My family and I chose to visit Captain Stanley’s Calabash Seafood on Falls of the Neuse Road, wanting some good seafood at a reasonable price. Although we predicted that it would be a little Red Lobster-esque, we had high hopes upon entering the restaurant.
The first thing we noticed was the décor. Model ships, portholes and plastic fish adorned the walls of the restaurant. The new owners had transformed it into a stereotypical seafood restaurant, which was cute and seemed to fit our expectations for the place.
However, it was noticeably empty, with only two other families in the restaurant and one waiter, which worried us about the quality of the food. No customers only a few days after the grand opening?
The waiter brought a basket of hush puppies to the table and took drink orders, and my parents soon found out that the restaurant does not serve any alcohol. Although this did not affect me personally, I can see how this would deter people who enjoy libations with their seafood.
Everyone in my family ordered one of the fried plates, size small (which came with two types of seafood and two sides), except for my father who ordered grilled salmon. All of the fried plates came with large portions, and the lightly breaded food tasted good.
The salmon, however, was dry and tough, and not enjoyable at all. It looks like if you go to Captain Stanley’s, you should choose to stick to the fried foods, as they cannot handle a grilled piece of fish.
The prices were another downside to the dining experiences. They were surprisingly high for the quality of food; ranging from ten to fifteen dollars. The service was also very slow, due to the one person who was responsible for waiting on every table.
Overall, Captain Stanley’s would be a fine place to go if someone was craving seafood and stuck to the fried plates. However, they would be better off going to a Red Lobster, or a higher quality seafood place due to the high cost and poor service of Captain Stanley’s.
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