A Seafood Binge

We recently celebrated my brother’s entry into adulthood (the big 3-0!) by taking a trip to the relatively new MGM Grand at Foxwoods, which is basically Connecticut’s answer to Las Vegas. We had originally planned on dining at Craftsteak in the MGM, a steak house that’s part of Tom Colicchio’s family of restaurants. Figuring that we could get a good steak anywhere, my brother decided to do some research to see if we could find a restaurant that would provide us with a more memorable dinner experience. As soon as he sent me a link to Custy’s International, I knew he’d found our spot.

My brother and I are huge lobster fans. For as long as I can remember, these hideously ugly crustaceans have been the centerpiece of many a celebratory family meal. In the history of our family outings, there have been few meals that have provided the same raw satisfaction as the ones involving the systematic deconstruction of these thick shelled, bottom-feeding delicacies. The ritualistic cracking of the lobster shell with whatever implement of destruction happens to be nearby, whether it be a lobster cracker or my father’s weapon of choice, his shoe, followed by the ceremonial dunk of sweet lobster meat in hot, melted butter is an activity that I will always savor. Custy’s, located a convenient 6 mile drive from Foxwoods, would be the perfect dinner-spot for this occasion. What better way to celebrate such a milestone birthday than to dine at an establishment offering lobsters (and a whole lot more) in all-you-can-eat denominations? Enough of my babbling, welcome to Custy’s:

Birthday boy and bride are ready for dinner:

Fed up with posing, he enters Custy’s, not quite sure what to expect on the inside:

Plate number 1…lobster and steamers:

See Dan Eat. I’m too busy stuffing my face to pay any attention to the camera:

That was number 1 of about 2 dozen steamers that I’d eat. The perfect complement to the 5 lobsters that I devoured.

Plate number 2. It looks a lot like plate number 1. It also looks a lot like plate numbers 3, 4 and 5. Note some of the other items sampled here…the cajun shrimp skewer and some peel-and-eat shrimp:

I’m not sure where or how the ‘international’ fits into place, but as advertised, Custy’s International buffet is focused mostly on seafood items. The buffet delivers exceptional quality and taste as far as the lobsters and steamers go. The 1 1/4 pound lobsters are delicious, not overcooked and very sweet, in that special lobster kinda way. The steamers were awesome, the real surprise of the night. We’d never had steamers so plump and sweet before (although as dinner progressed, both my brother and I felt that the steamers began to taste a bit ‘waterlogged’). As part of the buffet package, diners can also choose their choice of steak (or steaks). We decided to split an order of marinated filet tips, which were also excellent…cooked to a perfect rare and super tender. My brother’s wife also enjoyed her Delmonico Steak, although wisely ordered it rare in the hope that the kitchen would actually send it out medium rare (they did). I chose to focus most of my attention on the lobster and steamers, though I did try a few of the other menu items, which I ultimately determined to be no match for the headliners…the crab legs that I tried were a bit flavorless, the cajun shrimp was oily, and if you’ve eaten one peel-n-eat shrimp before, then you know what you’re getting into when you try them at Custy’s. Some of their non seafood items quite frankly looked horrific, like the deviled eggs…probably named because they looked like they came directly from Satan’s kitchen. I enjoyed the desserts too, especially the turtle cheesecake and cookie pie. 

We all left feeling like we had just enjoyed a good meal with the wife even remarking that her lobster was the best she’d ever had. I will give Custy’s credit where it’s due and say that you can have an awesome meal with some really fresh tasting seafood if you stick to the basics and try not to get too cute with the rest of their buffet items. Besides, in my opinion if it’s not lobster or steamers, then it’s just filler anyway. 3 stars.