The Missus and I dined at Crawdaddy's last night. The food and the atmosphere didn't disappoint.
Crawdaddy's is an odd little restaurant. Located at 700 'O' Street, Crawdaddy's can be difficult to find. But like all diamonds in the rough, it's worth looking for. Here's a hint: it's under the O Street viaduct south of the Creamery building and the old train station. Crawdaddy's has atmosphere up the wazoo. Like its predecessor, George's Red Pepper Grill, the emphasis is on the food, not on the decor. It's a bit of a dive. That's ok, though; in fact, it helps give the impression that you're in an old restaurant somewhere off Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
Don't go in expecting the Applebee's Chipmunk Quintet to sing you a happy song on your birthday. A sign at the bar puts it bluntly: "I am not a bitch. I am THE bitch." And yet, although the servers won't win any Miss Congeniality contests anytime soon, they have great personalities. Our waitress last night made fun of a couple out-of-towners for not knowing about Dorothy Lynch, and she harassed another guy for not being able to finish the huge plate of ribs he ordered. She had no problems eviscerating his manliness in front of everyone. The people at Crawdaddy's actually have personalities. It's refreshing.
The food is diverse. Crawdaddy's serves variations on cajun, barbeque, and Mexican. My favorite entree is the Ultimate Big Ass Burrito, a honkin' meat and beans burrito smothered in the homemade salsa of your choice and topped with jalapenos. If you're ordering something called the Ultimate Big Ass Burrito, you'd better be asking for the mofo salsa. The Missus goes cajun with the crawfish pie, a cajun pot pie of sorts. It's a cornbread shell filled with crawfish, tomatoes, red peppers, and all sorts of other goodies. Last night her dish was overflowing with crawfish. I ordered the crawfish etouffee last night, a fir
st for me. It featured a tomato-based sauce filled with crawfish and colorful veggies, served around a mound of rice. It was no Big Ass Burrito, but it was pretty darn tasty.
Prices at Crawdaddy's vary widely. The cheapest entrees begin in the $6.00 to $7.00 range, and they max out at $49.99 for some sort of massive shareable barbeque platter. Most cajun items come in at around $10.00 to $13.00, while the Mexican items tend to be a bit cheaper.
On Sundays Crawdaddy's features its famous $.25 tacos. (The less frugally minded can still order off the menu if they like.) It's a college student's perfect meal, and the taco line often snakes out the door. My personal best is 17 tacos. (I actually set that record at Knickerbocker's on a Thursday, but they're the same tacos.) Maybe we can have a Lincolnite.com taco-eating contest some day.
If you've never been to Crawdaddy's, give it a try. You'll love it. Even my ultra-picky father-in-law enjoyed it when he ate there last year. And if you just haven't been there lately, what's your excuse? Support one of Lincoln's tastiest hidden gems!
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Do they still serve the Texas Twister burrito, the one crammed full of spicy shredded beef and coleslaw? It was one of the menu items transferred from George’s Red Pepper Grill (a great restaurant that I still miss).
They might, Moet. I remember seeing a Texas Somethinerother on the menu, but I don’t remember 1) its full name, or 2) what was in it. So really I just remember seeing the word Texas somewhere on the menu. That’s probably not too helpful. Crawdaddy’s menu used to be online, but the website seems to be gone. Don’t bother Googling for it; the URL is live, but the content is all unrelated advertisements.
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