Eating at the Cajun-inspired seafood joint, The Boiling Pots, can be a messy business. While devouring plates of peel-and-eat shrimp, garlicky crawfish, and blue crab, diners are bound to encounter a few splatters. But that delicious, hands-on messiness is part of what makes meals at The Boiling Pots so memorable. And the restaurant's servers are prepared for it—they shield guests' shirts, blouses, or medieval suits of armor behind protective bibs decorated with ruby-hued crabs and lobsters.

The menu at The Boiling Pots wouldn't be quite so scrumptious if it weren't for careful sourcing. The spot's seasoned chefs seek out the freshest seafood they can find, stocking their kitchen with batches of live crawfish and lobster. Portions of freshly fried catfish and chicken wings round out plates, and sips of beer or wine provide liquid accompaniment.