I really shouldn't be reviewing this restaurant. I am, admittedly, an idiot when it comes to seafood. So why am i here ? I've been expanding my extremely picky palette, and have picked up a taste for lobster, as well as crab.
Now, I used to frequent Hard Shell, perhaps even once a week or so. They have a filet i've always enjoyed, i never ate the seafood here. But it's been years since i had been so i was looking forward to this trip.
We arrived Fri night, 9:30pm. Not too crowded, and they still had the live jazz going. Yes - live jazz. Not so loud you can't talk, perfect ambient volume. Live jazz can make even a shitty restaurant get an extra star out of me (note: Hard Shell is not "shitty").
Started off with a french chardonnay, my friend had some fru-fru cocktail drink - i have no idea what it was. It looked like a cosmo if that helps. It was pretty tasty. Anyways, we ordered:
1lb Alaskan King Crab Legs
1 Salad
1 Crabcakes
1 Surf & Turf
This was my initial foray into crab legs. The meat was pretty tasty, though i have to say it was an absolute pain in the ass to get to. The damn legs wouldn't crack - they were too soft. I was sitting there bending these crab legs, trying to crack them, making a big mess. The crab leg splitter really didn't help. My friend, who eats quite a bit of crab legs up in the northeast, said that it may not be good crab leg season. I have no idea. Do i sound like an idiot ?
Here is where my biggest pet peeve came into play:
During the eating of our appetizers, they brought the entrees. That's a huge no-no to me. Our table is littered with plates, forks, drinks, plates of crab, pieces of crab scattered all over - and they crammed 2 entree plates on the table. It's bad service to bring out the entrees while you are still working on the appetizers. It was not our waiter who brought them out, and he did apologize for it.
But given that, the steak was pretty decent. I'm in NY most of the time, and there is no better steak than in NY. But this was a pretty acceptable cut of beef. The lobster was very tasty. No complaints at all about the entree. I would certainly order it again.
I ordered 2 double baileys for dessert, for my friend and i. We got perhaps an eye dropper of Bailey's in each of our glasses. I did make note of that to the waiter...... considering the low level of alcohol in Bailey's, a double is a must. So if you order a doulble, i'd like to see a double.
While it sounds like my review consists of a lot of bitching and moaning, Hard Shell is actually a pretty good restaurant. Live music, pretty good food, friendly service, and i didn't mention, but should, the classic brick interior. It's got an old richmond feel to the inside, which i love.
They also have private bathrooms. I like private bathrooms.
3.5 stars. read more