New Restaurant In Metairie :: Crazy Hotpot
If you haven’t heard, the former Three Bs location on N. Turnbull not far off Veterans in Metairie became Crazy Hotpot earlier this year. My family and I decided to try it out last weekend, and we enjoyed! We will definitely be back.
What It Is
Hotpot is a traditional Chinese cooking method used for communal meals. The hotpot is a pot with boiling broth in which you can cook raw foods. At Crazy Hotpot, each person has a designated pot and can customize their meal.
How It Works
Step 1: Each person chooses one of the eight signature broths offered: beef, mushroom, tomato, Cajun, Tom Yum, spicy butter, chicken, and Tonkatsu. We chose beef broth (savory and flavorful but not spicy), Cajun boil (a nice kick like you would expect from a crab boil), and spicy butter (super spicy and would not be likely to order again).
Step 2: Choose ingredients from the buffets. One buffet contains a wide variety of meat, seafood, noodles, and veggies. Our favorites were the lamb and beef, the crab, the instant noodles, and the broccoli and corn. The other buffet offers numerous sauces and spices for flavoring. We added a few things, including peppers, garlic, scallions, and hoisin sauce.
Step 3: Once the pot reaches a boil (while you’re waiting, enjoy some free appetizers from the menu), it’s time to cook. Your server will provide a cooking guide with the recommended cooking times for each food. The longest cook time is 3 minutes for items like dumplings and blue crab, while it only takes 10 seconds to cook the thinly sliced beef or lamb.
Pricing
It’s priced as an all-you-can-eat buffet at $29.99 for adults and $14.99 for kids. Feel free to try everything, but start out with a only a little. Crazy Hotpot cuts down on waste by charging $13.99/lb. for any uneaten food (a bite here and there is fine though).
Things to Know
It takes some time. Unlike many sit-down restaurants, you’re not waiting for your food to come to the table. For the most part, you control the pace. That said, you are still cooking your own food a few bites at a time, so it can be a little time consuming. Crazy Hotpot has a time limit of 90 minutes for this reason. Consider this when deciding whether to bring the kids. My 10-year-old is a bit of a picky eater and would probably not have enjoyed this experience, so he requested to stay home. On the other hand, my 8-year-old, who is an adventurous eater and loves to cook, jumped at the chance and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Be cognizant of cross-contamination. Designate a plate and utensils for your raw food. Have a separate plate and utensils for your cooked food.
Crazy Hotpot is open late. Weekday hours are 12pm-11pm. Friday through Sunday, the restaurant opens at noon and closes at midnight.
They don’t take reservations per se. But, call ahead, and Crazy Hotpot can accommodate a party as large as twelve at the same table.
If you’re not sure, ask. Crazy Hotpot is a unique place, and to the best of my knowledge, the only restaurant of its kind in the New Orleans area. We’d never eaten at such a place. Our server was very friendly and gave us all the tips and tricks.
Check out their website for more info.
