ROCFLAVORS
Juicy Seafood brings messy, delicious Viet-Cajun trend to Henrietta
Tracy Schuhmacher
Democrat and Chronicle
I had been hearing of hour-long waits and reasonable seafood prices at Juicy Seafood, which quietly opened on Winton Road earlier this summer, so I decided to stop by to check it out.
The former home to McAlister's Deli has been transformed to a casual sit-down restaurant with a seafood motif. Photos and sculptures of seafood adorn the walls, surrounded by black markered graffiti, which also covers the backs and sides of booths. A few nets hang from the acoustical tile ceiling; pairs of American flags complete the look.
The menu centers on seafood, which can be ordered boiled or fried, but the main draw seems to be the boils, which come with potatoes and corn. To order a boil, you have a few choices.
First, you select your seafood, which is priced by the pound, ranging from the $11-per-pound crawfish to the $35-per-pound king crab legs, lobster tail and dungeness crab. Or, you can choose a seafood combo of two or more items.
Your next choice is seasoning: Cajun, garlic butter, lemon pepper and "Juicy special" — a combination of all three. You also choose from five levels of spice, ranging from "no spicy" to extra hot. Appetizers and sides are available as well.
I visited for lunch, which brings five lower priced specials, with fewer choices of seafood. I chose boiled shrimp with no heads ($12), with the Juicy Special seasoning, mildly spiced.
After I ordered, the server dropped off a bucket (for shells) filled with a bib, plastic gloves, moistened wipes and a somewhat misshapen fork. (Several people around the room were using the bib and gloves.)
The seafood arrived in a balloon-like clear plastic bag, which my server deflated as she set it down. The shrimp, along with a pair of potatoes and a small piece of corn on the cob, were bathing in a slurry of Cajun spices and a liquidy, buttery substance.
The split shell-on shrimp were cleaned, good sized and plentiful; I had peeled and consumed several before I took a count, but I'm guessing there were 20 or so. The mild spice, which tasted mostly of commercial Cajun seasoning with a pop of celery seed, was salty and full of flavor but had almost no heat. Even with my relatively timid palate, I might opt for medium spice in the future.
The potatoes were tender and a nice diversion from the shrimp. The corn was starchy and bland compared to the local ears that are in season, but given a swipe through the Cajun spices was perfectly palatable.
With Juicy Seafood, it appears that Viet-Cajun cuisine has finally made its way to Rochester, even though the "Viet" influence isn't immediately apparent.
Viet-Cajun in a nutshell: many Vietnamese settled in New Orleans after the fall of Saigon in 1975. There, they found familiarity in the area's crawfish boils. Many headed to Houston, taking elements of Cajun cuisine along with them. Along the way, they gave the traditional New Orleans crawfish boil their own spin by tossing them in a garlicky butter sauce with lots of seasonings. (You can learn more about this cuisine in the "Shrimp and Crawfish" episode of celebrity chef David Chang's gorgeous documentary series Ugly Delicious, which airs on Netflix.)
The cross-cultural cuisine has been creeping its way across the country, and a franchise or chain was inevitable. Based on the identical menus, it appears that the Winton Road restaurant is a franchise or outpost of an Alabama seafood restaurant called The Juicy Seafood.
When I visited, I asked for a manager or owner, giving my server my business card, and I was told one was not available. I left my card, asking for a call, and didn't get one. This is a common situation in restaurants where there is a language barrier.
So that leaves unanswered questions. Was it real butter? (I'm guessing it probably was not.) Is the seafood sustainably sourced? (At that price, I'd guess not.) Is this a chain or franchise? (Perhaps it doesn't matter.)
But for 12 bucks, it was a generous, tasty and enjoyable meal. I can see why Juicy Seafood has caught on.
Juicy Seafood is at 3020 S. Winton Road in Henrietta; call (585) 622-9468.
According to its menu, it is open noon to 10 p.m Sunday through Thursday and noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
TRACYS@Gannett.com