I had been watching this empty restaurant spot for many months. This space used to be where the Soup Plantation was next door to CVS. When King Crab Cajun Seafood Boil finally opened, my daughter Michele and I paid them a visit and were pleased with the food, service, etc.

I mentioned this to my friends Mary and Ed, and for Christmas, they gave me a generous gift card to go back and try it again – and suggested that I wait until February when I could celebrate my birthday. Of course, since I always follow directions, I waited until the day of my birthday to take my friend Steve and see if it was as good, or even better, than it was with Michele. We were both pleasantly surprised!

I had looked at the menu before we went to know what I wanted to order – six raw oysters, a crab meat salad, and scallops. They had changed the menu slightly from the first time that I was there because at that time the “Get Your Hands Dirty” selections were sold by the pound. For example, the scallops were $32 a pound. The changes now have offerings at half a pound as well as a whole pound, which is much better. It is easier to navigate a smaller order without wondering how many scallops are in a pound. The prices hadn’t changed because the half-pound order was $16.

I am happy to report that the food was excellent. The oysters were cold and the tomato/horseradish sauce was just right. There was a lot of crab meat on the salad greens, and I had chosen a butter/garlic sauce for the scallops that was just right. The small piece of corn on the cob included was saturated in the garlic butter sauce.

Steve (above) had never been to King Crab and he pondered over many items before deciding on hush puppies – 10 of them served with honey. The “Special B” included a half pound of shrimp without the head, a half pound of snow crab, and half a pound of crawfish. He was given a bib – and he really needed it – a nutcracker for the crab and two sets of gloves. No meal is complete without a large helping of gumbo.

He really enjoyed the meal, and there was so much of it. He was also served a rather large piece of corn on the cob. He took home most of the gumbo and managed to finish the other items. He said they were delicious and he’d love to go back.

Our server, Jocy, was delightful and kept checking with us to make sure that we were happy with our meal. I was served Ranch dressing with my salad and I asked if 1000 island was available, within moments I had a helping of the dressing at my side.

Another interesting thing is that the meals are served in plastic bags that look like balloons that have been inflated. I am not sure how that is done, and I didn’t get a picture until the bags were deflated and we began our meal, but when these bags were placed at our table we both looked at each other puzzled. But the meals were hot, the sauces stayed warm, and after a while, we forgot about how it was served.  Also on the table was a trash container for the empty shells, paper, etc. so that you didn’t have to leave it on your plate.

I had a moment to speak to the manager about the server that waited on Michele and me, and the manager was pleasant and answered my questions.

There is no question that we will return. We had a lot more food than we normally would order – thank you Mary and Ed – but everything we had was delicious and served well. If you like fish – all kinds of fish – give it a try. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

KING CRAB

Where: 3960 W. Point Loma Blvd.

Info: kingcrabcajunseafoodboilca.com, 619-269-0800.