Shield's Tavern, Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

 This weekend I was in Colonial Williamsburg for a family trip. It was a very cool experience, with everyone in costumes and all.  During our trip we ate at a few different restaurants, some good and some which we didn't enjoy as much.  Shield's Tavern was one that we thought was just okay. The restaurant's only light source was candles, and there was no air conditioning (We were supposed to be in the 17-1800's). All of the waiters were in costume, and some were even playing music on guitars and violins while singing! Unfortunately, it was a cold evening, because it was pouring rain outside, but the candles and the food kept us warm.

Shield's Tavern

   There were quite a few options on the menu, and a couple of them looked pretty good to me.  I ordered the special, which was haddock with a crab cake (and a side of potatoes), but because I thought I wasn't going to be able to eat it all, I asked for a half portion.  My brother ordered the pork shank because he loves any and all pork dishes.  He also ordered the half portion as well.  Our food came out pretty quick, which surprised me, because there were quite a few people in the restaurant. Now my brother's plate in itself looked like a full meal, even though it was a half size. Mine, in comparison, looked like an appetizer. I had what looked like a half of a crab cake, and a

Crazy small portion... (My Haddock)

VERY small amount of fish. My side of potatoes looked bigger than the fish itself. My meal did have a little bit of revival, because it tasted good. The fish was cooked well, and had some pretty good seasoning on it. The crab cake, however, was only okay, it was a little overcooked, and did not have enough seasoning. The potatoes were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, just how I like them. Considering the fact that my mom had also ordered fish, but I ordered a half portion, and hers looked at least three times bigger than mine, I was a little annoyed. My brothers dish was really good, tender meat with a really great sauce. All in all, good food, but the portions were totally messed up.

   All the waiters were really nice and made sure that they were able to fulfill our every need. They were very knowledgeable about the menu, and were able to tell you what everything was like.  All in all, this restaurant was pretty good, but had a very big problem with portion sizes.

   As always, I will be rating the places I go on my Cookie Counter Scale of Cookieness, with one cookie being a burnt, old, stale, nasty oatmeal cookie, and ten cookies being warm, gooey, melty chocolate chip cookie (my favorite) goodness. My Cookie Counter Ratings for Shield's Tavern are:

Food: 6 Cookies (because of the crazy portion problem and unseasoned crab cakes)

Service: 8 Cookies

Atmosphere: 7 Cookies

Shield's Tavern Information: http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/do/restaurants/historic-dining-taverns/shields/

Mussel Beach- Delray, Florida

Calamari! Yum!

   Until recently, I had never tried mussels. A long time ago, I tried an oyster, but did not like them because of their rubbery texture and taste. The oysters kind of kept me away from trying mussels. But for Mother's Day, because my mom loves mussels we took her to a restaurant called Mussel Beach. Mussel Beach was on a street corner near the ocean, and it had inside as well as  outside tables! The inside of Mussel Beach was very nice, and had a very casual, laid back feeling to it. There was a big hanging sign of a mussel with muscles on the wall, which was pretty funny. There was a guy singing songs, and he was really good! I don't know if he is there all the time but we enjoyed listening to him. This is a great restaurant for a casual dinner of a couple people, or an entire family!

   Everyone in my family got something different, but we shared everything. We started off with a basket of calamari and a bucket of truffle fries. The calamari was cooked to perfection: soft and a little chewy on the inside, and crispy and crunchy on the outside. The fries were

The Lobster Bisque Mussels!

something else. They brought a whole new level to fries that I didn't know was possible, because they were AMAZING!!! They had parmesan cheese, truffle oil, and chives on them, and oh my gosh, they were the best fries I've ever had! Crispy, not too greasy, and just pure deliciousness! It didn't take long to polish off both appetizers, so we moved on to the entrees. You can get the mussels with different types of sauces. My mom and dad both got mussels; my mom got  the French Onion and my dad had Lobster Bisque. My brother and I didn't go for mussels, so instead I got the risotto, and my brother got the Ahi Tuna burger. In all honesty, my risotto wasn't very good, and I wouldn't go order it again. It was flavorless, bland, way too thick,and had barely any texture. I couldn't even finish it, it was that bad. On the flip side, my brother's Ahi Tuna burger was amazing. It had great texture and was cooked to perfection. It had a brioche bun which complimented the tender burger so wonderfully. Both of my parents were pushing for me to try the mussels, and I thought "Why not?", and decided to try them both. I tried the Lobster Bisque first, and I was impressed. I realized that all my worry about trying mussels was pointless. Why? Because they were amazing! The Lobster Bisque mussels had a wonderful, delicious sauce, and the French Onion had French Onion soup that was by far the best I've ever had.

   Everyone at Mussel Beach was very nice, and kept checking up on us to make sure that everything was satisfactory. They knew the menu inside and out, and answered each and every question we had.

   Although I didn't like my risotto, the restaurant as a whole was really good! I definitely look forward to returning, but next time, I won't get the risotto - I'm eating mussels!

   As always, I will be rating the places I eat on my Cookie Counter Scale of Cookieness, with  one cookie being a burnt, old, stale oatmeal cookie, and ten cookies being a perfect, gooey, warm, chocolate chip (my favorite) cookie! My Cookie Counter ratings for Mussel Beach are:

Food: 8 1/2 Cookies

Service: 9 Cookies

Atmosphere: 8 Cookies