Despite living within walking distance of a badass seafood joint and bar for six weeks, I had not visited it until this past Sunday. Shame on me, I know. This past Sunday, the 24th, Six Feet Under had a low country boil to celebrate their 4th anniversary. What is a low country boil? Well, basically you just put a mess of seafood (in this case shrimp, crawfish, and sausage), potatoes, and corn on the cob into a huge pot, add some water and seasoning and boil until done. This is something typically done for large parties in low country of South Carolina, the Georgia coast, or I’ve heard of it being associated with cajun cooking too.
Despite being a rainy day (and the threat of more), my roommate, Katie, and I set out to endulge ourselves in our first low country boil. Upon arriving at Six Feet Under (hereafter referred to as SFU), we found that lots of other people wanted to enjoy the festivities too. The wait to sit inside was well over an hour and a half, but brave souls could sit on the (uncovered) upstairs patio with no waiting time at all. Being brave but more importantly hungry souls, Katie and I opted to go upstairs despite the light drizzle on the walk over.
It was a brisk Sunday evening in Atlanta. The sky was overcast, but the view of Oakland Cemetery was unhampered. After getting comfortable in the wet wrought iron furniture, we placed our order: 2 low country boil servings, an order of rat toes, coleslaw, and 2 beers. What are rat toes? Rat toes are a delectable appetizer of baked jalapenos, stuffed with shrimp and wrapped with bacon. The name might not be too appetizing but they are delicious.
Upon first glance at our plates, we realize this was no pussy-ass boil, this was hardcore. The shrimp and crawfish were still fully intact in their shells and casing. I’ve had crawfish before (its actually really good in sushi among other things) but never still in the shell. After a little examination I found them pretty easy to open up and get the meat out of. For shrimp, I don’t think you technically “have” to remove the casing and the legs, but it tastes better if you do.
About the time we were settled and had a rhythm to cleaning and eating our pile of seafood, the rain started up again. At first it was light and we were determined to stick it out, but it gradually got harder. Luckily, Katie and I each brought an umbrella. So here was the scene, us sitting at our table, umbrella in one handing shielding ourselves and our food from the rain, and the other hand busy trying to deshell shrimp and crawfish. At first eating became quite difficult, but after a few shrimp I figured out a technique to eating them with only one hand. Being so focused on the task at hand, I never looked up to notice if anyone was watching us, but I imagined the wait staff watching us from a dry area, quietly cheering us on.
Did the rain ruin the boil for us? Not a chance. We had so much fun we decided to stay for a few more beers after the meal. If you see a low country boil in your area I recommend you check it out, rain or shine.