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Crabby Jack's
Jefferson: 428 Jefferson Hwy. 504-833-2722. Map. WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY WHAT'S GOOD BACKSTORY DINING ROOM ESSENTIAL DISHES FOR BEST RESULTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Very Casual.
AE DS MC V
A convincingly funky, utilitarian neighborhood eats shop, Crabby Jack's is different enough to stand out in a city full of such places. The duck poor boy alone is reason enough to have lunch here.
In some ways Crabby Jack's food is entirely traditional. But much of the menu is big-time unconventional--most notably the duck poor boy. It looks like a roast beef sandwich, with shredded meat and gravy--but it's all duck. The seafood poor boys are absurdly overstuffed--several dozen oysters is typical. All of that is fried up to order. Being immediately adjacent to a seafood wholesaler does wonderful things for the quality of the fish and shellfish here.
Crabby Jack is Jack Leonardi, the owner of the Cajun cult favorite Jacques-Imo's on Oak Street. This minimal restaurant took over a previous poor boy shop in 2002, and quickly became almost as great a phenom as Jacques-Imo's.
Nothing fancy: fluorescent lights, a counter, a glass-front refrigerator, a small window through which the kitchen passes the food. There's not enough space to eat comfortably here, and others want your table. Most of the customers get take-out.
Poor boy sandwiches
Roast duck
Roast beef
Fried shrimp
Fried oysters
Fried catfish
Panneed veal or rabbit
Entrees
Fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade
Seafood platters, especially fried oyster and shrimp
Blackened fish
Daily special platters
Boiled crawfish in season
Tell them to take it easy on the gravy on the sandwiches. Avoid the early lunch hour. The restaurant stays open almost, but not quite, until dinner, closing at five.
The signs telling you to "Be Nice Or Leave!" are counterproductive.
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.
SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
- Open Monday lunch
- Open all afternoon
- Unusually large servings
- Quick, good meal
- Good for children
- Easy, nearby parking
