I came to Louisiana Crab Shack for lunch after a nearby medical appointment and shopping excursion last week.
I was greeted by a friendly young man who short stopped my approach to the order counter. I asked if the shrimp on the salad were grilled or fried. He told me they were grilled, but I could request fried. Then he recommended the fried baskets. I went with his first suggestion of the fried catfish and shrimp basket with fries. I thought maybe he was trying to warn me about the salads. Because, you know, people usually ask about salads as code for "I want fried".
To my utter dismay, they offered Pepsi instead of real fountain sodas (although they did have three flavors of Stubborn). I ordered water instead.
I paid and was advised to get my drink and take a seat wherever I liked. I later figured out that they prefer to seat you and take your order at the table, although that's not exactly obvious from the store layout or entrance path.
I grabbed a styrofoam cup next to the soda fountain. I thought that was odd as this stuff is polluting the very waters that the fish I was about to eat depend on for their daily existence. However, they do offer plastic straws (and lids) conveniently next to the cups, which indicates they do have concern for those of us with dental issues and for those of us who are not environmentally friendly but still demand a to-go cup.
At each table is a carrier with a variety of three hot sauces and a roll of paper towels. Ketchup and tartar sauce are provided in cups with your meal. More of each is available upon request. That is not usual for tartar sauce, but surprising for ketchup. I hope they change their policy and place ketchup at the table. Ketchup was the only vegetable I had to eat for lunch (other than the fries). That did not make for a well-balanced meal.
Within a few minutes, my food was brought to the table by my server. Food was presented in a basket with a paper lining. I tried to pretend it was foil so I could have a silver lining. I received four shrimp and two catfish fillets atop a bed of Cajun fries. The shrimp were small-to-medium sized, definitely not large. I am not sure if they had been de-veined because they were not cut open like a butterfly. Nor did they fly away from the table. The catfish fillets were large, but the order of fries was really on the skimpy side. For $12, I would have preferred two more shrimp and one fewer catfish fillet if they have to cut corners on more than just the fries. I felt gypped.
The shrimp were fine, but the catfish fillets tasted like they had been either brined in Old Bay or else the breading was liberally sprinkled with bay leaves. This is the first time I've ever experienced catfish spiced with bay leaves, and I grew up in Louisiana. The resulting flavor was meh. In sections, the catfish was very salty. Thankfully, the catfish was not muddy tasting. The Cajun fries tasted more like they came from Idaho rather than Louisiana, meaning they were not spicy at all.
Service provided by my server was amazing for fast food, and the restaurant itself was spotlessly clean. Kudos for those two success stories. Those were the only two truly outstanding features of my visit.
In all, I found the food safe and tolerable, though definitely not as expected. Unusual flavors wound up in the strangest places, and items that were advertised as spicy simply were not. For a fast food restaurant, the price is a bit high for what you get. It was not the enjoyable seafood experience that I expected.
Quite simply, there is nothing Louisiana about this crab shack. It's a chain out of Dallas with plans to expand soon to Cedar Park and Kyle. Let's hope they find the can of Tony Chachere's before those stores open. read more