Friday, Aug. 15, 2008

Light and Crispy

The Food: Chicken, shrimp, oysters and hot wings

The Story: Myung Kwon opened Crispy Seafood & Chicken in September 2006 in a strip center on Debbie Lane. Since then, she’s earned a loyal following with her hand-breaded and fried chicken, shrimp and oysters. Hot wings come in 11 flavors, and there is a wide variety of side dishes, too.

The Hits: I love the fried shrimp and catfish at Crispy’s, so I went with a combo meal that gave me three shrimp and one enormous filet for $6.72. The three large butterflied shrimp were fried crispy and the huge filet was tender and moist. The combo, which included fries, tartar sauce, shrimp sauce and a drink was way more than I could eat.

My dining partner opted for the four chicken tenders with fries, a roll, white cream gravy and a drink for $5.09. Although the menu said four tenders, our meal arrived with five huge chicken strips of tender white breast meat that had been hand-breaded and fried. These tenders were crispy, not greasy, and tasted like they’d had a lot more care than at a fast-food place, where sometimes they seem like they are rushed along.

The Misses: We also tried the fried onion rings, which had been hand-battered. Although I thought they were a little bland, my dining partner enjoyed them immensely.

The Setting: The small restaurant has two tables, but most people get their food to go at Crispy’s. The waiting area is clean and pleasant, and a large flat-screen TV (which always seems to be tuned to sports) keeps people entertained while their food is prepared.

The Details: Open 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; closed Sunday. MasterCard and Visa accepted.

— Amanda Rogers