers, fresh raw shellfish, imaginative appetizers, entrees, and at least one "special" every night. The prices are reasonable ($6.50 - $25.95), the service friendly, and the food fabulous.
Unique touch: the points of origin of all the seafood served here are listed on a blackboard in the dining room. A sample: the clams were from Chatham, the lobsters from the local fleet in Plymouth, the mussels from Prince Edward Island.
The Plymouth, MA waterfront has a ton of possibilities. We had spent a half hour opening doors, taking brief walkabouts in restaurants on the pier, East Bay Grille, The Cabby Shack, The Lobster Hut, Wood's Seafood and headed across Water Street to explore a complex of buildings on the other side. Tucked away in the midst of The Village Landing is The Blue-Eyed Crab Grill and Raw Bar.
The tiny restaurant with its seven stool bar and handful of tables is so not-your-average-tourist-destination. Its sea-blue walls decorated with local artwork has a come hither vibe that takes you by the hand and whispers, "Your search for a great place to eat is over...you're here."
Busy but not noisy, it has the ambience of a neighborhood favorite. The menu isn’t one that reminds you of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Two pages filled with appetizers, entrees, sides, and desserts, the hardest part of the experience is choosing which dish to order. Every dish the wait staff brought past us to awaiting diners looked enticing.
Our server/bartender Lisa answered every question about the differences between appetizers and the ways various entrees were prepared. No hype, good smile, relaxed demeanor, she took the time that ensured our first experience there won't be our last. My only quibble - and this happens at way too many restaurants including tonight's - is that the prices of the "'Specials of the Day"' were not quoted.
The "Crab Two Ways" appetizer (($10.95) was two perfectly browned crispy Maine crab cakes sitting jauntily atop a hearty lump crab fondue rimmed with an inner circle of sweet red pepper puree with an outer circle of green chive oil. The perimeter looked something like the rings of Saturn, a celestially appealing presentation. A small loaf of hot corn bread with unsalted butter arrived on a wooden platter and soon disappeared.
My margarita was made with a fresh house mix, tasty although not as high in octane as I'd like, but my dinner companion's Svedka vodka with a splash of Rose's met with acclaim.
One of tonight's specials was too good to pass up - medallions of pan-seared yellow fin tuna ($24.95) with an orange coriander rub, tropical rice, and sautéed cherry tomatoes that tasted like they'd just come from the garden. The seafood entrees are served with "toppers" in a small side dish. We chose the sweet chile scallion cilantro sauce that had a mild spicy pop. The bonus was the topping of mango salsa that our server added to the plate since she knew we had a hankering for both.
The owner, master chef James Casey, runs the kitchen. The quality of the food and the artful presentation is Casey's calling card. His family has carved out a special niche in the busy dining scene since they acquired the place four years ago. A throwback to the restaurants of yore, at the close of business, Casey serves the wait staff a family style sit-down dinner - "Smells like it's going to be ribs tonight," smiles Lisa.
Her response to our rave about the food? "I live right around the corner and come here to eat a lot." When the wait staff comes to their place of employ to eat on their day off, and pays full boat for the plate, you know you're in a restaurant where food matters.
Photos courtesy of Blue-Eyed Crab and Raw Bar website.
Maybe worth a visit when I vacation in NE this summer.
Posted by: Jeff | June 18, 2011 at 07:34 AM
You'd enjoy checking out the whole pier scene and this is one place you definitely want to try. It has a style all its own.
Posted by: Paul aka pt at large | June 18, 2011 at 08:09 PM