Stick With the She-Crab Soup and Shrimp at 82 Queen

It's probably been some time since long-standing Lowcountry restaurant 82 Queen received a formal review, but this week, Charleston Scene critic Deidre Schipani assesses how the eatery has held up since opening in 1982.

Schipani sups on the "Lowcountry canon" of she-crab soup, fried green tomatoes, and shrimp and grits and finds they "have not been tampered with." She delights in the variety of the specials, but finds the kitchen falters on some basic skills:

The Queen will best be served by bringing in her "kitchen maids" to be sure that broken clam shells are not served with the pasta, that pickling juices are drained before plating, that tomatoes are peeled and trimmed for pie, that a soup’s temperature is checked before serving, that asparagus spears are not griddled to wrinkled, that garnishes are not allowed to wilt and sauces, glazes and coulis retain their fluid form. Attention to detail is what distinguishes the good from the ordinary.

But, most folks are going for the she-crab soup, right?