The Kickin’ Crab of Costa Mesa
Photo Credit: Kickin’ Crab
When was the last time you got down and dirty with your food and thoroughly enjoyed every single bite you put in your mouth? If you can’t recall then head on over to Kickin’ Crab of Costa Mesa and let them refresh your memory.
My husband and I dined here last week and it was probably the most fun and interactive dinner we have ever had!
Kickin’ Crab Interior
The first thing I noticed when I walked in was how clean the restaurant was. The floors were immaculate and all of the tables were wiped down.
The next thing that caught my eye was this epic sign on the wall. I knew right then I was going to love it there! I must figure out how to get one of these for my house.
The Kickin’ Crab was completely decked out for Christmas too. They even had a Christmas Tree. You really feel a great vibe in this place and the staff was cheery and helpful. The theme here is Louisiana Cajun style so a lot of the decor is reflective of the deep south.
The Drinks
While the Kickin’ crab does not have a full bar they do serve a nice variety of assorted beers and wine. They also serve Sake and Soju. The wine comes in a nice plastic cup with a stem. I couldn’t ask for anything more perfect! They also serve sodas and some delicious iced teas including green iced tea. If you have a little one with you that likes juice you are in luck. The Kickin’ crab also serves bottled apple or Orange juice.
The Food
Before I talk about the food I thought I should give you a warning: After reading this review, place your cell phone in a sealed, air-tight area, preferably several feet from your chair. Dining at The Kickin’ Crab has been shown to cause Splatter, particularly of the clothes, purse, and occasional projectile scrap upon the neighboring table. Adult behavior at said locale may also be viewed by strangers as childlike or inappropriately ravenous. Peel, crack and dig at your own risk.
This is a really fun restaurant. My husband and I laughed the entire time we were there. The couple across from us was laughing too because they couldn’t stop laughing at us.
The menu is a pretty good size so if you are going with a group I highly recommend one of the combo deals. These deals allow you to choose from a large variety of shellfish such as lobster, crab legs, crawfish, clams, oysters, shrimp and mussels. They also come with sausage, corn and potatoes.
They will offer you bibs at the start of your meal and I suggest you wear one. Put your ego aside and just tie it on. Trust me, you will get messy.
See, real men wear bibs.
We started with a few different appetizers. Raw clams, cajun fries and a spicy gumbo. The fries were really good. They were perfectly crisp and the seasoning was spot on with just the right amount of kick.
Blogger tip #1: Ask for Tartar sauce and dip your french fries in them – Heaven.
The clams were also very tasty and easily came out of their shells. You can order half a dozen or a dozen. We finished the dozen off between the two of us quickly. They stayed chilled on a bed of ice and the pico de gallo was a nice compliment.
The gumbo was rich and hearty and had large pieces of sausage in it. You can order it mild or spicy although I think spicy will give you that Louisiana flavor you are looking for.
Next up was our main entree. My husband and I chose combo number two with giant king crab legs, clams, and crawfish. I will tell you right now that three people could have eaten this. The bag must have easily weighed 3-4 lbs. Don’t let the bag deceive you. There is a ton of food in it and it was steamy and hot! You can choose which seasoning you prefer (Lemon Pepper, Cajun, Louisiana, Garlic Butter or Kickin’ Style (all of the above). You can also decide how spicy or mild you would prefer it as well.
Blogger Tip #2-Use the paper towel roll to your advantage.
Here is what the inside of the bag looked like. Look at all that crab!
This is when things started getting silly. It’s impossible not to have fun with your food here and my husband is a big kid at heart so he was in his element.
Whose gonna crush who?
Crawfish manicure anyone?
In all seriousness, the best thing you can do with a combo like this is dump it on the table. That way you are not reaching in the bag and all of that crustaceous goodness will be right in front of you.
The crab legs and claws were stuffed with juicy tender crab meat. We did not have any drawn butter at the table but you don’t really need it. They will give you “crackers” for the shells but you can also just use your hands. Consider it a badge of honor if you poke or stab yourself once or twice.
The corn, sausage and potatoes are all tender and flavorful and are steamed with the rest of the food in the bag.
Blogger tip #3 Order a side of white rice as you can use it to soak up the sauce.
If you order crawfish as one of your mix and matches in the combo, you will get a plethora of these little guys. Crawfish tastes almost like a lobster, but it is chewier than shrimp.
Plus they love to hug! Who doesn’t love hugging crawfish??
The Kickin’ Crab Aftermath
Expect things to get a bit more quiet towards the end of your meal. Your bellies will be so stuffed you won’t be able to do much of anything except stare at each other and think about how good the food was. There will be a lot of empty shells and that is about it.
I highly recommend this restaurant for an entertaining and memorable seafood experience.
For more information visit the Kickin’ Crab on Facebook and on Twitter.
