$8 Oysters @ Harbor Seafood

[ratcheese]

We took a drive out to Williams Blvd. this afternoon to visit Celina's Grocery; in route, we spotted Harbor Seafood and made a snap decision to go for it.

This is one of those little local seafood joints that we tend to forget about due to its location, but after we ate we decided to put it on our list of basic seafood stops.

The oysters were from Florida but I ordered on the word of the waiter and he was right, they were very good, imo. Some people might not have liked the fact that they were of mixed size but I didn't mind. They were fresh and salty; that's all I cared about. They even gave me 15 to make up for some of the smaller ones, which I tend to prefer anyway.

The waiter explained to me that they have the rights on so many oyster beds, scattered from Florida to Texas, that they haven't been bothered. He even took a shot at another major seafood place (local chain if that helps) whom he said was gouging @ $13.

The seafood gumbo was of the thick, smooth, smokey variety and it was a hit all around; better with potato salad than rice, imo, because they have some really good potato salad.

We each had a couple of pounds of crawfish, which were perfectly spiced if a bit on the small side.

All iced tea, no alcohol, but we came out of there stuffed with really good seafood for around $26 a head.

Like I said, we have stored the place in our permanent bank of go to spots for basic, local seafood.

p.s. saw orders of boiled crab and fried catfish that both looked outstanding and they had a really nice selection of fresh fish on the menu--orange roughy, mahi mahi, specs, wild caught atlantic salmon.

Highly recommended for blue collar local fare.

[flyinbayou]

Add Kenner Seafood on Loyola to your memory banks. I also like Harbor but due to the size you often have a long wait. Kenner Seafood is similar but 2X the size.
I used to avoid Smitty's on W. Esplanade off of Williams but recently went there again with friends and had a great meal. Perfectly fried catfish and shrimp and very good crab cakes.

[ratcheese]

Add Kenner Seafood on Loyola to your memory banks. I also like Harbor but due to the size you often have a long wait. Kenner Seafood is similar but 2X the size.
I used to avoid Smitty's on W. Esplanade off of Williams but recently went there again with friends and had a great meal. Perfectly fried catfish and shrimp and very good crab cakes.

Thanks, I will save that thought. We don't know much about that area so I'm sure we miss a lot. Harbor was packed at 4:30 on a Sunday, which I took to be a good sign (to see a neighborhood joint busy during off hours like that).

Love to see though little places still serving locals simple dishes of beautifully fried shrimp w/ potato salad.

For anyone unfamiliar with Harbor, it is one of those joints that hasn't changed much over time. Aside from a flatscreen tv by the bar and the menu prices, there isn't much in the place that wouldn't have been there in 1970.

Their crackers were stale as **** btw. I must of opened five packs trying to find some good ones. What's up with that? Oh well, the oysters were meaty enough to not need any really. It was kinda aggravating, though. Its tough being a gourmet in a joint.

[willifred]

another really great little mom and pop right in that area is Norma's sweet shop. At the red light in front of Harbor Seafood (coming off 10), take a right, then a left. Halfway up the block on the left. A true hidden gem. The cuban sandwiches are the best in town. And the various pastries are made in the latin style using lard (manteca) instead of butter.Very light and flakey....love the shoe soles. And they have a great selection of various crema's that I don't see many other places. The best one doesn't even have a label.

[Low-N-Slow]

I would echo most of FB's comments re: Kenner-area seafood joints. We used to frequent Kenner Seafood often, but started looking for alternatives after a few off meals there (overdue fryer oil change each time). While a bit pricier, we found Smitty's quality and portion sizes worth the difference. Even when busy, their food comes out hot and relatively quickly. Our only wish is that the green salad (read: bagged lettuce w/a few carrot shreds) lived up to their house-made roasted garlic salad dressing.

To be fair, we have returned to Kenner Seafood once or twice since, and did not experience the previous problem.

[flyinbayou]

Our only wish is that the green salad (read: bagged lettuce w/a few carrot shreds) lived up to their house-made roasted garlic salad dressing.

Funny you mention that. I intended on behaving and getting the shrimp salad (boiled shrimp on top of a salad with a remoulade dressing) but have grown into the habit of asking restaurants what kind of lettuce they use in their salads. The waitress at Smitty's said they use - ugh -iceberg. Iceberg has a place but not as the integral ingredient of an entrée-sized salad. I opted to be bad and had fried fish and catfish.

[Oyster]

I picked up a half gallon Sat. for $18 at the Oyster House. Unfortunately, they had only received 10 sacks, and had opened and washed all of them, They were beautiful and plump, but not salty, naturally. I tried to get the details/origin, but lacking skills in Viet Speak, could not confirm. Made a quick Stew tonight with dash of Pernod. Can't wait to do some Mosca tomorrow...and probably some more stew.

Also of note, at Shrimp lot, maybe 6 booths open. They had IQF's (30ct/$3.50) and FRESH Lake Pontchartrain shrimp (probably 40ct/$3.75). It was good to see fresh shrimp! One problem now, with the cash flowing to fisherman, easier to sit home, or work to BP than fish. Heard a report on a radio food show that a guy had caught "huge 30 ct in Breton Sound" and was asking a food critic what he could do with shrimp that large. Famous critic said "with shrimo that large, wrap bacon around them and grill". Hell...30 ct is gumbo shrimp! It would be a small silver of bacon to wrap on a 30 ct! But I digress...who can argue with a Dean!

Back to topic...headed to Pensacola Sat. Any word on shutting down the Apalachicola beds?

Man...it's a struggle feeding a habit out there...