The Shell Shack in Uptown opened last week, in the spot where the hot-dog centric The Stand used to be. The Shell Shack specializes in piles of crustaceans. Bibs are highly suggested.
This is the first Shell Shack, which is owned by a group of people that dabble in a few other restaurants around town. The concept is pretty straight forward: you come here if you want to get elbow deep in a crab boil. The crabs are thrown in big bags and tossed around with butter and spices (more on that below), then it's plopped down on the middle on the table. Customers can either pick from the bag or pour it out on the table.
The Shell Shack sells crab by the pound: King ($27.95), Snow ($14.95), Dungeness ($14.95). They also have shrimp ($9.95 per pound) and crawfish seasonally. If you love crab, but dread the work (it's fun for the first ten minutes), then you can get it served "Uptown Style" and they'll do the work for you.
Sort of like wings, you can choose flavors (Cajun, garlic, lemon pepper, the kitchen sink or naked) along with a heat level (mild, medium, hot, or diablo). There's also clam chowder, gumbo, and sausage, potatoes, corn if you want an old-school crawfish feast.
The Shell Shack at 2916 McKinney is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. everyday, but close at 10 p.m. on Sundays.
