Smitty's Seafood
Backstory
Smitty's opened in the late 1990s, and hasn't changed much since.
Dining Room
The place feels like a double-wide trailer, and trembles when the serious seafood eaters walk through the place. That is, of course, a hallmark of the great old seafood joints, an environment that a lot of local people find comforting somehow.
Why It's Essential
There are two ways you can pack a casual New Orleans seafood house: a) fry vividly fresh seafood to order, serve it hot and crisp, and have good gumbo, poor boys, and a few interesting appetizers; or 2) serve enormous portions of everything at very low prices in a minimal environment. Smitty's uses strategy 2). I'd say it's better than most of the pile-on places, in that the seafood is of generally good quality. It's inconsistent in the fried department, with platters showing more time out of the fryer than they should.
Why It's Good
What makes Smitty's noteworthy for those of us not swayed by oversize portions is the presence of good boiled seafood--something that has become a rarity around town. The Hamper brings everything currently in the market to the table, complete with the boiled potatoes, corn on the cob, onions, garlic, and smoked sausage. I've had better than this, but lots worse. They also shuck oysters on the half shell, and that's always a happy find. So is the presence of seafood "boats," an old way of serving fried seafood that we don't see much anymore.
Most Interesting Dishes
<em><strong>Starters</strong></em><br /> Shrimp cocktail<br /> Barbecue shrimp<br /> Fried popcorn shrimp<br /> »Stuffed shrimp<br /> Fried crawfish pies<br /> Creole crab cakes<br /> »Fried artichoke hearts<br /> Fried eggplant sticks<br /> Onion mum<br /> Fried mushrooms<br /> »Oysters on the half shell<br /> Creole seafood gumbo<br /> Grilled marinated shrimp salad<br /> Fried crawfish or shrimp salad<br /> Caesar salad<br /> Grilled tuna salad<br /> Grilled chicken and roasted garlic salad<br /> »Shrimp remoulade salad<br /> Fried chicken salad<br /> <em><strong>Boiled seafood</strong></em><br /> »Boiled shrimp, crabs, or crawfish in season<br /> Boiled Dungeness crabs<br /> »The Hamper (boiled shrimp, crawfish, crabs, potatoes, corn, mushrooms, sausage and garlic)<br /> <em><strong>Entrees</strong></em><br /> »Seafood boat (fried oysters, fried catfish, stuffed crab, fried shrimp, soft shell crab)<br /> Grilled ribeye steak<br /> Grilled shrimp<br /> Grilled marinated chicken breast<br /> Grilled fish of the day<br /> »Fried shrimp, oysters, crawfish tails, soft shell crab, or catfish<br /> »Stuffed crabs<br /> »Seafood platter<br /> Barbecue shrimp dinner<br /> Fried chicken strips<br /> Panneed veal with crawfish tails<br /> Crawfish etouffee<br /> Eggplant Napoleon<br /> Seafood artichoke pasta<br /> Crawfish pasta<br /> Chicken alfredo pasta<br /> Red beans and rice, smoked sausage<br /> <em><strong>Poor boy sandwiches</strong></em><br /> »Fried shrimp, oysters, catfish, soft shell crab, stuffed crab, or fried crawfish tails, <br /> Breaded veal cutlet<br /> Hot or smoked sausage<br /> Ham and cheese<br /> »Hamburger<br /> »Roast beef<br /> French fries with roast beef gravy<br /> Grilled chicken breast<br /> Turkey breast<br /> <em><strong>Desserts</strong></em><br /> »Bread pudding<br /> Dessert of the day<br /> Ice cream<br />
Deficiencies
The kitchen should be more scrupulous about frying seafood to order and getting it right out.
For Best Results
Raw oysters, boiled seafood, and seafood boats are the best food. Stuffed dishes and the likes of crab cakes hold the least promise.
Bonus Ratings
1
Attitude
1
Local Color
1
Value