j's crab shack

fresh, fast and friendly staff. today i went to the crab shack. based on other reviews, i ordered shrimp cocktail...and yes, the shrimp are fresh and large and cooked perfectly. delish! small tossed salad was also fresh, with alot of vegetables and crisp romaine. calamari was traditional, with basic marinara, and we also ordered a hot lobster roll...just the right amount of butter and a hoagie roll that def triumphed over a soggy hotdog rolls. broiled seafood platter had also been cooked perfectly. we all left full with a tiny portion of fries left over and some salad. a hidden gem worth visiting if you like casual environment with excellent seafood.

grease free. we arrived on a sunday afternoon to find the parking lot pretty full and several parties entering the restaurant. i first stopped by the retail display case, but nothing stood out as being either fresher or cheaper than the retail seafood markets that i frequent. my wife and i each ordered the fried belly clams basket which came with fries and a small container of coleslaw. the quantity of belly clams and fries was more than ample and as close to grease free as one could wish. i noticed the majority of the nearby tables had ordered chowder and the fried flounder plate which looked very inviting. if and when i get another craving for fried food, i will likely return

mehhh. went to this place because some co-workers dragged me a long. not sure what some other reviewers were talking about when they were all pumped about portion size - i ordered the fried sea scallop platter and it left much to be desired. it should have been called shredded and fried sea scallop platter because there wasnt a single scallop in tact in the entire plate, just a bunch of tiny pieces - for the sweet deal of $16. the cole slaw looked completely inedible - literally looked slimy. there were a ton of fries, but unseasoned and blah. place isnt terrible but its certainly nothing special - just over the founders bridge in east hartford there is a seafood shack called "mickey's" which is definitely better.

this place is about as close to being a high quality authentic connecticut seafood stop as hartford is to being a luxurious oceanside retreat.

during my quick visit with alicia , we had a mission to knock an item off of my 30 by 30 list - boiling a lobster! of course, we procrastinated a little bit by catching up over some vino, indulging at max's oyster bar , and playing with roscoe, alicia's adorable puppy... seriously, how can you resist this fluff-ball? ...but finally we got to work! we started out by purchasing two fresh lobsters from tinker's seafood that weighed about a pound and a half each. we worked up our courage with some glasses of rose and then decided to face the lobsters while the water was boiling. one of the lobsters was a bit mellow...and the other was a bit mean. this didn't stop us from goofing around with them during the last minutes before the big boil. i look frightening in this picture. i'm also mostly frightened of this lobster. roscoe wasn't quite sure what to make of the lobsters... as a side note, can you tell that we drank a bit of wine? ha! when the water was finally boiling, we got to work. sin

no longer tinker's. i believe this place is now called j's crabshack.

worth it!. great food. good prices. nothing fancy but worth it.