Tag Archives: seafood

Captain Don’s, Harrisburg PA – November 8, 2014

IMG_0517.JPGPeople, people, PEOPLE…  I must be completely and brutally honest in my review of this place, located on Friendship Rd (right off of TecPort), in Harrisburg, PA because my experience here was unfortunately not a good one.  First; I am a seafood lover…I’ve always been one ever since my mother introduced me to it and other delicacies as a small child.  So I was really looking forward to the opening of this restaurant, which was originally supposed to be in May of 2014…then June…then whenever.  Amidst much anticipation and very mixed reviews, it finally opened at the tail end of summer.  I purposely waited until I felt like they’d had enough time to get the establishment together before my family and I would try our hand at it.  My girlfriends went and tried it on October 31st (when I was unable to go along due to prior commitments) and I hadn’t heard any complaints from them, so I figured now was the time to go ahead and see about it.

Well.  We arrived for our 2pm reservation and upon entering the establishment I noticed that it was clean but very small, which was ok – but contrary to the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet advertisement, there was no “buffet”…not the type where you could go and place things on your plate yourself.  Keep in mind, you have a 2-hour dining time limit when you do the “buffet”.

Also, there had been a hostess/waitress at the door who seated a couple who walked in ahead of us, but never came back to seat us…Then finally, a tall waiter whose name began with a “J” (I believe it was Jarrod or something close to that)  came to greet and seat us, and would be our waiter for the day. 

Waiter J was friendly, but slow and not very good at multi-tasking.  He would run back and forth and back again to bring us one thing at a time, which annoyed me quickly but I did my best to keep cool.  We ordered drinks, which is what we always do first, but it took so long for Waiter J to bring them back, to the point where another more experienced waitress named Ashley offered to retrieve the drinks for us.  We asked her could she take over for Waiter J and be our server instead and she agreed, but when she went to ask Waiter J if he would mind if she took our table for him, he told her “I got it.”  I didn’t agree, but I decided to behave and give him a chance.

So finally we get our drinks and place our orders for food.  My youngest daughter ordered chicken fingers and fries from the appetizer menu, so her food came up first and they were pretty tasty.  My oldest daughter ordered the fried jumbo shrimp and fries platter, and Jonathan and I ordered the $34.95 all-you-can-eat “buffet”, adding the Maine lobster to mine for another $9.95, as well as an appetizer of mussels for Jonathan.  I thought the mussels would be steamed in garlic/butter but instead they came out in the tomato sauce and honestly, I thought they were repulsive.  Somehow though, he enjoyed them.

My oldest daughter’s fried shrimp platter came out, and she was immediately disappointed with the flavor or lack thereof.  The batter that the shrimp were fried in tasted soapy, as did the overcooked hushpuppies.

And finally out comes the all-you-can-eat trays.  This “buffet” selection includes Maryland Crab Soup (which looked like succotash, and didnt have any crab in it – Jonathan had a bowl of it, I refused), corn on the cob, hushpuppies, steamed clams, steamed shrimp, steamed Blue crabs, steamed snow crab legs and as I said earlier, live Maine lobster which could be added on for an upcharge.  We both asked in the beginning that they do not give us the Blue crab or the corn, but load us up with the steamed “everything else”.  ….We ended up with both the Blue crab and the corn, and little bits of everything else.

Now when I think all-you-can-eat, as far as seafood, I think back to Luddy’s down in Goldsboro, or the Manor House in Middletown, where they would literally dump crabs by the bucket in the middle of your table and let you go for yours until you beckoned for more.  This was far from that.  We had to beg and wait for little bits of this n that.  And none of it was seasoned – not the Blue crab (not that I wanted it, but still), not the shrimp, the lobster, the crab legs, none of it.  BUT, the corn on the cob had a little bit of something sprinkled on it…that’s not what I went there for though.  Even the lobster was void of flavor.  It was loaded with water, though.  Yet and still, I did my best to eat what I could of it because ya just don’t waste lobster.  You can’t!  LOL!

While I was disappointed that our food lacked flavor, I figured I’d dress it up somehow – butter helps everything.  I don’t like the oil that a lot of these restaurants are trying to pass off as melted butter – it doesn’t sit well with me.  So I asked Waiter J if he could get me real butter, melted.  He said he could and went back to retrieve it.  He came back with it and I dipped two big pieces of snow crab leg in it and bit them…and found that the butter was sour.  It had that funky rancid taste.  I was done at that point.

 While we were going through it at our table with all this bad food and all these platters everywhere, Waiter J was slow to come and take things away to help us make room and he was also slow to keep our drinks full.  Another waitress (not Ashley, a different one) came and refilled our drinks, as well as take our payment once Waiter J finally brought the bill but never came back. 

Had I been the one to dine and dash the way I’d done as a youngster who loved to prank, I’d have definitely done that here.  Captain Don’s will never see me or get business from my family again and I must add here that I spent the majority of my evening in bed, sick after eating here.  It was that bad.  😦

 

Bonefish Grill – Camp Hill, PA

Good day, people! It’s been a few months since I’ve given any updates as to places we’ve visited and such, so let’s hop back to it.

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Aaaaah, the Bonefish Grill, located in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania…
Let me first say, that when my family and I visited this place when it was brand new in the summer of 2012 (I mean literally brand new…it was the day after the grand opening), I didn’t really enjoy my experience. The wait was excruciating, then once we got inside, the waiter was clueless, and my appetizer (the only thing I’d felt like ordering) left much to be desired. I wasn’t living for it. My kids and boyfriend all wanted to try it a second time for benefit of the doubt, but I just wasn’t seeing it for the place..I honestly doubted it would last.

Fast forward to January 19, 2014…one of my girlfriends who always likes to try new things for her birthday, invited all of us ladies out for a Sunday Brunch. I never knew Bonefish did a Sunday brunch so I was willing to give this place another shot because of her insistence, and because it was brunch…I could choose a “breakfasty-type” entrée or something more in the lunch/dinner way. So I decided to go the lunch/dinner route.

What I chose was the Grilled Salmon with lemon butter, and sides of Steamed Asparagus and Potatoes Au Gratin, with my drink being a Georgia Peach Martini (two of those, actually). I was pleasantly surprised with everything, I must say! The food was delicious! Even the asparagus was perfect, and I never eat all of my asparagus…I may eat some, but I never finish it. My salmon was darkened and crusty in all the right places and juicy on the inside. It was wonderful. By the end of our sitting, my plate looked washed except for the last bite of potatoes because I just couldn’t force it.

I have to apologize for the lack of pictures here; I ate my food so fast and forgot to take any.  LOL

Since we had a party of 6, but were expecting a party of 8, we had two wait-staff, a guy and a girl (I apologize, I can’t recall their names at this time). They were gracious, but my favorite was the gentleman, who worked my end of the table. My girlfriends and I have a crazy sense of humor and he was able to keep up with us without being on the edge of losing his job. LOL

However, people I must warn you (and this is my ONLY complaint) that we did notice that the floors in the restaurant are quite slick. You must be careful as you walk through this place (heading to the bathroom, etc) as your feet just may surprise you.

Other than that, Bonefish Grill was definitely a hit for me this time around and I’m anxious to go again!

http://www.bonefishgrill.com/Locator/details/camp-hill-pennsylvania

 

Grand Opening PM Bistro July 23, 2013

Ladies & gentlemen I believe we have a winner!!!
Alonda & myself had the pleasure to attend the offical ribbon cutting ceremony & grand opening at Harrisburg’s newest resturant/night spot PM Bistro. Need we say we love this place!

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With the mayor of Harrisburg The Honorable Linda Thompson officially proclaiming July 23, 2013 PM Bistro day and the cutting of the ribbon Harrisburg officially has its newest upscale-casual dining & 30+ night spot. With an offering of live entertainment, upper level VIP area, 2 full services patios, weekly hand dance classes for on $10, a weekly happy hour from 4:30-7:30 and I’m sure many more events to be announced soon check out the their new website for more info on upcoming events at http://www.pmbistrolive.com
Now you pair that up with the good food/drinks and great staff PM Bistro is poised to be “THE PLACE TO BE” for the mature crowd of the city and surrounding areas.
There is finally a place in the city limits for the grown folks. No longer do we(30+) have to watch the clock while we’re trying to enjoy a night out with our friends, just to avoid the younger crowd. There is now a place just for us to chill! Good food, great staff, wonderful atmosphere with great music and live entertainment. So break out your wallets and pocket books, order yourself a great meal or appetizer.  Buy yourself a nice drink and hey why not buy a round for your friends too. Schedule a meeting or special event and support this new and much needed breath of fresh air this city’s mature adults so desperately longed for. We’ve all been asking for it and FINALLY its here lets all do our part in supporting and help build up PM Bistro by spending our time and yes of course our money in a small locally owned and operated business. Together we help ensure that Harrisburg newest small business is here for us to enjoy for years to come.
-Sonny
♥♥♥♥♥ 5 out of 5

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Seafood Academy – July 4, 2013

My family and I recently took a trip to Orangeburg, South Carolina on a vacation over the Independence Day weekend. In the days leading up to the trip, Jonathan (“Sonny”) and I did a little bit of brainstorming on some places we wanted to visit in the Orangeburg area so that we could enjoy some food, then blog about them. We came up with a few, and Seafood Academy was one of the places that made the cut.

Upon our arrival after the 9-hour drive and eventual check-in and settling at the hotel, Sonny and I, plus our 5 family members all decided to head on over to the Seafood Academy, which happened to be right across the highway from where we were staying. We dropped in at the restaurant at 8:15 p.m. and decided to stay even though they were set to close at 9:00.

I wasn’t quite sure of what to expect when we walked in, with a name like Seafood Academy – academy, as in “school”. The outside looked more like a tavern, but the foyer inside looked like an intimate little restaurant. We were greeted by a friendly hostess and seated immediately, as there were no other patrons there, except for one person seated at the bar. Before I sat, I glanced around the room and found that the dining tables were set properly with white linen tablecloths, folded white linen napkins, water goblets and silverware, with burgundy leather-like menus. The bar area was very dimly lit, and equipped with one small television.

Once we were seated, I was able to take things in a little more closely. I noticed that there was a slight musty, “basement” odor coming from somewhere that I couldn’t pinpoint. Some of my silverware had hard-water spots on them and that out of the three aquariums that sat together along a wall, the one that appeared to have been a salt-water aquarium was full of green murky water that resembled lime jello, and fish that were pale and either slow-moving or sitting stationary as if they were in the beginning stages of death. Eeek.

On to the positives: Our waiter arrived at the table to greet us, introduce himself and take our orders. He also was very pleasant, well-mannered as well as gracious and attentive. We placed our orders, which returned in good time in my opinion. Everything on the menu was reasonably priced, and although there wasn’t a ton of items to choose from, I felt like I was able to make a choice easily and be satisfied.

I ordered a Salmon Caesar Salad; Sonny ordered a salad topped with fried shrimp, and my two daughters (both of whom were not pleased with me forcing them to order from the kids’ menu) ordered fried shrimp and french fries. I’m not quite sure what my mother, brother and sister-in-law ordered. Before our entree’s arrived, we were given two baskets of warm sliced french bread and butter. The bread was SO good. LOL!! It was warmed perfectly – not too toasted or crispy, just warm enough. We ate the bread pretty quickly since it we all enjoyed it so much (and I think because we were all hungry from the trip), so the waiter was more than willing to go and get us another two baskets of bread as fast as we had eaten the first. Everyone except Sonny and I had enough sense to stop eating the bread to save room for the real food. We sent for a third basket. LOL!!

Our food arrived and we all enjoyed what we had. I thought my salad was decent. The salmon was broiled nicely – not too dry, not too soggy. And for my daughters to have ordered from the kids menu, they were pleasantly surprised to have received such nice-sized portions of shrimp. I tasted one of my daughter’s shrimp and it was pretty good. Sonny seemed to enjoy his shrimp salad and the rest of the family didn’t complain at all about what they had.

While we were finishing up and the staff was coming to retrieve our plates and other items and bring the bill, our waiter came back to the table with two carry-out containers full of more bread. 😀 This made Sonny happy. LOL!! In all, I think our dining experience here went pretty well. I found it easy to make the best of my time here, even after having been grossed-out by the dirty aquarium, and getting a slight whiff of a musty basement or old water coming from somewhere, from time to time. The polite staff and pretty decent food made up for the minor misses. I wouldn’t call this restaurant a dive, and its by no means upscale. But it did serve the purpose at the time. Out of 5 stars, I’ll give it a 2.5

– Alonda 🙂

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Service Matters – Joes Crab Shack

If there is one thing that will definitely turn me off from returning to a restaurant, it is poor service. Food quality and presentation are very important, don’t get me wrong. But give me good food and bad service, chances are I won’t be back. I think some establishments have forgotten that treating your customers with respect and kindness goes a long way, and in my opinion, has a bigger influence on my choice if I’m going to be a one-time diner or if I’m willing to return again regardless of the quality of food. I’ve dined at many places that may not have had the best food. But the waitresses/waiters treated me like I was a valued customer, and for that alone I’ve returned.

The reason why I wanted to talk about this subject is based on a recent trip Alonda and I took to Cockeysville, MD to enjoy some seafood at Joe’s Crab Shack. All though we started this blog to give our reviews on our dining experiences, we had decided that we would only blog about restaurants that were not franchises, or how would you say “main stream” ie. the Red Lobsters, Applebee’s & of course Joe’s Crab Shacks. Our main focus was to draw attention to the smaller, not as well-known dining places that we love to try as Foodies. But this experience that we had at this particular Joe’s Crab Shack I felt I had to tell everyone about how horrible the service was. Now I’ll give it to Joe’s, I do like their food; I think for a “main stream” restaurant they are pretty good. They’re one of the only places that I actually think you get the same thing as you see in their tv commercials. And to me that’s saying a lot. I know many of us have seen a burger or dish on a tv ad and been like “OMG that looks so good I’ve got to try that place”, only to get there and think “this looks nothing at all like it did on tv”. Makes you feel like you’ve been duped doesn’t it? I know that’s how I feel. But anyway the service that we received while there was probably the worst I’ve ever experienced.

On arrival, we were seated by the host and given our menus and as they always tell you “Your server will be right with you”. Well our server never got that memo. Because we sat there with nothing but our picture menus for 20+ minutes (I use my stop watch on my phone to time how long it takes before the server first comes to our table). And during the time we sat patiently waiting, multiple employees waitresses & waiters walked by our table, but not one stopped where we were seated. And behind us at a empty table, a group of employees were just looking at us as they sat around eating and having a little pow-wow. So now I’m agitated and I have to get up and ask to speak to a manager. That in itself took 10 minutes for the manager to come out and see me.

I let her know what my complaint was as to waiting 20+ minutes with no service and she assured me that she would send a server right away to our table, and went to walk away from me as if that was resolving the issue. I had to let her know that if she wanted us to stay and eat at their restaurant that she would be the one taking care of our table that afternoon and not one of her servers who thought it appropriate to stand around amongst themselves and eat, talk and laugh while there was a busy restaurant happening all around them. The manager agreed and assured me that she would be the one to take care of us.

So I returned to our table to inform Alonda of the conversation I just had with management and that the manager agreed to be our server. Well to make a long story short, our orders were taken when she came to the table we ordered the steamed garlicky mussles as an appetizer and two Arctic Bay steampots, being as though we were sitting long enough to know what we wanted. The appetizer didn’t make it out to the table before the entrees did and the manager had the entrees sent back and she showed up minutes later with our mussles. Which by the way were very good. Then our steam pots came out and they were also very good. As I said before, all the food was good and I have no complaints about that at all.

The manager did make it up to us by deeply discounting our check for the waste of our time and hassle. But although I like going to Joe’s Crab Shack I don’t know if I will be going back to that particular location anytime soon. Because to me, service and respect for my time matters more than what a place is serving on the menu.
If a restaurant wants happy and repeat customers, remember our time is money too and no one wants to drive somewhere to be forgotten or ignored.
Food quality and taste are important but remember above all else and I think most importantly SERVICE MATTERS!!
-Sonny

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G&M – Baltimore, MD June 8, 2013

We visited this spot after a strong suggestion and good reviews from a relative of mine..my cousin… We had originally planned to visit Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, on Pier 5 at Inner Harbor but we switched plans at the last minute to go to G&M instead. I’m glad we made the switch, as the food was excellent! Mind you, we were forewarned by my cousin that the portions delivered at this family-owned, seafood-centered restaurant are plentiful. So much that most people rarely finish all of their food in one sitting. I kept that thought in mind. But I also kept in mind that when I go places and order crab cakes (which I’m a HUGE fan of, by the way), I usually receive small portions. So I sort of took this advice in regard to the crab cakes with a grain of salt.

When we arrived at the restaurant, we parked in the rear and were allowed to enter through the rear door, which took us through the bar and around to the front. We were seated right away with no waiting at all. The dining area was clean and well-lit. Not too dim, not too bright. And the tables were set properly. There was a “floating host”, who went around with a pitcher of iced water to fill or refill glasses. He arrived at our table and proceeded to reach for and fill our glasses with water. Personally, I’m big on manners. I would have liked it if the floating host would have given us eye contact and greeted us, rather than just going ahead to fill glasses of water for what may have appeared to him to be invisible people. But hey, that’s just me.

Anyway, when we were seated by the main hostess, our menus were placed at the table along with us. We reviewed the menus and immediately took notice that the menu was packed with choices under every category. My boyfriend is indecisive at times, so it took him a while to figure out what he wanted. But I was set on crab cakes…they’re what I had in mind and that’s the first thing that jumped out at me when I opened the menu. After we had reviewed the menu for a while, our regular waiter showed up and asked what we would like to order. My boyfriend Jonathan noticed this time that our waiter didn’t say “my name is….”. But I did at least hear him greet us. I found his name, “Philip” on his name tag. 🙂 I ordered the two-crab cake platter, a side salad and a baked potato. Jonathan ordered what was called the Chicken Chesapeake (which is two pieces of broiled chicken breast, topped with crab meat and Hollandaise sauce), a side salad and mashed potatoes with gravy.

So our orders were in…during our wait, I noticed several of the wait staff traveling back and forth with huge trays of plates for different tables. I thought to myself, my cousin was right. The portions are huge… We received our appetizer. The crab dip, as recommended by the waiter. It was pretty tasty. Very cheesy, but tasty nonetheless. LOTS of lump crab in it. I couldnt finish my half of it though because I wanted to save room for my entree. 🙂 Then our salads came. Mine came with a Greek dressing. I usually really like Greek dressing, but I felt like this one was a bit on the watery side. Too much red wine vinegar. But I ate it. Jonathan ate and seemed to enjoy his salad. Then comes the entrees. I thought I heard the gates of heaven open when my crab cakes were placed in front of me; they were super-sized! They were the size of grapefruits, cut in half and they were excellent! VERY tasty, no filler. However, as good as my baked potato could have been, it would have been delicious had it cooked a little longer. It wasn’t quite done. Jonathan received an equally large portion of crab meat with his Chicken Chesapeake. However, the Hollandaise sauce tasted like it may have had just a little too much mustard in it. But he enjoyed what he ordered. There was no way either of us were going to be able to finish our meals in one sitting. We indeed had to eat a good 1/3 of it, then pack up the rest for later.

Out of five stars, I’ll give this place a 4.5. I have to dock them for the inpersonable water floater, my so-so salad dressing, slightly under-cooked baked potato, and Jonathan’s too-much-mustard Hollandaise sauce.. In the end though, we will certainly return.

-Alonda

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