Critic's Review
The Ex GM from Bimini Boatyard has partnered to take over the McNabb's Dockside space. On a Sunday afternoon with the Giants freshly eliminated, I had no interest in watching football. I thought I'd check the place out.
There were a bunch of cars in the back; it's kind of an odd setup with a road between the Tiki bar and "dockside" tables. I parked out front and went in the front door.
I'm not sure why they're paying a hostess; she didn't even bother to ask me if I wanted a table. To the right is a dining room and the outside space, but I didn't really want to hang out there.
I figured I'd sit at the inside bar. I'd seen the menu and it didn't excite me, but I was just going to grab a bite and scram. The only person sitting at a table had a laptop and was probably an owner or manager. Everyone was at the bars in the place.
There were 5 people at the bar; they had the sound on the Arizona vs Packers game. Kind of a strange bar atmosphere with few people and no music and a TV playing. The bartender came over with an accent that made it difficult to understand; she explained it was happy hour and that domestic beers and "starters" were 25% off. I didn't know the regular price for the beers so it had little impact. I ordered a bud light, but I didn't want any of the apps. I ordered the Mussels.
I couple of people left, so I moved over to get a better view of the TV. Not exactly a bustling bar scene.
The beer came in a pint glass. Iced tea is more interesting than beer.
The mussels took less than 10 minutes. They give you 12 mussels for $9. The bread is a plus.
Oyster fork supplied, which is more than most places around here. They were smallish, but cooked properly with a decent wine sauce.
It took me just a few minutes to eat them, and I had no interest in hanging out. The games they had on were on regular TV (they don't have the NFL package) so there was no reason to stay.
The beer was only $2 so the entire bill was $11.66.
Conclusion
I didn't even know this place had opened until I just checked it on a whim. It's a better name than McNab's Dockside, but here's the problem: it's essentially the same place as it was before, so what's the big idea here that is going to catch on when the same idea previously failed? I see this place as a neighborhood bar; there's no unique concept here that is going to get anyone to go out of their way to come here. A weak, basic recipe menu, an uninspiring dining room in a neighborhood off the beaten path.
