Lillian’s Seafood Restaurant (1312 George Washington Highway, Chesapeake, VA 23323. 757.485.7060)

A couple friends accompanied Randy and me to Lillian’s last night. The restaurant, online, is listed as being a “Seafood Restaurant”, but the sign from the road also promotes steaks, seafood and buffet.

Randy ordered the Carolina-style pulled pork barbeque ($8.99) which came on a platter with french fries, three hush puppies, and a container of cole slaw. While the pork was plentiful, in a vinegar based sauce, the fries were limp, the hush puppies had been deep-fried a bit long (to take on a slightly burnt taste), and the cole slaw could have used more dressing.

The other couple and I chose the seafood buffet ($15.99). In addition to the regular salad bar, they were fried oysters, friend chicken, barbeque ribs, crab cakes, sauteed scallops, fried fish, steamed shrimp, fried shimp, fried scallops, corn on the cob, cooked potato wedges, green beans, clam chowder, and assorted desserts. Here, the restaurant ran into the same problem as most steam-table buffets. The green beans were mushy, the potatoes were greasy, and the sauteed scallops were rubbery. The fried chicken was peppery and perfectly cooked; the fried shimp were awesome, and the ribs were sauced, but not overdone. The desserts were lacking, however. Perhaps if they had been kept cool, they would have maintained their taste. Sliver thin slices of chocolate merrangue pie do not taste good when warmer than room temperature.

Service was adequate, but nothing to write home about. The restaurant wasn’t even half full, but we ended up having to track down the server to get the plates cleared from the table, and for the check.

Food: (2)
Service: (1.5)
Price: (2)
Overall: (2)