From a Little Hole in the Wall

Being on the East Coast it’s not hard to get access to good fish and seafood. When I lived out in Indianapolis everything I got was either frozen, old, or just questionable. Sure, there are rivers and streams there, but most of the fish and seafood people want to eat has to be shipped in via frozen trucks, and, no matter how well packed they may be, shipped fish is never as good as fresh caught delivered right to your plate. I feel spoiled now by all the places that have really fresh fish, including sushi places with fish that absolutely melts in your mouth in a way you could never get in the Midwest. It really is a noticeable difference.

I’m not here to discuss sushi, although maybe in another year I’ll find a great place during SG Live to go for a sushi outing. The reason I bring it up is because there are places on the coast with seafood offerings that, were they out in the Midwest, I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. Case in point, Dave’s Seafood & Subs, a tiny, hole in the wall eatery serving fried fish and seafood (although with subs and other items). Instantly I was drawn to their selection, with a wide variety of fried fish and seafood, and I had a hard time picking what I wanted. Had this been an Indianapolis eatery I would have stuck to something safe, but I felt like I could be more daring here simply because of the location.

Amusingly the friend that I took to the restaurant had the same reaction I did. We got there and it looked a little sketchy, then we went in and saw a nice, little, old, Asian lady manning the counter and, somehow, we both felt like everything was right. Tiny, hole in the wall areas can be sketchy, but somehow the presence of a nice, little, old, Asian lady makes it all better. Usually the rule applies to Chinese restaurants, and you know the kindly, Asian grandmother is manning the store and keeping everything in check. But despite this being a Southern, soul food, seafood and sandwich shop, she made us feel like the store was in good hands.

And, from the food I got, that vibe was right. I went with a crab cake sub, which effectively was a po’boy. Topped with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and mayo, and then filled with a row of thin, crispy, soft in the middle crab cakes, the sandwich was heaven. Even now I can still taste and feel it in my mouth. The crab cakes had a bit of salt, a hint of sweetness, but it was the texture that really sold me. They were crisp yet soft, just shy of gooey, in such a way that they felt freshly made and perfectly cooked. And the flavors all mixing together were fantastic.

Honestly, I was hard pressed not to go back and get another one of these subs, along with just about everything else on the menu, just because of how good it was. But I have a rule for these SGL trips to only go to a restaurant once during the trip so that I can sample the diversity of the area and find new places to review. Five reviews of all the menu options at Dave’s Seafood & Subs might have been delightful for my mouth but wouldn’t have worked as well as content for the site, so I fought back the urges… for now.

I didn’t try what my friends got, but I heard from them that the BLT and the Turkey Subs were also fantastic. The BLT was, as it was put to me, the best damn BLT they ever had, and I don’t have my doubts. Everything we got smelled good and tasted great, and I have no doubts that I’ll end up going back next year to try more of their food offerings. There’s a whole seafood platter, with catfish and crab, shrimp and more that I have my eye on, and I’m sure I can get a nice, long article going over how good each of those items are individually. Just wait for that.

But yeah, Dave’s Seafood & Subs was awesome. It was the perfect little out of the way, hole in the wall, unassuming shop that you could drive past and never think twice about. But once you’ve had it, well, it’s hard to want to go to any other little seafood or sandwich shop around. I rarely revisit locations quickly during these trips but I already know Dave’s will be on my list again for next year… and hopefully every year after that.

If only I knew which one of the workers was “Dave”. I have to assume the kindly, Asian couple that was manning the shop bought the store out from the original Dave and they kept the name. If that’s the case, that works. They’re nailing it.