Kat's 9 Lives

What you all have been waiting for! The infamous Hot n Juicy Crawfish off the strip. I did a bit of research on more exotic/cultural foods and I came across this place. Ms. Lin didn't seem that interested in the Boiling Crab when I told her about it. I had been testing many places out in the OC for her to try so that she would only get to try good food in the OC when she gets back. So far I have pleased her. When I came across Hot n Juicy Crawfish and heard that it's just like the Boiling Crab, I thought that would be nice to try but no dire need since we have the original in SoCal. It ended up that our Dad rejected one of the places Ms. Lin researched about so we suggested this place instead. We headed there around 6PM and it wasn't very crowded yet, but as time went it did.
The prices here were quite a bit higher than the ones in the OC. They ran out of the Gumbo, so we didn't get to try that. We had to get the Crawfish with the Hot n Juicy Special. If you get 2 lbs., then you get a Potato and a Corn on the Cob. The special sauce includes Louisiana Style, Juicy Cajun, Garlic Butter, and Lemon Pepper. Since Ms. Lin likes things spicy, we asked to get 1lb. mild and the other medium. The server warned us that it was quite spicy at medium and she was right. Even Ms. Lin thought it was spicy and our parents ended up eating my bag of crawfish because it was too spicy. The flavor here was very good and I think even better than the Boiling Crab! I really want to go back this coming weekend, I will have to butter up Tofu to take me. ^_^ When you open the plastic bag, the flavor just emanates throughout and you become engulfed in the flavor! The crawfish here was cooked just right, tender and juicy!
We also ordered 1lb. of Shrimp in Mild Hot n Juicy Special. This is a much better deal than the crawfish. Both are great, but value-wise, the shrimp was a much better deal! The crawfish barely has any meat and weighs a lot, while the shrimp's weight is mainly from the meat. Each bite is soaked with flavor and after you peel the shrimp you must dip it back into the wonderful sauce to get the full flavor! They actually used pretty decent sized shrimp!
The crawfish and shrimp were both $9.99 a lb., which is $2 more than the OC price. I didn't get the shrimp at the Boiling Crab so I can't compare that, but now I will most likely get more shrimp and some crawfish still to get the traditional taste. The sauce at Hot n Juicy was more flavorful and aromatic and the one at the Boiling Crab is almost as good, but their sauce is ladled with celery that becomes overpowering and they have a more smoky flavor. I personally like the sauce at Hot n Juicy much better and I had a really nice time with the family. This could just be personal preference. To be fair, before I write more... I have to say that the Fried Food in the Boiling Crab is a MILLION times better! The fries, catfish, and wings there were mouth-watering good! I'd go back just for them any time! Being a nice sister, I will try my best to bring her a nice bag of juicy shrimp or crawfish and other stuff from Vegas to San Diego when she comes. See the love! Younger sisters are the best! ^_- Right, HoneyBee? lol
Since I loved the Fried Food at the Boiling Crab, I had to order them here to try. We got the Fried Catfish with Fries and this was closer to what I get in the OC, but definitely not as good. The crust/batter for the catfish flaked off easily and lost the crisp texture. Don't get me wrong, it's still good here but it just can't compare to the original! ^_-
I really loved the Fried Chicken Wings at the Boiling Crab so I got it here too and a bigger order, but I was extremely let down. Even though the chicken didn't have a strong batter, it just felt kind of gooey and lacking in flavor. I normally love most things fried and I adore my chicken wings, but the ones here really didn't cut it. If you like fried food, then I'd recommend the catfish over the chicken wings in Vegas. For those who are lucky enough to be in the OC, definitely go get some fried goods at the Boiling Crab. You won't regret it! ^_-
All in all the place was good and at a great price. For the 4 of us the bill was only about $50, so not bad for Vegas. The sauce was so good on the shrimp and crawfish that our Mom wanted to get a bowl of white rice and poured it on top. At first I thought it was a little ridiculous to get rice, especially since she took one bite and said she was too full. So I had to help her eat the rice and I was already almost done with all the meat. It's pretty flavorful on the rice and with the peeled meat makes a complete meal. The sauce gets toned down when mixed with the rice, but still good! If you love Southern/Creole/Cajun food, then I'd say this place is definitely for you! ^_-

Hot n Juicy Crawfish
4810 Spring Mountain Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89102
(702) 891-8889