Popeyes- crawfish on the menu

[Pius Avocado III]

Popeyes is currently featuring crawfish- a boxed combo w/ fries and biscuit, a poboy and etouffee were available in downtown Oakland today.

I got the poboy and it's easily the best fast food sandwich I've had, on a soft roll that's squishy but up to the task of containing a generous amount of fried crawfish dressed with a sweet mayo, shredded lettuce and dill pickle chips. The crawfish were breaded moderately enough that the red tails were visible in places. I could've used a couple more pickle chips but with the addition of Louisiana brand hot sauce it was very tasty indeed. Luckily, I even had a bag of Zapps to go with.

Several orders placed after mine came out as I waited, so these don't sit around before you order. I couldn't see the prep but suspect that the crawfish are fried to order.

I'm not sure how long the promotion is running but I know I'll be back for the poboy...can anybody vouch for the etouffee?

[chocolatetartguy]

They're back in Berkeley. Just the tackle box, no etouffee. I plan to have some this evening since I had a vegetarian lunch :)

I have had the etouffee in the past and it was about as good as you are going to get in the East Bay. The original LA Bayou had better but the La couple who owned it got held up at gunpoint and they got sued when they let someone use the bathroom and she fell. I don't expect that you would get much better in the fancier Berkeley option.

In the city, I would expect better from Queenie's (sp?) or the Boxing Room. Never actually had etouffee in New Orleans but I did eat my way through two separate long weekends there.

[DuchessNukem]

Oh yeah. I will be looking this week and loading up. Never met a multilegged, antenna-waving, lemme-pinch-your-finger mudbug I didn't like.

Website says through Nov. 19.

[Pius Avocado III]

Poboys and tackle boxes but no etouffee at the downtown Oakland location.

[DuchessNukem]

We made a special trip for this, past week. No po-boys, no etouffee, just tackle boxes (N. TX location). They fried the crawfish while we waited. I ordered three for the two of us (I was hungry!): each box had crawfish, fries, biscuit, horseradish dip.

Was not wowed, and a tiny bit bummed. While nicely fried and crispy till we got home (and the remainder reheated well in toaster oven next night), was seriously lacking flavor or at least spice. Good crunchy and chewy texture. I found the horseradish sauce to be like a greasy mayo with minimal horsey kick; the Duke liked it. (I will have to prove him wrong with a tasty horseradish buttermilk ranch next week!)

I heated up remainder (one tackle box really was enough to feel full; I refuse to look at calories/fat breakfdown) next night, gave the Duke ranch dressing and coated mine with Louisiana sauce. Better. Still not worth returning just for this. Did get side of red beans/rice, one of my desert-island foods. :)

[bagelman01]

I took my mother's healthcare aide to Popeye's in New Haven, CT today for lunch (aide's choice, not mine). She ordered the crawfish tackle box. It was fried to order and took 9 minutes. She said it was piping hot and very spicy, BUT more than half the fried dough pieces had no crawfish in them. What a disappointment and ripoff. The aide complained to the manager who said that's just the way it happens sometimes.

[Bob W]

I am a big Popeyes fan, and have to say I was disappointed with the crawfish tackle box too. I took my kids there tonight hoping for some etouffee, but none to be found. Fortunately they didn't finish their chicken tenders so I got some of that -- very good as usual.

[bagelman01]

Etouffee is not on the menu in souther CT locations.

[hazelhurst]

I am curious, from my seat in the nosebleed section, about what Popeye's is offereing as "etouffe." Is is a thick, red blob of something? Seems that this is the common understanding of what etouffee is.....I liked Popeyes a great deal back in the the 1970s and 80s...then Al bought Church's and the Investment Bankers reamed him (they made money, of course--well, stole it anyway) and things went south. Have not been to a Popeye's in years....

[Bob W]

It's been a couple of years, but as I recall it was not a "thick red blob of something." It was a reasonable facsimile of what I get in NOLA that was more than decent and a very good deal for five or six bucks.

[hazelhurst]

I'll have to try it out....it's harder than hell, for me, to find a decent etouffee in New Orleans...out in Jennings or Crowley is where it is the Real Deal.

[Bob W]

How far are those town from NOLA? Next time we visit we could certainly take a drive. I always rent a car when visiting NOLA.

[hazelhurst]

Baton Rouge is a little over an hour...on bad days 1.5 hours. Then from BR to Crowley is another hour and a half. Jennings is another 25 or so miles west. From Jennings, you can go south to Lake Arthur, over (east) to Gueydan and find all kinds of neat stuff en route. When I came back from Lake Charles, I often take US 90 through Welsh and Laccasine and just snoop around. INcidentally, in Crowley, get on the Main Drag that runs into teh courthouse. A block or so north of the courthouse is Rice City Kitchen (formerly Rice City Liquor Store) It has very good tamales and a fabulous chicken salad.

[James Cristinian]

Hazelhurst and Bob W, please don't drive a minute out of your way for the etoufee, see my review from Nov. 6, 2010. It certainly looks like the real deal, smothered veggies, but after two or three bites it becomes apparent it's a fraud. I also dislike the beans and rice so many others like, tastes of liquid smoke, dried out rice, and no meat. I've given up on their chicken, much better elsewhere.

[NVJims]

They were definitely cooked to order, mine were still sizzling when they hit the counter. The Cajun fries are pretty good especially when doused with the Louisiana hot sauce. I think they dip the tops of the biscuits in butter. Very good, but about 2 days worth of sodium and calories in a serving......

[Pius Avocado III]

Crawfish is back at Popeyes; according to a press release, it's running this year from October 24 through November 27. In addition to the items mentioned above, they've added a "Crawfish Traveler," which is just the crawfish and horseradish sauce.

I just polished off the poboy and, re-reading my post from last year, I wouldn't change much, other than the dressing seeming more sweet (or perhaps there was simply more of it) and, sadly, I have no Zapps today.

Loving blog tribute here:

http://animmovablefeast.blogspot.com/...

I'll be back a few times in the next month, I'm sure.

[Bob W]

Popeye's crawfish is certainly in the upper echelon of widely available fast food.

[yfunk3]

I've had their fried crawfish with boss sauce before, and agree that it's good. I am guessing it's probably frozen from China, as the Gulf stuff is more expensive, especially outside the Gulf region.

Curious about the etouffee, but I don't go to Popeyes for the non-fried items. Heh.

[James Cristinian]

I had the etoufee a few years ago and thought it was really good, but after the first and every other bite after that I realized it wasn't good at all. It's like their red beans and rice, if you've had the real deal, their poor substiution doesn't cut it.

[Clarkafella]

I really like their red beans and rice- they really are the real deal!

http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambi...

[roro1831]

I agree with Clark, I've had the best red beans and rice IMHO, my grandmothers and mothers and Popeyes red beans are purchased by me every time I go. THey start with lard, that's why they are good.

[James Cristinian]

I think their beans and rice are an above average drive thru side order, no more. When I've had them, and I used to eat a lot of Popeye's before I pretty much gave up fried chicken except maybe twice a year, the beans had a liquid smoke taste to them, and the rice was usaually dried out. I read the best of New Orleans tag done by the readers, and I have a hard time believing there aren't better beans and rice, or fried chicken in New Orleans. I've been to Jacques Imo's, and it was the best chicken I've had.

[Clarkafella]

Actually, I certainly don't think that they are the best in New Orleans. But I do think that they are pretty good.

And if you ever find yourself more than 200 miles from Canal Street, they are probably the best that you can get!

[roro1831]

Considering it's not crawfish season in Louisiana, they are probably frozen chinese crawfish tails.

[Pius Avocado III]

I tried the etouffee the other day, and the etouffee itself was OK to somewhat good given the venue, with a fair amount of meaty tails, but it was served over an overabundance of oddly-moist, margarine-y rice I only ate a little over half of.

If it were served with plain white rice I'd consider getting this again; as it is, I'll stick with the poboy. The rice alone DQ's the red beans from consideration for me.

[roro1831]

But once you mix the rice with the beans it's a non issue, at least to me

[shallots]

Two questions:
Where were the crawfish from ?
Did it come with boss sauce? (Boss sauce was developed by Warren LeRuth who worked for Al Copeland after he sold Le Ruth's to his sons.) (Boss sauce was good.)

[LikestoEatout]

We had this for lunch today at a Popeye's in Illinois. The sauce we got was horseradish cream sauce. Good luck asking anyone where the crawfish comes from, the workers are Hispanic teens, what do they care. .

[Cathy]

Seriously.

You ask about the source of food items which are less than $5? At places where the menu is on a wall?

Would knowing the source make a difference as to what you order?

[shallots]

I'd rather have a small serving of crawfish from the Gulf Coast than...a larger serving from somewhere else. (Excluding Scandanavia.)
I had a horrific case of food poisoning in Canton China from eating shell fish grown locally in fresh water.