Dear Food Diary,
There’s nothing like walking into a restaurant, and feeling like your going to a friend’s for dinner. Mara greets you as you walk in the first of two very small and cozy dinning areas. Sometimes you’ll see her husband and daughter helping out and the waitresses are always super friendly and helpful.

The menu includes Cajun Style Seafood, BBQ & Southern Comfort Food. For the more adventurous, the fried gator bites are marinated in Cajun spice, crunchy and tender, if you’ve never had them, i’ll say give’em a try. It’s sorta like a cross between fish and chicken. I’m no Andrew Zimmern (host of my beloved Travel Channel’s, Bizarre Foods) when it comes to food, but I’m open to trying new things and i really love the texture and flavor of these bites.

Now to the main event… this needs drum rolls… CRAB FINGERS! yuuuummmmmy!!! This is why I go back again and again for. It should be in it’s own category on the menu, cuz it’s out of this world. And us lazy ones, no cracking is required. These sweet blue crab claws lay in a bowl of buttery goodness. Yes, of course there’s butter, and tons of it. It’s not for the faint of heart. They’re sauteed in a garlic butter sauce with Mara’s secret mix of herbs and spices, I’m not sure how many are in the mix (it’s a secret, and I don’t feel the need to find that out, just know that it’s delish), but a good dozen would be my guess. Dip the soft bread in it, and scoop up some of that mix and let me tell ya’… hmmmmmmm (hold on i need a moment here)…hmmmmmmm it’s just so heavenly.

Mara’s defeneatly not for the waist conscious. Everything on the menu is pretty good and big portions are perfect for sharing.
I like the BBQ too, it’s smokey and tender, rubbed with their own blend of spices, slow-smoked with mesquite wood, and your choice of 2 sauces, Arkansas (spicy/tangy) and Texas (spicy/sweet), great for meat lovers like moi. The blue crab in their spicy boil is also a wise choice, but get ready to get your hands dirty.

It’s a great place to go for a casual, fun and flavorful meal. Don’t forget to wash it all down with Abita purple haze beer. Raspeberry flavored beer. Great match.

P.S. Chubby’s RATING: