Shackleford's

My husband read about Shackleford's somewhere online and so off we went! When we arrived without reservations, we found ourselves waiting for 15 mins. Not bad for a Friday night at a popular joint. Even though we requested non-smoking, I found that the dining room was smokey. I got used to it after a while. We ordered the Baby Steamer ($12.99) to share, which was a platter of 3 Virginian oysters, 6 littleneck clams, and a quarterpound shrimp. We requested the oysters to be raw and the rest cooked. The oysters were very fresh, and were mild and sweet. My husband liked them a lot but they were a little too mild for me. The clams were ok, and the shrimp were cooked and seasoned with a spicy celery-ish salt. Old Bay and cayenne perhaps? They were decent but nothing to write home about.


We were much more impressed with our entrees. Husband had the atlantic salmon oscar ($17.99), which was a "grilled salmon topped with lump crabmeat and hollandaise, served over chive mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus". Yum! Salmon was cooked nicely (I am picky about salmon doneness), and the 'toes were creamy and delicious.


I had the Crab and Shrimp Norfolk ($17.99), which was 6 large shrimp and lump crab meat with a garlicky sherry butter sauce over some crostini. Wild rice and green beans came as sides. The sauce was everything I wanted it to be (actually, I would cut back on the salt, but I'm not complaining). It was a sauce that reminded me of the broiled escargots at a restuarant my dad would take me to when I was younger. (Yeah, I ate escargots when I was 5. Butter anything and I'd eat it.)

Overall Rating:
Food: 8/10
Ambience: 6/10. Too dim and smoky.
Will I return and why?: Yes, for fresh seafood that is cooked well.