Brooklyn Crab

A jaunt away in Red Hook, Brooklyn Crab channels the seaside shacks of Maryland—but times 1000. The triple-decker restaurant that's built on stilts (which survived Hurricane Sandy, after all) has a little bit of everything: glowing arcade games and cornhole on the ground floor, free putt-putt and a beer garden out back. Its second and third floors peer over the Red Hook Channel, with views of Lady Liberty herself, depending on where you are parked. And it's kitschy! Let's just say half the pleasure of visiting here is counting the number of mounted shark heads and open-mouthed orcas on display.

The food: This shack certainly has seafood—lots of it—from raw to baked and steamed. The food here isn't necessarily life-changing, but paired with good drinks and waterfront views, it evokes a feeling of forever summer we can't deny.

Call-out starters include the spicy ahi tuna nachos with nicely crisped fried wonton chips, used for scooping up bites of fish and thick rounds of jalapeno. The grilled lobster tail on its own? Fine, if not a bit rubbery. But the white wine and shallot-heavy butter broth that it came with? It's a gold mine and makes for good use of the bread. The Greek-ish octopus salad with its mix of celery, onions, feta cheese and kalamata olives started out well, only to become a vinegar-y and pickled mess by the end of it. The same goes for the lobster and shrimp gnocchi, which was billed as a Jambalaya-like dish, whose watery sauce sorely lacked the punch of spice. 

To one's surprise, the steampots are where it's at. They do come at a cost, perhaps breaking the quaint shack fantasy altogether, with a half-pound of honey, snow or Dungeness crab running about $56. The signature Brooklyn crab royale comes at $105 for one or $185 for two. But if you piled on the apps, the silver signature platter for one with a half pound of snow and dungness crab, half-pound of shrimp with the heads, feet, and feelers still attached, and a full lobster tail covered in butter (with the option to make the whole thing Cajun) was plenty enough split. So much so, the single half of corn, a small bit of coleslaw, and a bland whole potato were left on the plate.

The drinks: The bar has an excellent list of frozens that rotate, plus a smooth pineapple mojito served out of a parrot glass. The cucumber margarita is a house favorite for a reason: it's equally cooling and spicy thanks to jalapeño-infused tequila.

Time Out tip: The crab shack goes all out in the summer (duh) with two all-you-can-eat feasts, including an oyster fest and a crab fest, plus unlimited drinks. Tickets tend to sell out, but they generally save a few at the door.