Author: mamygail@msn.com

Crawfish and Snow Crab and Shrimp, Oh my! Review of D’s Cajun Cuisine Food Truck

D’s Cajun Cuisine  is a food truck that is currently parked in front of Tommy’s Meat Market on Highway 365, just outside of Maumelle.  It is only open on Fridays (4-9) and Saturdays (11-9), though. We love crawfish and gave this a shot. Here’s our take:

ENVIRONMENT

The owner couldn’t be nicer, nor busier. The first time I stopped by this place was at 4:30 on a Saturday, and they were already completely sold out of everything! The owner, Micah Dingler, gave me a card and said to call in orders ahead of time to ensure we get some food. So, that’s what we did the following weekend.

THE MENU

There are only three things on the menu: crawfish, snow crab, and shrimp. So, we got all of them! If you get any of these in a meal, you also get a sausage, corn, and a potato. Also, they only take cash. Good news: the tax is included on the menu prices.

THE FOOD

We’ll start with the good stuff, the snow crab!

 This was the best snow crab I have ever had. First off, these crab legs were very large, so I got a lot of meat in the 1 lb serving. They were cooked and seasoned to perfection. The crab meat was very tender and there was enough spice to give it a great kick, but not too much to cover the sweetness of the crab. I will be getting this again.

We each got a crawfish meal, that comes with 3 lbs of crawfish. It came in a plastic bag, so we put each meal on a large tray…that is a lot of crawfish!

 While the crawfish was cooked perfectly, I felt it lacked in spice. The tail meat was pretty bland. This would be considered perfect for someone who doesn’t like any heat, but I love spicy seafood…and this was not spicy at all.

The most disappointing item was the shrimp. These are beautiful, large shrimp, but they are peeled prior to being boiled. And they are extremely overcooked. The rubbery texture was off-putting, though the flavor was better than that of the crawfish. Yet, again, I would prefer my shrimp a little spicier.
The sides were fine, nothing special. The corn was nice and spicy. The potato was a potato. The large sausage links included in the meals were very flavorful, but very fatty.

OVERALL

We loved the crab, I will definitely get more of that in my future. However, for crawfish or shrimp, I’m going to Eat My Catfish.  Their version is much spicier and is always cooked perfectly, as well.

 

A Brewery in the Middle of Nowhere: Gravity BrewWorks in Big Flat, AR

Has anyone ever heard of Gravity BrewWorks? Neither have I, until recently. We go camping, hiking, biking, etc. a lot around the Mountain View area, which is in a dry county. We have some friends that drive from Stone County to Baxter County, which is a wet county, to get their regular dose of beer. They told us about Gravity BrewWorks and how much they love it, so we checked it out.

About 30 minutes from Mountain View, on Highway 14 East in Big Flat, you will find Gravity BrewWorks This is a small “nanobrewery” that opened in November of 2013. One of the owners used to be the head brewer at Vino’s in Little Rock. They focus on a small number of house-brewed batches, which allows them to really focus and make sure these are great beers.

THE ENVIRONMENT

In the middle of Nowheresville, you will find this very nice brewery. The large sign out from makes it hard to miss.

The inside is open and modernly decorated. There is a bar up front and tables with some games to play throughout the rest of the room.

There is even a large, clean bathroom for when you break the seal.

The people that work there couldn’t be more kind. Two ladies were working this day and both were very helpful. They offered us samples of each beer, answered any questions we had, and just made easy small talk with everyone there. We felt immediately right at home here.
There were some locals enjoying a beer while we were here, as well. They were very kind and easy to talk to, as well. It was a very nice, homey environment. Just right for a brewery, in my opinion.

THE BREWS

On the day we stopped by, there were four brews on tap, all of which we got to sample.
1. Falling Star ESB (5%)- This is an English-style ale that was lighter than the others, but pretty bitter. Spoiler alert: We got some of this one in a growler.
2. Blacker Shade of Ale (5.3%) – You guessed it, this was a dark beer. It was full of deep, rich flavors. A great sipping beer, but one I wouldn’t get a growler of. (I am not a huge fan of dark beer)
3. Hoppy Together IRA (6%)- This Indian Red Ale was a nice hoppy beer without being overly hoppy. It still had depth and flavors that I enjoyed, even though I am not a hops fan.
4. Bel Hop Belgian IPA (6.3%)- This was hoppy! That is all I could taste and I am NOT a fan of hops. If you are, you will love this beer!

The prices were surprisingly affordable as well…much cheaper than many Little Rock Breweries we frequent.  Each beer is labeled with a letter, which shows you how much it costs on the menu. With all options of pints ranging from $4.25- $5.75, that is pretty great price-wise, especially for a brewery with no near competition.

We decided to purchase a couple of their 32 oz quart bottles for $3 a piece. We got the Falling Star in one and the Hoppy Together IRA in another.  I was happy to see 32 oz bottles available. I would never have been able to drink a 64 oz of either of these brews before it went flat. So, the 32 oz is a nice option to have on hand when going to any brewery.

If you want to stop by, their tasting room is open Thursday- Saturday, 12-8pm.