Home of the Chocolate Covered Crawfish Heads
Written: Apr 22 '00 (Updated May 15 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Location, novelty, price, service
Cons: Very casual, limited menu selection
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| Moonvine's Full Review: Austin Restaurants |
I had a friend visit from out of town today, and as not everyone shares my Epinions obsession I figured it probably would not interest him to watch me write Epinions all day, so we decided to do the tourist thing.
We headed for 6th Street and wandered around aimlessly, enjoying the unfamiliar look of sunlight, until we found a restaurant that looked interesting - The Boiling Pot. We found a place to park very easily (we were there quite a few hours before 6th Street really comes to life), but this will probably not be the case if you visit after 8 or 9 p.m., particularly on a weekend. After being kindly informed by some passersby that we didn't have to put money in the meter on weekends (how often does she get out of the house, you ask? I'll tell you - not very) we proceeded to enter the restaurant.
This is a very small and very casual establishment. There were about 15 or so wooden tables covered with white paper as well as about 10 tables on an outside patio. The chairs were the white plastic type you can find for ten bucks at most large discount stores. There was a small plastic container filled with crayons on the table and the walls were decorated with past patrons works of art as well as advertising signs for different types of beer, soda, etc.
The menu selection was quite limited. Appetizers available were stone crab claws, king crab legs, shrimp, blue crabs, oysters on the half shell, and crawfish (all market price), gumbo ($4.95), Boudin sausage (3.95/lb) and red beans and rice ($3.75).
There is one main menu selection - The "Cajun Combo" at $13.95. This includes one blue crab, 1/2 lb shrimp, 1/2 pound sausage, and new potatoes and corn. You can make substitutions of one menu item (crawfish for sausage for example). If you really don't want seafood you are limited to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a hot dog, both at $2.25.
We both chose gumbo and of course split the "Cajun Combo." It was served very quickly (in about 5 minutes) and was a fairly generous portion served in a styrofoam cup with plastic spoons. The gumbo was surprisingly good, with sausage, shrimp, crayfish and okra. It was also quite hot, which I like but my companion didn't - don't try this if you don't like hot/Cajun food.
We were also served a loaf of very unremarkable bread with what appeared to be genuine margarine and two plastic forks. I wondered at the forks, but didn't have time to wonder long as our food appeared immediately after we had finished the gumbo. It was poured out on the table onto the paper - no plates are provided; plastic bibs are offered and I recommend using them if you don't like seafood juice all over your clothing. There was a roll of paper towels on the table to use as napkins. We were also given a small wooden mallet to whack the crab open with, as well as a sheet with directions on eating a crab.
There were 4 pieces of corn, which appeared to be Birdseye or some similar frozen brand (slightly overcooked) and about half a pound of new potatoes as well as the seafood - which was very good - all boiled, hence the name. This is not a restaurant for the squeamish or faint of heart - all the seafood was whole and had to be peeled/cracked open.
Dessert was offered and declined, the only choices are Key Lime Tarts at $2.00 and Chocolate Covered Crawfish Heads (market price).
The beer list appeared quite extensive, with domestic and imported brands, maybe 30 brands altogether, including some local Austin brands I had not heard of, as well as the more common Samuel Adams, Corona, and Budweiser. Wine coolers, bottled wine and champagne are also available as well as soft drinks, tea and coffee.
The service was very quick and pleasant; we were checked on several times during the course of the meal. The waitresses appear quite used to "newbies" and will offer assistance if you have problems figuring out how to eat the crab - not that we did, of course.
At the end of the meal tiny little cups of water with lemon appeared on the table - these are to get the smell off of your hands, not to drink.
This is actually a great restaurant for a first date, if things are awkward you can always talk about the food, and if things were really bad I guess you could whack your date with the hammer. It's a novelty restaurant, one that I wouldn't go to often but would probably visit once a year or so. If you are dining solo I would not recommend it - this is a lot of food, and we didn't come close to finishing it. Of course, if you dislike seafood this wouldn't be a good place to be either.
The Boiling Pot is located at 700 East 6th Street in Austin, Texas and is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., though the hours appear somewhat flexible - I was told they close "around 11."
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Moonvine
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Location: Austin, TX
Reviews written: 116
Trusted by: 119 members
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