Prime Seafood
6049 Memorial Dr.
Stone Mountain, GA 30083
(678) 974-5000
Mon. – Sat. 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Sun. 12:00 PM – 8:30 PM
A review by the erstwhile duo Tom Ramsey & Calvin Burgamy.
Calvin:
A few days ago Tom Ramsey asked me how my food blog was going. I had to admit it had been lying dormant for quite some time. In the course of a few minutes Tom revitalized the blog with the idea of both of us visiting Duckanoo on Memorial Dr. It was decided we would have lunch there but on the appointed day I happened to look at their schedule and they didn’t open til 5pm. Turns out they are kind of a sports bar which stays open til 2am. Maybe its more than sports bar/restaurant but that will have to wait until another day. Tom suggested one the seafood restaurants on Memorial Dr. so we decided on Prime Seafood. It has only been open 9 months.
So off we went. Walking in the first thing we noticed was that it is very clean and neat. It is mostly takeout but has 4 or 5 tables if you want to eat in. The woman behind the counter is cheery and friendly and told us about their fresh seafood. However, we were there to eat lunch. Looking over the menu I opted for the fried shrimp with french fries…the basics. Tom was more adventurous and ordered gumbo, corn, a crab cake, and hush puppies.
Man, I really enjoyed my fried shrimp! Lightly battered with a bit of pepper these 12 decapod crustaceans were crunchy, firm, with a crisp texture, and I relished every bite. My only complaint is they gave me too many french fries. The horror! So they are easy to get to, have good food, and the prices are reasonable. Using the highly scientific “Meh” rating system I give my fried shrimp a “4”-Nice!
Tom:
As Calvin has already noted, we two, semi-retired gray beards neglected to check the Duckanoo website for hours of operation until 30 minutes prior to our intended lunch. Aren’t all things supposed to be open when we need them? A philosophical discussion for another day.
I have been considering trying out Prime Seafood for the last few weeks, and now thanks to the inconvenience of the Duckanoo hours of operation, the perfect opportunity was at hand.
It was easy to find, on Memorial Drive just east of Hairston. The signage is visible from Memorial Drive and they offer plenty of free parking. The place is spotless, and would easily pass a white glove rest!
I have a few measures of my own for rating seafood joints. Working within Calvin’s “meh” scale, I consider those special items that for me make difference between average and superior. Those items are gumbo, hush puppies and crab cakes.
The gumbo here was good, with lots of shrimp, sausage, crabmeat and okra. It was fresh and homemade, but the roux was a bit bland and creamy for my taste. Still quite good, though.
The cornbread hush puppies were off the charts fantastic! Fresh, crispy outside but tender inside with great texture and fresh corn kernels, too.
The crab cakes, like the hush puppies, were crispy outside and moist and tender inside. Very little in the way of fillers here, just enough to hold it together. The nice woman behind the counter told me it was greater than 65% crab meat. I would concur! A great choice.
The corn on the cob was great, done just right and slathered in your choice melted garlic butter or Cajun butter. I chose the garlic butter and was not disappointed!
Some other menu items to come back and try are the low country boil and soft shell crabs, fried or steamed shrimp.
I would agree with Calvin, this is a 4 out of 5, Nice!
They also have a raw seafood market that looks great, and they offer all the typical grocery staples needed for a nice seafood dinner. You will find rice and beans, dirty rice and jambalaya mixes, starters for making roux, gumbo or soup. Cocktail and tartar sauces by the jar.
A place I’ll be beck to visit soon.