Shark's Bag O' Boil, fried oysters and clam chowder (Photo by Stephen Clatterbuck)
The seafood boil is as old as American cookery, and no two regions do it the same. The closer to the Gulf Coast you get, the spicier, your fingertips turning Titian-red as you pinch the sweet meat from a steaming hot crawfish. Cajun and Creole cooks brag about who does a better boil, and you’ll find nearly as many variations as you do in an Indian curry. Along the Chesapeake Bay, pounds of crabs and shrimp are steamed and dusted with Old Bay, a zingy counterpoint to the sweet meat on offer. Farther north, in New England, the spices fall away — a boil is a simple affair, lobster tails and scallops steamed gently with wine and garlic.
Sauce & Toss, a popular spot in Shockoe Bottom, has opted to forgo regional specificity. Its style is a mishmash of styles. This is not a deal killer, but the execution, unfortunately, is. The “Shark’s Bag O’ Boil” looked promising, but all the color and abundance in the bowl could not change the fact that the crawfish, mussels, clams, shrimp, corn, potatoes, and sausage were sitting in a flavorless broth. If this was “super spicy,” I hate to imagine what “mild” was like. A stew calling itself seafood gumbo brought undercooked okra, baby shrimp and a heap of chopped green onion swimming in a thin, undeveloped roux.
Things are more promising when you get beyond the bowl. I can report that there are good fried oysters and scallops to be had — hot, seasoned well and crisply encased. And the selection of drinks — wine, beer, bottled sake and liqueurs — is deep, varied and interesting.
Sauce & Toss has the look down — the netting on the walls, the plastic crustaceans on the ceiling, the picnic tables covered with paper. Now, it’s time to mind the details that really matter.
2 out of 4 forks
1711 E. Franklin St.
804-269-7976
Hours: Monday to Thursday: 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: noon to midnight; Sunday: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. (posted hours)
Prices: $5 to $26
