Frequently, the Shreveport-Bossier Journal’s always-hungry reporter has lunch at a local restaurant and tells you about the experience.
By ANON E. MUSS, Journal Services
A while back, I received an email from a reader (keep ‘em coming) suggesting a review Crawdaddy’s Kitchen (9370 Mansfield, Road, Shreveport). Not long after, I received an email from a reader asking me to review restaurants in Shreveport’s Southern Hills area.
Well, that would work out well! So, I invited a friend to join me on a recent Thursday for lunch at Crawdaddy’s.
This was a first-time visit for both of us. I had heard the restaurant’s name for many years but never found my way there. That’s probably because I haven’t lived in, or relatively close to, that part of town. So, while using my GPS as guidance, I drove while looking for the restaurant’s sign. However, it was faded and barely readable. At the last minute, I saw a couple of bright yellow awnings with the restaurant’s name in red, and made a quick turn into the parking lot.
I had reviewed Crawdaddy’s menu on its website, so I knew what to expect food-wise. But I didn’t know what to expect regarding the restaurant’s atmosphere. When I opened the door, I was pleasantly surprised. The first thing that hit me was the gold and purple colors of Mardi Gras. The place was decorated to the nines with Mardi Gras-themed ribbons and bows. The modern-looking dining room would have looked fine on its own, but the decorations brought the place to life. In addition, there was ample seating (all tables, no booths) despite a consistent flow of customers, as well as a couple of big-screen televisions and a small bar.
Within two minutes of our arrival a little after 12:30, my friend and I had been seated and served our drink order (two waters with lemon). I appreciated the fact our very nice and patient server, Vanesha, brought several lemon slices, so we would not have to ask for lemon with each water refill.
I say Vanesha was “patient” because my friend and I are not ones to be in a hurry when having lunch. We don’t get to see each other that often, so we take time to catch up. Twice, Vanesha offered to take our food order, and each time, we asked her to give us more time. She did so without complaint.
Since this was a bit of a late lunch, my friend and I were really hungry, and decided to share an appetizer. Sure, we could have chosen Fried Cheese Stix or Fried Dill Pickle Spears, but we could get those at a lot of places. At a place called “Crawdaddy’s”, we had to go with something seafood or Cajun. So, we ordered Crawfish Cornbread ($8.99).
As my friend said while eating, “This isn’t ordinary cornbread.” No, it wasn’t. Not only was the square-shaped piece enough for both of us, it didn’t taste – or fall apart –like ordinary cornbread. It had a distinctive Cajun flavor, and was thick (not gooey). You know how sometimes when you eat cornbread, it crumbles to pieces, and you’ve got a big mess? Not Crawdaddy’s cornbread. It stayed together through our last bites.
When it comes to the main event, Crawdaddy’s menu is not short on choices. Of course, as an ode to the restaurant’s name, there are several seafood selections. But if you’re in the mood for a burger or pasta, you can get those, too. My friend thought the prices were a little on the high side, which is when I pointed out the Lunch Specials section of the menu. There were four choices, as well as four Fried Lunch Combos.
I kept seeing servers bring out plates of delicious-looking fried food. Now, for the most part, that’s something I stay away from. You know, cholesterol and all. But on this day, I caved. I ordered Shrimp & Fried Fish. If you are okay eating Swai, you can save $3. However, I upgraded to catfish, for a total of ($15.99). My meal was promised to come with Cajun fries, hush puppies, and if I wanted (which I did), Cole slaw and pickled tomatoes.
My friend chose the combination of a Natchitoches Meat Pie and a cup of Chicken & Sausage Gumbo ($10.49). But here is where there was confusion. He was concerned that might not be enough to eat. However, my friend decided since the menu read “All lunches served with Cajun fries & hush puppies (Cole slaw & pickled tomatoes available upon request)”, he would get filled up. But while discussing with our server, she said that there was a mistake on the menu. The crawfish pie and gumbo did not come with the extras. So, my friend was reconsidering his choice, when our server said since the menu read what it read, she would make it right.
Now, that’s customer service. Vanesha did the right thing, and my friend was appreciative. If you go to Crawdaddy’s and order a lunch special, I suggest confirming with your server what it comes with.
When our food arrived, I was pleased to see that my plate looked as good as the other plates I had seen served. Mine was loaded with three large pieces of fish, four plumpy shrimp, three (small) round hushpuppies, and plenty of fries. There were also (small) containers of Cole slaw and pickled tomatoes, as well as containers of (without me having to ask for) tartar sauce and cocktail sauce.
The fish and shrimp were fried to perfection. And not only was all of my food served hot. It stayed hot until I could see the bottom of the plate. By the time I finished, I was very full.
My friend’s first thought when eating his gumbo was that it was “very heavy on the roux.” He doesn’t usually add spices to food, but felt the gumbo needed a pick me up. “It lacked flavor and kick for Louisiana food that I would normally expect it to have.”
Fortunately, within my eyesight were several bottles of Louisiana Hot Sauce. I gave him one, and that seemed to do the trick, as my friend emptied his bowl.
He said his meat pie was hot temperature-wise, but not hot spice-wise. “I would describe it as just a meat pie.” In other words, nothing special. He felt he could get that meat pie just about anywhere.
My friend was more impressed with the restaurant’s look and feel, than he was with its food.
“(The building) didn’t have a whole lot of appeal on the outside, but the inside was amazing.” He took note, as did I, of the music (think Lainey Wilson and Cody Johnson), as well as the decorations and TV’s.
The cost of our meal before tax and tip was $36.89. Know before you go that Crawdaddy’s assess a 4% “Service Charge” if you are paying with a card.
I was happy with my visit to Crawdaddy’s Kitchen. I enjoyed a really good, well-portioned meal, in a nice, relaxed atmosphere, with good service. Therefore, I give Crawdaddy’s a solid Three Forks. For me, Crawdaddy’s is out of my way. But, if I am within 15-20 minutes of the restaurant, I would definitely return. There is plenty of food from which to choose, but I would be hard-pressed not to again have their fish and shrimp.
1 Fork: Would rather eat a box of dirt
2 Forks: Will return, but only if someone else is buying
3 Forks: Will return and look forward to it
4 Forks: Will return and go out of my way to do so
Is there a restaurant you would like the Journal to visit for lunch? Email SBJRestaurantReview@gmail.com.
