Tag: catfish

Food Review: Grampa’s Catfish & Seafood in Maumelle

Grampa’s Catfish & Seafood has been around for a while, at different locations,  but they are now located on Maumelle Boulevard. Luckily for me, I live in Maumelle! However, it took me a while to finally get out and try the place. Here’s the breakdown:

Environment

Grampa’s Catfish is in a building that has been many different restaurants over the years. It’s nothing fancy, but now the decor is a little Southern/ country, with plenty of things to look at on the walls. Interestingly, there framed pictures of, I assume, the owner’s family and friends all over the restaurant as well.
Our server was very friendly and made us feel right at home. He talked to us throughout the meal and made sure we had everything we needed at all times. Great service!

Menu

   

The menu is mostly southern fried foods, but there are plenty of healthier options as well. So, you can get anything from fried zucchini chips and a fried shrimp po-boy, to grilled mahi-mahi (plain or in a taco) with sauteed veggies.

Food

Coleslaw for the table- FREE

As soon as we sat down, a big bowl of coleslaw was ready for us to share as we decided on what to order. More came when that was gone. It is your typical mayo-based coleslaw, but with good seasoning, better than many others.

Fried Green Tomatoes, $5.99

We started off with the fried green tomato appetizer, that came with some lettuce leafs and ranch dressing. While they were cut thin and crispy, there wasn’t very much flavor in the breading. They were good, but I wouldn’t order them again. Next time, I’ll have to try the fried zucchini chips.

Dinner for Two: Fish and Fowl, $25.99
Description: Four catfish filets and eight chicken tenders, served with two large sides.

What a deal! This enormous meal is more than enough for 2 people. Drew and I couldn’t even eat half of it. The fish was large and the breaded was seasoned well. I took most of mine home, though, to cook it a little longer in the toaster oven, as I like my fried catfish very crispy.
The hand-battered chicken strips were long and thin and plenty. They were good in dipping sauces, but lacked flavor overall.

For one side, we got grilled veggies, and they were garlic-y and delicious! I will always order these.

For our other side, I was a little less healthy and got onion rings. Alongside them came many hush puppies. The only rings seemed hand batter in a beer batter of sorts and were very crispy. The hush puppies were typical, non-spicy balls of fried dough. But I’ve never met a hush puppy I didn’t like.

In the end, we carried home a completely packed to-go box and left with very full bellies. For about $30, we got so much food, and I love a good deal…so I like this place.

 

 

 

Food Review: Great Seafood at Flying Burger and Seafood in Caddo Valley (Lake DeGray)

While camping at DeGray Lake this past weekend, Drew and I went into “town” (Caddo Valley) one rainy morning for an early lunch. We decided to try the new Flying Burger and Seafood. Here’s the dish:

ENVIRONMENT

This newly built restaurant is clean and open.

It has a “David’s Burgers” feel. It is decorated in mostly red, black, and white. You order at the counter, with all of their raw meat and seafood on display. You are given a buzzer and can go get your food when it is ready.

 

Every table had paper towels, and there is plastic-ware and plenty of sauces to choose from in the front. (Remoulade, Ranch, Tarter Sauce, Ketchup, Honey Mustard)

MENU

http://theflyingburger.com/menus.html

While you can find their menu in the link above, it has just about anything anyone would want. From burgers, fresh salads, and fried seafood baskets, to boiled platters and grilled plates….there’s something for everyone.

FOOD

Crawfish Corn Chowder- bowl: $7.49

Usually when I order a bowl vs. a cup of soup at a restaurant, I am disappointed with the size. Not here! This bowl was massive. Drew and I split it as an appetizer and couldn’t finish.
Was it that good? Meh. It has a few pieces of crawfish in it, which were nice. But the flavor consisted of mostly corn. There were some other veggies, such as bell peppers and onions, throughout. However, at the “dips” bar, there were also containers of “cajun spice” and hot sauces to choose from. After adding some cajun spice seasoning and some Louisiana hot sauce, it was much tastier. Otherwise, it is pretty bland. I wouldn’t get this again. Though, it is a ton of soup for less than $8.

 

6 Catfish Fillets Basket: $10.99
*Baskets come with fries and 2 hush puppies. However, we opted out of the fries (while fresh cut, they looked a little limp and disappointing) and replaced them with 6 extra hush puppies.

This may be the cheapest catfish I have ever gotten. 6 pieces plus two sides for $11 is pretty awesome!
Even better, it was delicious! The fish was cooked perfectly. Crispy and flaky. It tasted very clean, not fishy at all. However, the batter didn’t have too much flavor. Dipping it in any of the many optional sauces fixes that, though.
The hush puppies were huge and sweet, not too greasy. They tasted great dipped in their remoulade sauce.
We ended up taking 3 pieces of catfish and 6 hush puppies back to camp to snack on later.
*I judge a great catfish filet based on how the crispiness sets up after it has been in the fridge for a while. These filets were still crispy and delicious a day later!

OVERALL

I would definitely recommend this spot if you’re in the area. All other food I saw coming out looked delicious, especially their large salads with perfectly seasoned salmon on top! OH, and they have huge homemade cinnamon rolls for $2 if you aren’t too full after your meal.
Plus, the service was fast and friendly. Great spot!