Eating: Crazy Johnnie’s

A couple of weeks ago Cristina and I were stuck in Kenner and Metairie waiting for 6:30 to come along so we could pick up her new glasses. We decided to get dinner. However, we weren’t sure about where we wanted to eat.

Then, upon approaching Severn, Cristina suggested Outback. I replied that yes Crazy Johnnie’s would be a great choice.

Whenever I’m given a choice between a chain restaurant and a local restaurant, I’ll always choose local. There is something eerie and, frankly, boring about ordering something from Red Lobster in Louisiana, Virginia, and Florida and knowing that it will taste exactly the same. This is not to say that you can’t get a good meal at a chain restaurant. You can, and sometimes it can downright nice on a road trip, hence my numerous visits to Cracker Barrel when traveling. But I truly feel that I’ll only ever get a good meal at chain restaurant and not a great one. And often, like in a certain place that sells never ending pasta, I can do most of that at home…plus one look at me should tell you I should never eat something never ending. And to set the record straight, I like Outback. But, I love Crazy Johnnies.

First of all Crazy Johnnies is crazy cheap. Two steak dinners plus an appetizer cost me forty dollars, and this is after I left a twenty percent tip. They also cook steaks to order. I like my steaks with the chill knocked off. Yet, often at chain restaurants, my steak ends up being exactly like the other person’s steak at the table since they usually like theirs cooked a little more. The only thing you can blame for that is that chain restaurants are more like manufacturing plants than restaurants. They have to do that volume of business and to maintain consistency across such wide geographic areas.

We started off with seafood stuffed artichoke which is one of my favorite appetizers anywhere. It’s the kind of appetizer that begs you to keep eating more and more. I always seem to make a mess, but I really don’t care. We then both ordered sirloins. Now, this isn’t the best cut of meat ever, you would be paying a lot more for that, but it is a very good piece of meat cooked expertly. The garlic butter provides a great kick without overwhelming the meat. The side of crazy potatoes, smashed with the skins on, are the perfect complement to the steaks. Both Cristina and I love to spread them on top of each bite. When we do eat at Crazy Johnnie’s, Cristina and I go long stretches without talking.

That’s because we were too busy eating.

Crazy Johnnie’s is definitely in low end of steak houses. However, of the low end steak houses, none get any higher.

Oh, and I almost forgot.  The candied apple that comes with each steak is absolutely odd and perfect.

Note:  Unfortunately, Crazy Johnnies closed their doors in 2014.  It’s now a food memory.