FOOD

Snow crab legs are typically the star attraction. The standard seafood buffet includes all-you-can-eat crab legs, while a much more expensive unlimited-lobster-and-seafood tier turns dinner into a full shellfish event. The regular buffet is already built for repeated crab-leg runs; the lobster option is the maximalist version. Either way, crab is not a side attraction here, so begin with a modest cluster before committing plate space elsewhere.

The raw and chilled side adds real range: raw oysters on the half shell, peel-and-eat shrimp, steamed mussels, white clams and crawfish, with broiled scallops and sautéed shrimp nearby. Stone crab claws also appear when available. The oysters matter because they give the buffet a genuine raw-bar component and provide a clean break from butter, breading and rich hot food.

Then comes the Calabash lane: fried shrimp, fried oysters, calamari, catfish and clam strips, plus stuffed crab and deviled crab. The latter puts seasoned crabmeat back into the shell, giving the line a blue-crab specialty beyond snow-crab clusters. Butterfly shrimp, fish cakes and hush puppies round out the fried side. Sample lightly at first; this section rewards returning for whichever breaded seafood deserves a second pass.

Not everything from the water lands in the fryer. Blackened flounder, blackened fish, shrimp scampi and grilled or broiled salmon give the buffet a second seafood vocabulary. They are useful after the first crab-leg run, when something less breaded becomes more appealing, and they let a diner stay seafood-focused without repeating the same textures. This is where the buffet feels most like a broad seafood restaurant rather than simply an all-you-can-eat crab operation.

The land side is unusually substantial for a restaurant with a crab in its name. NY strip and sirloin share space with roast beef, prime rib, barbecue ribs and smoked sausage, and cook-to-order steaks have been part of the buffet program. Mixed groups therefore have a real alternative to shellfish, while committed omnivores can build an unapologetic surf-and-turf plate.

The Southern hot-food section holds some of the more idiosyncratic choices. Mac and cheese, collard greens, corn, green beans, mashed potatoes, yams with marshmallows and sweet potato casserole provide the comfort-food backbone, while shrimp Alfredo adds another rich seafood detour. This is the part of the buffet that makes a second plate feel completely different from the first.

The salad bar offers a cooling reset with greens and vegetables alongside potato salad, shrimp salad, egg salad and tuna salad. Shrimp salad is the most natural fit with the rest of the meal, especially between rounds of hot crab, fried seafood and steak.

Dessert stays familiar and generous: banana pudding, cheesecake, chocolate cake, brownies, cookies, pudding, ice cream and fresh fruit. After crab legs, oysters, Calabash seafood and perhaps a steak, it is appropriate to rely heavily on that second “dessert stomach” that we often imagine we have. Banana pudding makes the most natural final stop, keeping the meal in the same Southern comfort-food register in which Crab Daddy’s is strongest.