Best of the Area
Daily Jefferson County Union Readers’ Poll, July 20, 2015
The Daily Jefferson County Union conducted it’s Best of the Area readers’ poll for 2015. Readers submitted votes for 135 categories, featured in five divisions including People, Food & Drink, Things, Recreation & Entertainment and Miscellaneous. Crawfish Junction was voted #1 in 12 categories including Best Restaurant, Best Customer Service, Best Appetizers, Best Bloody Mary, Best Martini, Best Old Fashioned, Best Sandwich, Best Steak, Best Place to Hear Live Music, Best Place to Watch the Game. Special recognition goes to Amy Hartling for winning Best Waitress and Becca Wade for bringing home the Best Bartender awards! Thank you for all of your votes and support!
Here is the article that was printed in the Daily Union.
Crawfish Junction cleans up at first timer. “The people are really friendly at...” It’s a cliché that you hear everywhere, but at Crawfish Junction, it’s offered with action. It’s not uncommon for people you don’t know to offer to share their patio table while you wait. Sometimes the invitation is extended for dinner for the evening and sometimes the friendships grow for years. Robb Reed, manager of Crawfish Junction, said he sees that play out regularly. “People meet new people here. I’ll go to seat a couple and the other couple asks if they would like to eat together. They grow with us.” And growth is what has kept Crawfish Junction going. Whether it’s growth of the menu, the number of customers or the number of awards they have received, Reed said, “We are always evolving.” Lesley Erb purchased the business with the original part of the building where the bar at the entrance sits about 10 years ago. But it was time for the building to evolve and in 2008, Erb said she “expanded, updated and remodeled every square inch of the building.” Additionally, they set up patio music where musical artists can play and entertain the guests while they enjoy dinner with a view of the Crawfish River. During the winter, there are bands that play in an area of the dining room. Their goal when they started was to take traditions like the ubiquitous and popular Friday night fish fry and just be really good at it, offering options that other places might not offer — enter alligator bites, sweet potato fries and zippy sauces. Crawfish Junction staff also make changes to their menu two or three times a year, using what they learn about food from traveling and experimenting in the kitchen. “We never think about calories,” Reed added. “It’s not health food. People know that coming in. This is a place for guilty pleasures.” The year 2015 has been a year of recognition for Crawfish Junction. In addition to the Jefferson County Daily Union’s Best of the Area, they also won the Best of Madison for fish fry. “We have incredible food, incredible staff and incredible experience,” Erb said. “I’m so proud of the people who work here and do what they do. It’s a team effort. “I would just like to thank everyone who voted for us from the bottom of my heart. It’s the staff and the customers who make it what it is,” the owner added as she walked away with a little tear in her eye.
View the article and check out winners in other categories here