Jason V.
Yelp
What's this place called again? Sack O Shrimp? Case O Crawdads? Lobster Luggage? Nope! It's Bag o Crab!
Bag O Crab is a restaurant with an identity crisis, particularly in regards to its décor: a mish mash of nautical, aquatic and Chinese influences clash together with the presence of (admittedly cute, but gimmicky and unnecessary) robotic servers. I'm also wary of any menu that lists a significant portion of its entrées as "market price" (a recipe for draining your wallet), automatic gratuities for modestly-sized parties, and limits on the number of cards that can be used to divvy up a bill at the end.
All that taken into consideration, the name perfectly sums up the experience, and satisfies all expectations...and boy, do they boil up a mean bag o' crab, according to my wife and step-daughter! Splitting the #3 Dungeness Crab combo between them (more than enough for two dainty women), they were elbows deep in buttery, spicy, oily crab goodness, as well as shrimp (headless), corn and sausage, less than 10 minutes after ordering. Liberal use of the provided bibs, gloves and wet wipes is recommended! As for myself, and being adverse to eating anything that looks like how it did in life, I opted for the fish po' boy sandwich instead, which arrived a few short minutes afterward.
Deferring to my wife's expertise on the matter, she was pleasantly satisfied with the quantity of crab, its spiciness level, and the flavor of the original Cajun seasoning. In her words, Bag O Crab is "probably the second best crab place in Portland", with the first being our perennial favorite, the uncontested king: the "Kracked Crab" food cart in Happy Valley. As for my po' boy, it was competently executed, if a little dry side (could use a bit more of that sauce), and lacking a useful amount of ketchup for the accompanying French Fries, quickly rectified by informing our server.
Circling back on those robotic "servers": yes, it is cute that a cat-faced automated cart that announces its presence in a cutesy voice is a fun little touch. However, since it is always accompanied by your server, who does all of the actual unloading of the dishes, the whole thing exists purely for novelty. Considering the restaurant's location on 82nd, I wouldn't be surprised to read about a future break-in and theft of this cute computerized companion. Crossing fingers that this never happens!
Fresh seafood is never going to be an inexpensive affair, and in terms of preparation, isn't particularly difficult to execute correctly, although we have been burned by crappy crab restaurants before; thankfully, last night's visit was not the case! Fine dining, this ain't...but you'll be dining just fine. This is one restaurant where being "left holding the bag" is a good thing!