First and Most Important to this review is if you are planning to drive to Anderson Alabama and try the Fish Creel then take CASH or a Check because they do not accept Debit or Credit cards for payment. These days that is an important consideration for some people because some rely so heavily on Debit and Credit cards that they don't carry cash anymore and may not carry a checkbook anymore.
Now for the review:
I was excited prior to trying the Fish Creel because I knew they prepared "FRESH" Seafood as in Fresh Shrimp or Fresh Catfish (NOT from Frozen). Sure enough I was not disappointed because they do prepare their shrimp/Catfish from fresh, not frozen, and fresh is more difficult to find these days, especially at a remote place like this. That said I have to say that I was not that impressed with the taste and much of that was the breading they used, I believe. Their breading was very crispy and sorta like a Corn Flake type crust and I can't say I can give it near as glowing a review as I did Lash's Seafood Market.
PRO: You get a good serving size with plenty of fries, if you choose fries, and another pro is that your fresh shrimp plate comes with the salad bar. The salad bar was well stocked but the dressing quality was not so good and was quite watered down, or so it seemed. Another positive is that you can pick from hushpuppies, rolls, or Texas toast. The food was also extremely hot having been brought out just after plated. Salad bar was well equipped and also had several slaws that could be chosen along with the meal.
CON's: Chief among the negatives was that the whole restaurant was loaded with flies. There was flies flying around the salad bar and most every table, so many that there was an ample supply for each table and I don't really think you would have had more if you were eating outside. This is a problem that I think the restaurant should take care of immediately, if possible. Having limited payment methods I also consider a negative. As for the food itself the shrimp, although fresh, was not the best tasting fresh fried shrimp that I have had. In fact I've had frozen shrimp that I've preferred to the fresh I ordered and received at the Fish Creel.
I'm Glad I got to try the Fish Creel but I can't say it's worth driving out of your way to and with so many other places that are much better out there to choose from I doubt I'll be driving to Anderson in order to give them another try. I can't vouch for the catfish because I was not able to try it but it did appear that the catfish batter was different than that used on the shrimp so that may make for better catfish.
MENU Photos are located below in the attachment list but were not enlarged for the review post.
