Jimmy’s Famous Seafood
off night in the crab department, perhaps.
Other elements of our meal proved far more satisfying.
The turf part of that entree, for example, was what I’d call a retro New York strip steak — thick, juicy, simply grilled, and containing good old-fashioned, crispy fat around the edges, like you used to get at home or at un-fancy eateries. It tasted indulgent, and I loved it. Same for the side of roasted sweet potatoes, with their delightfully peppery skins. Back to the famous seafood. From the fresh fish offerings, we chose rockfish and, from the available preparations, one dubbed Mediterranean — lemon vinaigrette and roasted tomato. (Other options include Asian, Caribbean, Parmesan-crusted and crabstuffed.) The result was a pleasing, low-keyed dish, ably supported by charred broccolini.
Our first course included large, well-fried coconut shrimp that came with a super-tangy dipping sauce of mango and ponzu. The kitchen also turned out a fine version of a golden-oldie, clams Service: ★★★; ★★★★; ★★; ★★★★★; ★] casino, that was very cheesy and full of zest from onions, peppers and bacon.
There was also much to be said for an appetizer of intensely flavorful mushroom caps stuffed with crab imperial. That was the most memorable crab-related bite of the night. A close second was a cup of half-Maryland crab, half-cream of crab soup — a perfect choice for an indecisive type like me, and a satisfying combo of hearty flavors.
For dessert, we savored the very tart and sweet toasted coconut Key lime pie, as well as an accomplished Smith Island cake with deep chocolate flavor.
We encountered a few blips with service that night. Our affable server disappeared for long stretches and forgot a few essentials (we had to flag down someone else to get a mallet for the crabs and a container for the shells). No one replaced cutlery after courses, or cleared away crab remnants before dessert.
Overall though, we had a fun time with Jimmy’s something-foreveryone menu, the spacious and attractively designed dining room, and the friendly vibes from staffers and customers alike. We even adjusted, mostly, to the conversation-challenging noise level. And we forgot all about the battle of the billboards.