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Friday, Mar. 20, 2009

The surf’s up at Captain Jack’s

One can’t talk about Captain Jack’s Crab Shack & Billiards without mentioning not only the seafood, but also the pool tables and alcohol.

If you’re looking for this type of hangout for a meal with friends, it offers much more than typical ‘bar food.’

The menu is pretty simple and includes a wide variety of items to suit almost any palate.

The shrimp basket I tried held about a dozen fried shrimp. It was too salty for my taste, but had a nice crunch and was served warm. You have an option of getting the shrimp fried, grilled, buffalo-styled or boiled. It costs $8.25, and comes with sweet slaw and your choice of fries, new potatoes, corn on the cob, red beans and rice or cheese grits.

I enjoyed my red beans and rice, but it became a little tiring after a few bites as it got a bit mushy and tasteless.

The hush puppies were a hit. I like them a little sweet, and a nice crunch on the outside is always a must.

Other baskets you can order include scallops, fried or grilled grouper, fried oyster, jalapeño shrimp, fried flounder, clam strips, pork chop, chicken tenders or catfish fillets. Prices range from $6.25 to $11.25.

Speaking of catfish, Wednesdays offer all-you-can-eat catfish for $12.99. I’d definitely take advantage of the weekly specials, which also include all-you-can-eat snow crab legs Tuesdays for $18.95, and 12-ounce prime rib night (which also has a cluster of crab legs) Thursdays for $13.95.

Customers can also build a two-item combo, choosing from shrimp, oysters, grouper, scallops, clams and chicken tenders for just $10.95.

All include hush puppies, fries and slaw.

For some reason, the place doesn’t have crab cakes. A seafood restaurant with no crab cakes? The closest you can get is a stuffed crab appetizer for $7.25.

Entrées at Captain Jack’s include king crab legs for $27.95 — the most expensive thing I saw on the menu— dungeness or snow crab legs, and stuffed or fried flounder. Definitely go for the flounder. You get two very generous portions. The flounder I had was not very greasy and quite fluffy.

If you want to try a little bit of everything, have the Captain’s Feast, which has fried shrimp, oysters, scallops, stuffed crab and white fish. But know there are no substitutions for this meal, all at $17.95.

Not in the mood for seafood? There’s a rib eye steak entrée, cooked to order, or chopped steak with grilled mushrooms and onions. All entrées include a side item and garden salad or slaw.

When ordering a basket or anything else, there are add-on sides of shrimp, scallops, etc., ranging from $4.25 to $6.25. And last but not least, there’s also a low country boil, which would go perfect with a cold beer or while you’re shooting pool in the hall next door (connected to the restaurant) with friends. For $21.95 per person, you can get a steaming concoction of boiled shrimp, crab legs, smoked sausage, new potatoes and corn on the cob. Nice.

There’s a lot to choose from at Captain Jack’s. The restaurant also has a second location in Byron, located at 101 Industrial Blvd.

Captain Jack’s Crab Shack & Billiards

2 and a half stars

Address: 1229 Russell Parkway, Warner Robins

Phone: (478) 225-1165

Hours: 4-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 4-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; closed Sundays.

Price range: $4.95-$27.95

Dress: Casual

Vegetarian selections: Yes

Noise level: Low to moderate

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

Reservations: No

Children’s menu: Yes

Alcohol: Yes