When I learned that Crane Alley was hosting its 2nd Annual Crawfish Boil, and the crawfish would be flown in from Louisiana, alive, overnight, I was excited. I grew up in Louisiana, but I’ve not lived there since the mid-’90s, so I couldn’t buy my tickets fast enough.
Tickets for this all-you-can-eat feast were only $15.00 ($20 at the door), and 50/50 raffles were held, with all monies donated to the Ashley Ames Fund.
The event was sponsored by Bell’s Brewery, and Crane Alley had five brews on tap: Oberon, Amber, Hopslam, Oarsman, and Two Hearted. They also had Hurricanes. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve been to Pat O’Brien’s. When asked if my drink tasted authentic, I really couldn’t say. I just know it was delicious, refreshing, and strong enough to get me mighty tipsy.
The Food: Oh wow. It was fantastic. I’ve been to crawfish boils that were so bland, I was literally shaking Tony Chachere over everything before eating. And I’ve been to one where the food was so spicy my lips burned and I needed milk to get through my serving.
Crane Alley’s boil was spicy but not uncomfortably so. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and plentiful. Along with the crawfish, the menu included: corn, new potatoes, green peppers and onion, and homemade Andouille sausage bought from Old Time Meat & Deli Shoppe. In other words, all of the necessaries you need for sucking head and pinching tails. The food, the fast and friendly service, along with the cold, cold beer made this event as close to perfect as the low-90s temperatures would allow it to be (thank God for our umbrella).
Friendly Manager, Aaron Wood and crucial beer truck:
We were the first to arrive, but we weren’t alone for long:
The balloon was cool, but the real thing was better:
Awesome, friendly, fast wait staff working their butts off in the hot sun. Thank you, Kai, Cameron, Liz, and Niki!
Showing off my Louisiana cred: