Seafood served from a Hole In The Wall.....

Some of the best places in my memory for seafood, you know the kind, steamed, broiled, boiled and grilled, are those with very little to do with putting on airs. I can count on my left hand (yes we are in our right minds) the number of these little joints that make my "Best Of" list. Of course there will always be arguments for what is and is not a "hole in the wall" but to me these few are currently at the top of my Gulf Coast Guy Seafood Hole In The Wall Hall Of Fame. (Say that five times fast)

First let me define Hole In The Wall from my perspective. Usually you hear of this type place by word of  mouth first for some reason. Then you do your homework and make plans for that first visit. Usually the place is not much to look at from outside and even inside not much of an upscale type dining establishment. This means that they HAVE to be great at one thing.......THE FOOD. And usually price will be a factor as well, at least in my humble opinion. Now don't get me wrong, some places who qualify for HITW distinction can have added bonuses as I have found in my adventures all along the Gulf Coast from New Orleans to Mobile to Destin to Panama City all the way down to Tampa.

My current list contains three places which are most recent in my memory and one is at the top currently due to multiple visits in the past two years. Of course, many places in New Orleans alone could qualify but for the sake of brevity here I will list only one from the Big Easy in this one. And it is not even in the Quarter or downtown as one might think. It is in Kenner and it is called Harbor Seafood. For years and years I came to New Orleans and never had heard of this place. You guessed it, I was told by a friend and business partner about it one trip in and made plans to visit with my wife immediately on our next trip into town.

Boy were we happy we did. This place is right off the main drag in Kenner and not much to look at outside or really inside BUT the menu is a seafood lovers dream and the food, the seafood, is fabulous.

First time in we tried Turtle Soup( with Sherry), Raw Oysters, Boiled Crawfish and Po-Boys. Along with cold cold Barqs Root Beer. The menu has so many choices it is hard to decide. EVERYTHING was good and fresh and tasty. Service was down home style friendly and the place feels like one big get together at someone's house.

The BONUS I was talking about? Receiving the check for one, it is so reasonable for what they deliver and right next door is their seafood market that ships or packs for take home, which I have done more than once.

I have now been back a dozen or so times and waited for a table only once or twice but still enjoy the seafood and have expanded my horizons to boiled blue crabs, seafood baskets, calamari and much much more.

So, Harbor Seafood in Kenner, La where you can eat like a King.......A King Neptune. And still have some green for a New Orleans Sno-Ball or Plate of Beignets later on. And ladies, there is a nice big mall right down the way. In fact, once I stopped to eat and asked the wife to pick me up AFTER her shopping trip.

Next stop, Panama City.......