A Return to The Faded Rose

The sun was beginning to set last Wednesday evening as I strolled up to the front of The Faded Rose. I was there for crawfish, and in the end, the night played out exactly how I had imagined.
As I walked through the patio and reached for the front door, I heard “Hi Kevin.” It was owners Ed and Laurie David. Taking in the pleasant evening just a few tables over was their son Zac (general manager). It was Ed’s birthday, and what better place to celebrate than on the patio of his place with the family?
Just a few months prior, we were at The Faded Rose doing a feature about the start of crawfish season. Regulars of the restaurant know that during this time of year Wednesdays are all about the mudbugs. On that March afternoon, as Ed and Zac guided us through their process of delivering on a true crawfish boil, I was continuously struck by the ease and fluidity exhibited by this father/son combo. And for good reason. They’ve been doing this for a long time.
So here I was in May, back at the restaurant, and ready to partake in two pounds of boiled crawfish with all the fixings, of course. I, too, elected to dine outside and wisely ordered an Abita Strawberry beer to compliment my platter full of mudbugs, potato halves and a mini corn cob.
And like the evening, the food was perfect.
The crawfish were spicy, not over-the-top spicy, but rather a slow, subtle burn, that was quickly washed out by my sip of beer. The soft potatoes and the tender, sweet corn soaked up some of the platter’s pooling juices. I ripped off the tails, sucked the heads and dove into the meat.
Life was good.
In three days, The Faded Rose would celebrate its 32nd anniversary, a pretty amazing feat when you think about the here-and-gone nature often associated with the restaurant industry. Thirty-two years, at the same location, serving consistent food to a loyal fan base, is quite an accomplishment.
Cheers to that! And congrats to the David family.
Note: In the mood for some Wednesday crawfish? It’s going on for a couple more weeks. Please check on the restaurant’s FB page for details.