Posted by Sarah Broz on July 21, 2004
I sought out the Wreck on the basis of glowing reviews from sites like this. However, having eaten there, I think I must have dined on an "off night" because I think the food is over-rated.
The complimentary boiled peanuts are nothing spectacular. They were probably boiled the same day but were heated in a microwave. As for the she crab soup, it was not very flavorsome nor was there much of the crab in it. In fact, the soup may have been watered down since there was a lack of depth to the flavor plus a scarcity of crab. This was the second bowl of she crab soup I'd consumed in less than a week and the first (from another seafood eatery in Shem Creek) was far superior. Adding the sherry at the table is a novelty but that doesn't help to give body to the soup since it's added after the cooking process.
I had an entree of fried shrimp and scallops. The coating on the fried seafood was nothing memorable though it was not heavy, so I give the Wreck kitchen staff credit for that. The scallops were tastier than the shrimp and were delicate and tender, not chewy. I enjoyed the sweet tomato flavor of the red rice.
My spouse suggests that the soup lacked flavor because it was served in a disposable cardboard bowl (think picnicware). This is a fair point. All food and drink is served in plastic or cardboard disposable picnicware except the silverware. This doesn't impact on the flavor of entrees like the seafood but could be detrimental to the famed she crab soup.
Overall: Worth a major detour
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Reviewers "Must Eats" List
"Here are some of the best-tasting fried shrimp we’ve had along the southeast coast since the late, lamented Edisto Motel closed several years ago."
Michael Stern
"The Wreck has never bothered to put out a sign. Everyone just knows where it is. Located in a former bait locker overlooking Shem Creek, it is in fact an immensely picturesque place to eat."
Michael Stern
"A glorious Richard-size meal: grilled shrimp and fried oysters accompanied by cole slaw, red rice, a single hushpuppy and a block of fried creamy grits."
Michael Stern
"A meal at The Wreck begins with a bowl of boiled peanuts. If all you know are ordinary peanuts, these are a revelation. The nuts inside the shell are soft enough to be a good reminder that peanuts are in fact not nuts, but legumes."
Michael Stern
"Who can resist interior décor that consists of stacked-up beer boxes? This is what you see as you walk in the door."
Michael Stern
"The taste, aroma, and high-proof jolt of sherry are essential to traditional she-crab soup service. Here at the Wreck, you add it yourself."
Michael Stern
"There is no seat in The Wreck’s dining room that doesn’t offer a fine view of the waterway."
Michael Stern
