Crawdaddy’s takes you to the Big Easy as soon as you enter the door and features both Cajun and Creole cuisine and plenty of seafood and steaks. The red walls and exposed brick show off the jazzy artwork and the saxophones hanging in the dining room create a joie de vivre atmosphere. Jazz music creates a level of excitement for the cuisine and the long bar that serves up some great craft cocktails and old favorites like the Hurricane start the evening off in NOLA style. The revamped Crawdaddy’s has a nice waiting area for sipping your drink in style and enjoying the Southern hospitality. As soon as the server scribbles her name on the table, you know you are in for a fun-filled evening and dining experience well worth the wait.
The “Sin City Starters” are heavy on the seafood, but also include loaded Cajun fire sticks ($9), Crawdaddy’s take on buffalo chicken wings served spicy and in a good portion. The craw tails ($10) were seasoned well and already peeled; the twin Maryland-style crab cakes ($12) were plump and filled with lump crab, sautéed lightly and served with a delicious scallion aioli. One of our favorites was the Louisiana rice and beans ($6). You can opt for a whole grilled Andouille sausage straight from Louisiana ($9).
The Gumbo Ya Ya served in either a cup or bowl ($5.50, $7.50) included a good amount of chicken, sausage, ham and okra that was well prepared and the rice was cooked and seasoned well. Crawdaddy’s also offers soup de jour and several salads that were hearty enough as a lunch entrée and many daily specials.
There are so many entrées to choose from that coming with a big group becomes a great way to try many of the wonderful offerings. The entrées were broken down into categories. Traditional shrimp Creole ($22) falls under the “French Quarter” selections; the spicy shrimp were tender and smothered in Crawdaddy’s signature Creole sauce and served with the restaurant’s famous carrots. The Mid City Meats section ($19-$30) offers everything from Steak Diane, blackened filet, rib eye, duck, chicken and pork. The Steak Diane ($23) was a perfectly cooked filet with a creamy cognac mushroom sauce that was both nostalgic and melted in your mouth. It wouldn’t be Southern cuisine if there were no catfish on the menu. Crawdaddy’s blackened catfish is served with mango sauce, Door County cherry chutney and pecans and had everything—heat from the spices, coolness from the salsa and tartness from the chutney. It was a bold and well-balanced dish. The Seafood selections ($22-$27) included traditional Cajun paella and shrimp scampi, but one menu item that piqued my interest was the cinnamon chili seared scallops, served with a cherry-pecan butter. This dish was a great combination of flavors on a perfectly seared scallop.
Crawdaddy’s offers a lot of sides and plenty of options for everyone, but also has a nice kid’s menu for the small people in your group. Don’t pass up such Southern desserts as bread pudding with Maker’s Mark sauce, bourbon pecan pie with a good amount of bourbon and a flaky crust, chocolate ganache cake and more (all desserts are $7).
Crawdaddy’s
9427 W. Greenfield Ave.
414-778-2228
$$
Handicapped access: Yes
CC, OD, FB, GF
