A few weeks ago, while leafing through an inflight magazine, I saw an ad for Monty’s Crab Shack that stated something in the vein of “get crabs.” I turned the page in disgust. About a week ago, I received a flyer in the mail from Monty’s touting its specials and highlighting some random radio announcer’s endorsement. Feeling like a bad reviewer, I decided to suck it up and go in to “get crabs.”
Monty’s has set up shop in the Quality Hotel, located just off McKnight Boulevard and Edmonton Trail N.E. Definitely not the most desirable location, but the space, with its contemporary design, is comfortable.
Curious to see if a restaurant in Calgary (besides Catch) had great seafood, my boyfriend and I made a pact to eat only oceanic delights. Immediately breaking the deal, I ordered the Dijon Caesar side salad ($4), while he had a cup of corn and crab chowder ($6).
The Caesar was average. Based on the description, I was expecting a creamy dressing with a grainy texture — this wasn’t the case. The chowder, on the other hand, was good, creamy with generous chunks of crab and corn.
For appetizers, we bypassed the beef-baby crabby patties ($10). The dish, consisting of mini beef burgers topped with provolone, crab and basil aioli looked interesting, but we had an agenda.
We started with the fresh oysters topped with a chili-cilantro sauce ($16). Asking our server what region they were from, she and the kitchen staff could only determine they were from B.C. — this worried me. Though there was no cause for real alarm, the intensity of the chili-topped oysters was too much, and after scraping the topping off, the taste was no better. Actually, there was practically no taste to them at all.
Moving on to the mussels, we opted to have them in a lemongrass broth ($12). I’ve had some great mussels in this city and sadly, Monty’s can’t compete with them. Unlike oysters, mussels work well with an intense sauce. The lemongrass broth was bland, and the mussels tasted bitter.
Getting full, we decided to split the “great legs!” entrée ($27) — a pound of crab legs. It’s a good thing Monty’s has “crab shack” in its title, because this is where the restaurant shines. The tender snow crab, served simply with butter and lemon, was meaty and fresh and, thankfully, something we enjoyed.
I would recommend Monty’s if you have a hankering for crab. Its laid-back setting works with its reasonably priced menu, and the service is pleasant. Just skip the mediocre appetizers and you’ll be fine.
Monty’s Crab Shack is located at 4804 Edmonton Tr. N.E.; phone, 276-2636.
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