Over the years, Captain Hiram’s has expanded to the point that it now offers something for almost everyone.
It’s grown so large, in fact, that somewhere along the line Captain Hiram’s gave its restaurant a separate name: Blackfins.
What Blackfins does offer is daytime drop-dead views of boats a bobbing, pelicans a diving, fish a jumping, and dolphins cruising by.
What Blackfins doesn’t offer is very good dishes once you go beyond bar food, and a recent visit did nothing to change our long-standing view.
On this evening, for appetizers, I started with a cup of “authentic Maryland crab soup” ($5). All I can say is the state of Maryland ought to sue. Far from being a rich tomato-based soup, this was a watery concoction, long on vegetables and short on chunks of crab.
My husband and our companion elected to start with salads – his a wedge ($8), hers a chopped ($8) – and these were quite good (as well as huge).
For entrées, I ordered the grilled shrimp skewers ($19), my husband decided to have the broiled spiny lobster tail ($35.79), and our companion opted for the lobster mac and cheese ($21).
My husband’s lobster tail was a bit chewy (probably overcooked) but on the whole good – as one would have a right to expect for what is a pretty stiff price. But the other two dishes were less than satisfactory.
The lobster mac and cheese had some nice chunks of lobster, but the mac – overcooked ziti – was gummy and tasteless, with all the cheese at the bottom of the dish.
The two grilled skewers had decent enough shrimp, but it appeared to have been precooked – then briefly stuck on the grill. It was greasy and had none of the taste that you would expect from anything actually grilled on a skewer. All the sweetness you expect from shrimp had been lost somewhere along the way. And the rice that accompanied it was cooked to the point of being inedible.
Our server – a very nice young man – came by at regular intervals to inquire if everything was great. Repeatedly told “no,” he appeared to have no clue how to handle that response. Each time, he expressed regret and quickly left.
Whether by day or by night, Captain Hiram’s is a fun spot to visit. At lunchtime, the view from Blackfins will make your out-of-town visitors envious. And in the evening, the adjacent Captain Hiram’s Sandbar is Sebastian’s “go-to destination” for cold beer, live music and tropical cocktails.
The food is not the attraction here. The ambiance and the drinks are what keep people coming back. This is a place for fun, a real island feel – and a very Key West-like atmosphere.
Just don’t go expecting fine dining.
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at [email protected].
The reviewer is a beachside resident who dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of this newspaper.
