Hello again!  I haven’t done a food review in a while, so here you go.  Yes, it’s another seafood place (I’ll think of something different for next month).  Big Shucks is a place we’ve been to a fair amount and we always have a good experience food-wise.  Here’s a reminder of the rating system:

MMMMM = Everything is magnificent!
MMMM = Great, but something is off.
MMM = Pretty good, but a couple of things could be better.
MM = The bad’s starting to outweigh the good.
M = Definitely more cons than pros.
… = I couldn’t find anything nice to say.

Normally, we go to Big Shucks in Dallas, but this last time we went to the one in Richardson.  Locations can be found at their website, linked above.

Let’s start off with accessibility as usual.  The very first time we were going to try this place, we actually wanted to go to Aw Shucks (they’re sister store) in Dallas.  At the time, Aw Shucks was inaccessible (they may have upgraded by now, but I have no idea), so they sent us a couple of blocks over to Big Shucks after explaining that it was the same thing, only accessible.  Since, we’ve been multiple times, plus twice that I remember to the Richardson location.  The tables at the Dallas store are a mish mash, so some are perfect and some are knee bangers.  The Richardson tables aren’t as eclectic, and they’re pretty nice height-wise with legs that don’t get in the way.  Both locations have outdoor seating as well.  I didn’t check out Richardson’s patio, but Dallas’s has picnic style tables.  The ends are usually long enough for me to get under them, so it’s pretty nice.

A brief mention of service.  It’s basically self serve.  You go to the counter and give your order, sometimes they bring it to you and sometimes they just call your name and you go to the pick up area, then you go back and forth if you need things.

Onto the food!  We always get oysters as a start.  They also have shrimp cocktails and ceviche, which are delicious.

It’s one of those places where the food comes out as it’s ready, but I’ve never felt rushed.  Their pacing is pretty nice.  So, we were able to savor the yummy oysters before our entrees arrived.  Now, I admit Big Shucks has a fairly limited selection, but what they do have, they do well.  I almost always get the scallops.  They’re grilled with a little seasoning.  No fuss, no muss.  None of this fancy bacon-wrapped special sauce crap.  You get pure scallop goodness.  Dad usually rotates through a few selections, but this time he got the salmon.  Again, there’s nothing fancy to it.  Just lovely, cooked to perfection fish.  That’s the great thing about this place.  You get to taste the seafood instead of a bunch of sauce and toppings.

Dessert… It’s less than spectacular.  All they have is “homemade” key lime pie that is almost certainly from a box.  It’s not bad, it’s just not great.  Luckily, Dallas’s Big Shucks is just down the street from TCBY and a few streets over from Pinkberry, so if key lime pie doesn’t blow your skirt up, you can go get yogurt!

That brings us to the price.  It’s actually really reasonable considering it’s seafood in North Texas.  Also, remember that they use the honor system.  It’s your job to keep track of what you ordered.  So, I suggest bringing a pen and paper if you order a lot.

Overall Rating:
MMMM

Back to answering questions next week!  See you then!