North Loop Seafood Stop

Kevin and I went to Smack Shack on a Sunday evening at the beginning of Restaurant Week. The scene inside was vibrant, modern and certainly fit the seafood theme. The decor was a blend of warehouse style brick walls with large doors that opened up to the sidewalks.

Unfortunately, the vibe weakened slightly since it took at least ten minutes for a server to even greet us at our table. Once he did, he was very attentive the rest of the meal.

We chose the Restaurant Week menu since it offered such a range of their food. The first course consisted of crispy calamari with a spiced aioli. The calamari had a perfect crispness to it and was complimented well by the slight kick of the aioli. Since it was Restaurant Week, we were each served our own portion, which I really enjoyed. It saved us from having to do the usual awkward transfer of food from one plate to another which is typical when sharing plates.

I ordered the Lobster Guacamole for the appetizer and Kevin had the Crab Cake. The Lobster Guacamole looked beautiful, but didn't add anything extra for flavor. It was just guacamole with a few pieces of lobster on top.

Kevin's crab cake was smooth, yet lacked flavor. However, since it was paired with a corn salsa of sorts on the bottom and a few peppers on top, it helped add some flavor when eating.

The main entree consisted of the Fried Shrimp Po'Boy. It was delicious. I appreciated their use of mixed field greens as opposed to iceberg lettuce. The shrimp added enough crunch that you didn't need any iceberg lettuce. I chose the Lobster Mac & Cheese as a side since I figured it was one of their signature dishes. I was underwhelmed. I don't tend to thoroughly enjoy mac and cheese but I figured with lobster it would be okay. I didn't feel it was worth the calories or the cost (if you were to pay the typical $11 for the side).

Kevin ordered the Lobster Roll. It was served on thick Texas toast. It was smooth and rich, but again, it lacked flavor. Kevin chose the cornbread, with which I was equally disappointed. It was a bit dry and had some peppers in it, which although makes it unique, didn't add any extra flavors that made it better.

The dessert was fantastic. It was a Lemon Meringue Whoopie Pie with blueberries and lemon curd. The bright flavor of the lemons paired well with the richness of the blueberries. I would highly recommend this dessert; however, I am unsure if it is on their regular dessert menu.

Overall, I could see where this place could be a fun place to go with a group of people in order to share a few sides. The portions were more than enough for two people although a good value since it was Restaurant Week. I would not return often as the food was extremely rich.

Smack Shack