It's a weird experience, but it's fabulous seafood.
We've never been to Crackin Crab, and we didn't do any research, so we didn't know what to expect, except maybe good crab. Cut to the chase: our crab, shrimp, and scallops were excellent. The experience and process were a bit strange, but we fell in love with it all afterward. So first, the menu isn't obvious; yes, you can order several products like crab, crab legs, mussels, and more by the pound, and you pick one of two sauces. The combinations were less clear until we saw you have three options (cast, drift, or gill), which you get a set number of three or four seafood options. We tried #1 ("cast"), which was 1lb of snow crab, 1 lb of headless shrimp, and 1/2 lb of scallops in one sauce. We decided to go with the Lemon Pepper sauce, which was outstanding. Now, you sit down at a table covered in plastic. You get a plastic bib to wear (and yes, don't feel silly, put it on; you'll need it!), and the food comes in a clear plastic bag with a 'garbage can' in plastic for all the shells and mess you'll make. It's weird, it's odd, you don't get any dinnerware, and you eat with your hands out of this bag. But the food was terrific! And it's messy but fun activity food. For just under $60, two and a half pounds of great seafood, one little red potato, and two pieces of corn is a screaming deal. My wife and I were stuffed to the gills (no pun intended here). The sauce worked well with both the fish and the corn. We were concerned the Crackin Sauce might overpower the seafood. The lemon sauce was perfect, but we may ask for a taste of the other sauce next time. You are also supposed to get a sausage, but my wife requested some coleslaw instead, and our server was very accommodating. You are supplied two tools to crack open the shells; there's one plastic device (shell slicer) I've never used before that did an excellent job of slicing through those crab legs. But what a bloody mess; a bowl to eat out of would have helped, but once you get into the eating action and understand everything is protected in (ugh, guilt trip) plastic, you can enjoy the meal. Our server, Cathy, was excellent; the food came out quickly, and yes, I would go back. The good news for us is there is a location in Santa Fe. I didn't take any pictures, which I usually do with all reviews; there isn't anything you want to view; it is not visually appetizing, but taste-wise, it was delicious. I think this would be an ideal takeout restaurant. You could ask for a few pounds of what you want in different sauces, take your bag home, use actual dinnerware, and make some nice bread to soak up the sauce, but dining in works, too. read more