A hot and spicy end to summer: The area's best steamed shrimp

Posted to: Spotlight Taste Test

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Steamed shrimp in a seasoned white wine and butter sauce at the Flagship Restaurant, Portsmouth

About the scoring:

Steamed shrimp earned points in each of five categories: appearance/aroma/atmosphere, the shrimp, the seasonings and value.

Tester's scores were added and averaged to arrive at the final score.

More on the winners

Meet the judges

All of the nominees

Next up Reuben sandwiches. With fall on the way, we're switching to more hearty fare.

Know where we can get a good Reuben sandwich? Let us know the name of the restaurant and the city where it's located. One vote per person, please, and we reserve the right to exclude any restaurant that has offered deals to customers who vote.

If you'd like to be a tester, tell us why. Make your pitch a good one, and be sure to include your name, age and city of residence.

Submit nominations and tester applications by calling (757) 446-2334 or e-mailing them to tastetest@pilotonline.com. The deadline is Oct. 6

By Lorraine Eaton
The Virginian-Pilot
© September 29, 2008

Steamed shrimp - it's one of summer's simple pleasures. To stretch out the season, a panel of five testers (culled from a pool of nearly 100) spent a windy Saturday sampling shrimp at the four local restaurants with the most reader nominations.

Five hours after settling into a seaside table, testers had learned that in South Hampton Roads' kitchens, steamed shrimp doesn't necessarily mean Old Bay Seasoning and beer. Here on the coast, steamed shrimp is a varied affair.

our winner

Flagship Restaurant

103 Constitution Ave., Portsmouth, (757) 398-1600, www.theflagshiprestaurant.com

Price Jumbo, $14.93 per pound

Score 94

What the judges said

"Beautiful presentation with a great garlic aroma." - Julie

"Marvelous spicy taste, and at 16/20 count, they are good eating size." - Mark

"Wonderfully seasoned steamed shrimp. Worth trying for a change from your typical Old Bay seasoned shrimp." - Jeanie

"With so many herbs and seasonings, The Flagship has taken shrimp to another level." - Laverne

best of the rest

Clayton's Restaurant

1805 Hodges Ferry Road, Portsmouth,

(757) 488-6243 (Closed Sundays)

Price Medium, $10.25 per half pound,

$15.95 per pound

Score 88

What the judges said

"The shrimp had a moderate amount of seasoning. The cocktail sauce had a good balance of horseradish, and the real butter had just the right amount of salt." - Julie

"A little smaller than the rest, but they make up for it in taste. Incredibly tender and moist." - Charles

"Wonderful traditional steamed shrimp." - Jeanie

"Good family atmosphere, clean and friendly." - Mark

Dockside Inn

3311 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach,

(757) 481-4545

Price Jumbo, $16.99 per pound and $9.99 per half pound; large, $15.99 per pound and $8.99 per half pound

Score: 70

What the judges said

"Sitting by the dock and water - what could be a better place to eat steamed shrimp?" - Jeanie

"The aroma is awesome, very fresh, like they came out of the water just for me." - Laverne

"A medium Old Bay Seasoning. I liked the large better than the jumbo." - Mark