the boiling crab

the boiling crab
13892 brookhurst street, garden grove, CA 92843 (this is the location i visited; there are a number of different ones in so.cal ... and the new location in san jose is apparently now open. there are also locations in texas, but who knows if/when i'll ever be out there - ha!)
tel: 714) 636-4885
hours: monday-friday 3pm,-10pm, saturday-sunday 12pm-10pm

what was consumed: blue crab, shrimp, corn on the cob, red potatoes, all in the medium/hot "the whole shbang" (rajun cajun, garlic butter, and lemon pepper) ... oh, and sweet potato fries

who would've thought that there'd be a place in the middle of no-where-town, "asian-ville," orange county, california that offered cajun style seafood ... and have it be as popular as it is! nick first told me about this place when i was in SF and said that when i got back to so.cal, i should definitely look it up and check it out. i'm glad i did.

upon entering, the dining area is filled with long, wooden, picnic table-like seating in the center and wooden booths around the perimeter. i had heard that there is high possibility for a line to form, so i made sure that we avoided primo dining hours. since our party was small (3 of us) and it was a little late for lunch/early for dinner, they immediately sat us in a booth (our preference). the table was covered with white paper and no utensils. we would soon figure out why.

the server came around to take our drink orders, and when she returned soon with our drinks, she took our food order. they were out of the king crab legs (the seafood is available according to the season, so we expected there to be some absent items, to our disappointment of course), so we ordered shrimp, blue crab, red potatoes, corn on the cob, and sweet potato fries. the server then proceeded to ask what sauce we wanted. i had read about their special "the whole shbang" sauce and proceeded to order the whole shbang (once in medium and once in hot).

the fries came out first and while we were munching on the fries, the rest of our meal came out ... in large plastic bags. the idea is that while the seafood is all steamed (to order) in the kitchen, the sauces are then infused into the contents. after the server brings out the deliciousness, you then proceed to either take pieces out of the bag and eat with your hands or spill the entire bag's contents out onto your table and then proceede to eat with your hands. i recommend keeping the contents in the bag because it makes less of a mess and it allows the remaining contents to continue seeping with the delicious spices and butter. YUM.

after my frist visit there, i told christine to go when she goes back to so.cal. and even despite the google-y shrimp eyes, she tells me she totally enjoyed the experience!

and so, when you are ready to get your hands covered in sauce and eat steamed seafood with delicious cajun spices, let's go to the boiling crab!

online: http://www.theboilingcrab.com/