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| - I want to help set the record straight by mentioning that this is NOT Louisiana-style cajun food. This is very important so that a lot of people who come here are not severely disappointed by how "wrong" or "off" the flavors seem! However, if you have had The Boiling Crab in SoCal (and several restaurants based off of that in different states), this is that type of restaurant (Hopefully this helps).
We came in the first couple of weeks of this place opening and there was no line to get in, which was nice. Parking was a bit difficult (but it's state street so what can you expect?). Not having much seafood in Madison, I was pretty excited. I would say the number one negative is that service was slow (but then again, maybe just the kinks of a new restaurant opening?). We tried the fried catfish with fries as an appetizer, cajun fries, shrimp, crawfish, sausage, and potato (the sausage and potato are add ins). We had the medium spice, which wasn't very spicy, but we still enjoyed it.
The fries that came with the fried catfish were disappointing but the fish was crispy and hot. The cajun fries were tasty and I would order it again. The best part of the meal was the shrimp. Large, juicy pieces that soaked up the garlicky flavor. We chose the classic sauce and it was very flavorful and garlicky but VERY unhealthy (you can tell it is all oil). Don't come here if you're looking to diet! The crawfish was alright (frozen, not fresh and prices are a little pricier, but then again, this must be difficult to access in Madison). The sausage was asian-style and pretty tasty and you can't really go wrong with the potatoes.
Overall, I enjoyed that they kept the theme of bibs and gloves. I would suggest that to improve, they add buckets to dump the shells, but overall, if I'm ever craving anything like this, I wouldn't hesitate to come back.
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