Crustacean nation
When the sun is shining, a warm breeze is blowing, the thermometer reads 75 degrees and you”™re crouched over an office desk in the increasingly industrial city of Stamford, spring fever happens.
A crab would be nice right about now, you think.
And never has anything so ugly tasted so good.
The deck at the Crab Shell restaurant attracts office workers in droves ”“ longing for the smell of the sea, a Guinness on tap and one hour when they can pretend they”™re on the beach in New England.
There”™s a reason the restaurant is beginning its 19th summer with a gaggle of grateful lunchtime customers. It is a staple of the summer community and the first thing people think of when they crave the waterside ambience, crab cakes and lobster rolls.
“We”™re not a chain so I know a lot of the regular customers,” said James Clifford, owner of The Crab Shell.
“On the good sunny days we”™ve had a surprising amount of boats. Ten to fifteen and it”™s only April and when it was raining out last week we even had two boats.”
Clifford says that even with soaring gas prices he expects the boat crowds to continue to flock to the well known Sound location.
“I enjoy boats and boating, and I actually enjoy going down to the dock and helping people tying up their boats and you”™re able to relate to them, see how they”™ve upgraded or downgraded with their boats.
We”™ve been here for quite a while, people don”™t want to be dressed up in a jacket even if they”™re coming in on a yacht,” said Clifford. “We offer someone down to dock the boat and we”™ve got docks that are well maintained and have good rubber on them, their kind to boats. The lunch crowd has been excellent and in April we”™re a bit ahead of last year.”
The Crab Shell has a strong reputation as a place to enjoy seafood, drinks and salty air.
“We”™re probably as well known on Long Island as we are here,” said Clifford. “We have regular customers who”™ve been coming here on their boats for years.”
Long Island is not the only place that has a Crab Shell fan base, however. On Sunday night after 7:30 the crowd is 80 percent residents of Westchester, Clifford said.