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Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen

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jadednomad
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
4
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Editor Pick

Great, Lives Up to "Best Seafood Restaurant in ABQ"

  • February 22, 2008
  • Rated 5 of 5 by jadednomad from Lake City, Florida
Great, Lives Up to "Best Seafood Restaurant in ABQ"

Have been to the Pappadeaux restaurants in Chicago and Houston, and the Pappasito's in San Antonio, and was not disappointed in the Pappeaux Seafood Kitchen on the west side of I-25, north of the interchange with I-40. So happy with this place, Always good, perhaps this stands out so much in contrast to what else is available in the ABQ area. Or the dearth of good seafood lately. Whatever reason: this is a GREAT restaurant.

Tip 1: make a reservation. We came on a Tuesday night, relatively early dinner (1845) and the place was hopping. Some had to wait 25 minutes, and tho we were 15 minutes early for our reservation, they seated us right away (Thanks to the great hostess, Christina!) . Just two of us, and we got a round table that easily sits 6.

Tip 2: the Pan American Fwy is like Frontage Rd for a lot of other places. Head south on the west side of I-25, as if you were heading back on to the southbound freeway, stay in the right lane, and turn just after you see the restaurant. The left lane will eventually merge with the freeway.

Tip 3: know what it is you want. It is far too easy to load up on biscuits while awaiting your food. And look around to gauge portion size; this place has tons of food. We wanted to sample different dishes, and ended up making a meal out of the appetizers, but didn't regret it.

Started out with the spinach and crab dip which actually had lumps of crabmeat. We lived north of Seattle for years, and this place did justice to the crab.

My friend had never had alligator, so she tried it and agreed with my assessment: tastes just like chicken.

I had read someplace to get the PEI mussels: best food decision I've acted on in months. Terrific, light, with garlic and artichokes in the mix, big deep bowl with lots of liquid afterward that was sopped up with great crusty bread. Really terrific.

My friend and I shared the Pappadeaux Platter -- more than enough for us. Huge portions, so glad we didn't get one apiece. WIll try to include photos of this -- softshell crab stuffed with more seafood, fried shrimp that came with its share of blackened counterpart (loved the latter), catfish AND crawfish. Again the blackened version of these were the better, in my opinion, but also saltier.

The meal was wonderful, and the staff really good, observant and attentive without being right on top of us. My friend and I hadn't seen each other for several years, and catching up allowed us to get some breathing room between courses, and even at the end of the meal, stuffed to the gills and taking bags home to respective hotel rooms, we sat there for hours, and they kept coming back to fill glasses and ensure our comfort.

There was no room for dessert, but I look forward to better planning and more room at the end of a meal at Pappadeaux's -- yet to happen after all these years.

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