Crawfish Shack Seafood

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Jan 302011

Category: Worth a drive
Summary: Excellent shellfish boils, not to mention surprisingly low prices

I've heard very good things about Crawfish Shack on Buford Highway for awhile but I hadn't managed to get there.  A dinner with my friends Sudeshna and Saibal turned out to be the right opportunity.  Be forewarned---this place is very difficult to see from Buford Highway.  The sign is totally invisible from the northbound side of the road, which is the side that it's on.  All I can say is drive slowly and have a passenger look out---it's in a newish strip mall.

The place itself is simple but bright and cheery.  You order at the counter and eat at big picnic tables, but the decor is new and fresh. When I asked our server for a refresher course on how to eat a crawfish, he went back to the kitchen, got a demonstration crawfish, and gave us a wonderful demo.  (You pull the front part of the shell up as if lifting the hood of a car, then pull off the tail. To get at the tail meat, you break off the tip of the tail and then work off the rest of the shell.)

This, believe it or not, is the combo for one, which was plenty to feed 2 1/2 people. The bowl is 10 inches in diameter, so this is a lot of seafood, not to mention some potatoes and corn thrown in for good measure. Although they have fried food, we opted for boiled/steamed.  The boil, or spices put into the water, is spicy. It imparts a wonderful flavor but isn't overpowering; there is just a limit to how much pepper you can get into a piece of food by boiling.  The crawfish were the spiciest; we weren't sure whether they absorb more spice or are just cooked in a different way. We all agreed that the crawfish was the best, partly due to the spiciness of the boil but also because of the inherent tastiness of these little creatures.

Crawfish is also a great social dinner.  Like fondue and some other dishes, it's impossible to eat quickly. The slow pace gives you plenty of time to talk and actually enjoy your dinner rather than just stuffing it down so you can get back to the TV.

My overall reaction is wow.   I'm already thinking of who else I can invite to join me for a crawfish dinner.

Crawfish Shack Seafood on Urbanspoon

Posted by Melinda at 6:31 am Tagged with: ,

Macon: Nu-Way Weiners

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Apr 082010


I saw a feature on Nu-Way Weiners on the TV show "Georgia Traveler." So when an appointment brought me to Macon, I knew that was my big opportunity to try it. The home location is in old downtown Macon. The chili dog is the classic dish here. The signage is new and the staff's uniforms are spiffy, but the basic decor hasn't changed in decades. I felt like I'd been going there all my life, even though this was my first time.

I had to go for the Combo #3, which is a Combo #2 with an extra dog. These dogs are very bright red---you can see the red proboscis sticking out under the chili in the photo. They are the same color all the way through. My immediate reaction on the first bite was a sweet note---not too much, just right. A moment later, a bit of heat kicked in. I found that combination to be delightful. Overall, the chili added just the right touch to the dog. The chili should complement the dog, not overwhelm it either physically or in taste. Nu-Way gets the balance between chili and dog just right. The friest were great, too.

Posted by Melinda at 6:11 pm Tagged with: ,

Pumpkin Ricotta Pie

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Nov 182009

This idea came to me a few years ago. I'd been playing around with pumpkin pies. I'd also tried ricotta pie after seeing an Italian grandmother describe her recipe on TV. (That was on Colameco's food show http://www.colameco.com/ a very good show.) I realized that these two things would be a lot better if I combined them. The ricotta makes the pumpkin much richer and the ricotta by itself is a little bland. So here goes...


Makes 2 pies (it's Thanksgiving, after all)

2 pie crusts (see my earlier recipe)
1 large can (20 oz) pumpkin
16 oz ricotta
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix ingredients and load into crust. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 375 degrees.

Posted by Melinda at 6:53 pm Tagged with:

The Vortex Midtown

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May 152009

Let me say upfront that I am too old to eat at the Vortex and I know it.  They say they card people at the door to keep underage drinkers out, but it's actually to keep out senior citizens like me.  I somehow escaped their dragnet.  I went there at the behest of my colleague Gabe Loh, who brought a faculty posse with him:

The Vortex has been on TV for its burgers loaded with a wide range of cholesterol-laden accessories.  Because I am elderly, I stuck with the Plain Old Burger, on the excuse that it let me concentrate on the meat.  The meat and the bun were both of very high quality.   I ordered fried plantains with mine, which were much more enjoyable than fries would have been.  Here it is:

Posted by Melinda at 9:58 am Tagged with: , ,

Taqueria del Sol

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May 072009

Taqueria del Sol is another TV-famous spot in Atlanta.  They have several locations, including one near Georgia Tech, but I've only been to the Decatur location so far.  They do huge volume but everything moves very quickly.  Speed is good for tacos, which are best fresh.  Making tacos in volume allows them to keep all the components of the taco fresh and tasty.

I had two tacos today.  The Memphis had BBQ and cole slaw.  The meat was spicy but not overly spicy.  The carnita was more classic.  In both cases, the tortillas were fresh and wonderful.  I also had a small bowl of chili verde, which really was the favorite part of the meal.  Green chile isn't that easy to find in this part of the country.  This cup made excellent use of the chiles as well as the meat.
Posted by Melinda at 11:05 am Tagged with: , ,
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