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Tittl review: Mutha Shuckers! Eatery has both catchy name, clam chowder
| Wednesday, Jan 30 2008 1:30 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, Jan 30 2008 1:46 PM
I still miss the Olde Port Fish Grotto, that Brundage Lane restaurant that was locally owned and offered reasonably priced seafood prepared a variety of ways. It was casual and genuine, especially with the outdoor dining in the back.
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818 Real Road, 322-9900
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.
Prices: Appetizers $4.99-$10.99, entrees $5.99-$18.99, side dishes $1-$2, vegetarian choices $4.99-$8.99. Child’s plate $4.99.
Payment: MasterCard, VISA, American Express, Discover and The Californian’s Press Pass accepted. Does not accept personal checks.
Dress: Casual.
Amenities: Wheelchair accessible; beer and wine available soon; some vegetarian options.
Food: 21⁄2 stars
Atmosphere: 31⁄2 stars
Service: 21⁄2 stars
Next week: Vallarta Grill
Photos:
Mutha Shuckers cook Chris Cartwright cooks a seafood dinner at the new seafood restaurant.
Mutha Shuckers seafood restaurant owner Vicki Williams serves up a couple of plates of crab legs. The restaurant recently opened next to Regency Bowling Center on Real Road.
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The closest thing we have to that now is Mutha Shuckers, a new restaurant located next to Regency Bowling Center behind the Days Inn on Real Road (just south of California Avenue ). I'm sure the name may give you pause, and I recall reading a letter to the editor published in The Californian from a reader who thought the name was just way too crude. There's a little note on the menu acknowledging the issue, saying the restaurant didn't mean to offend but just wanted to offer the best seafood it could. It's using a catchy name that you won't forget, that's for sure.
It is somewhat like the old Hush Puppy on White Lane with its fried catfish, hush puppy appetizers (warning -- they can be just as appetite-destroying as chips and salsa in a Mexican restaurant!) and a really simple menu that offers a few specialties: crab legs, shrimp, burgers, clam chowder in a bread bowl that the menu brags is better than what you find in Pismo Beach.
My companion selected the catfish ($10.99), while I chose the boiled shrimp plate ($14.99 for a dozen, with two sides). My other companion went for the clam chowder in a bread bowl ($5.99). If we'd only had one more person we'd have sampled the King crab legs ($10.99 for a half pound, $18.99 for a full pound). They also offer oysters, ribeye steaks, a calamari appetizer, fettuccine alfredo and fish and chips as well as three vegetarian items (garden burger, veggie shuck rolls and the alfredo).
The food was good, not great. My shrimp was boiled, with the shells removed, and clean and fresh tasting, but just begging for a bit of drawn butter or another dipping sauce. I chose some of the fresh cut fries with a garlic-cheese topping, but my companions and I played a "where is that off taste coming from" game, trying to figure out if the oil was bad or the cheese-garlic mixture had an acrid taste. My companion's catfish was excellent (a simple corn meal coating, and fried) especially with a mound of fried okra chunks.
The clam chowder was thick with clams and rich-tasting, though not too creamy/buttery. The perfect balance. If indeed you miss the Pismo bread bowls and don't have the gas money to head to the coast, this is a reasonable option. And the décor has some charm, with its sky blue ceiling, floor with footprints painted on it and a "surrender the booty" pirate flag near the cash register.
By all means save room for the only dessert on the menu, Nana's Skor cake ($2.99) which is a toffee-flavored bundt cake that has the moist richness only something made from scratch can have. If I was full, I'd get it to go. It's that good.