Once upon a time, this part-time theme park food blogger posted a photo of his meal in a Facebook group making Main Street Magic. This Facebook group does not talk exclusively about food. Still, many members of that group enjoy food talk immensely.  This food blogger posted a photo of an appetizer from a seafood place located in Disney Springs. This food blogger commonly does this when visiting Walt Disney World. As with most social networks, people can leave comments. One commentator said how much they liked that appetizer. The next commentator wanted to confirm the identity of that appetizer and whether I, and another person, approve of it. Well, this dining review serves as official verification of the acceptable quality of this appetizer for said commentator with the initials of DC. Folks, it never hurts to keep the co-founder informed.

If you figure out the identity of DC, then you will understand why this appetizer moved up in my writing queue. Based on unusual circumstances, I have gotten the privilege to visit Orlando far more than expected over the last several months. As a result, I selected a place to have lunch one day that I had not visited before. So, Paddlefish restaurant in Disney Springs earned the selection. I desired to order an appetizer and an entrée that day with the full intention of doing some dining reviews. For full disclosure, the “Crab Topped Fries” were the only appetizer that appealed to me that afternoon. Thus, I ordered them. I also enlisted the help of Vacationeers Podcast in this dining evaluation.

Crab Topped Fries functions as a simple appetizer. In fact, the crab fries came out of kitchen very quickly. They arrived so quickly that I doubted the freshness. However, my concern lacked validity. The elements of this starter tasted fresh. These covered fries cost $18. These qualify, according to menu, as gluten free also. The menu description reflects the simple nature of this starter. Paddlefish lists only skin-on fries, blue crab, and “Louie” dressing as ingredients to form this mixture.

If you are unfamiliar with Louie style dressing, this generally appears on crab and shrimp dishes. For example, if you see a Crab Louie salad or Shrimp Louie on a menu then it will use this style of sauce. This sauce normally contains mayonnaise, red chili sauce, mined green onions and green chili peppers. As you might expect, this sauce pairs well with seafood items.

So how did the crab topped fries taste? Well, the Louie sauce worked very well with this creation. I would have preferred a bit more spice with the sauce though. Still, based on most Walt Disney World visitors, I suspect they tone it down some. These fries came with plenty of that sauce. A reasonable amount of crab existed with this appetizer also. The crab flavor matched well with the fries and sauce. The crab itself tasted okay but nothing spectacular for crab meat.

However, the fries tasted just like standard fries. In fact, they offered less flavor than the fries that came with my entrée later. Yet, the fries did hold the sauce and crab nicely when taking a bite.

Overall, I found the flavor of this starter quite good. Yes, the concept builds on something very uncomplicated. However, sometimes in cuisine, it is about doing something very simple with great skill.

Besides the quality of the fries, I see two possible negatives about this item. The price point appears a bit high for this appetizer. However, the portion size exceeds standard amount for an appetizer around Disney Springs so that could explain some of higher price point. In addition, this appetizer presents a challenge for sharing with groups containing germ adverse people. Our server brought us plates to place portions upon. However, this could lead to a significant mess. Thus, it might encourage people to eat directly from the original bowl.

All in all, this straightforward appetizer makes a good way to open your meal at Paddlefish. If looking for an appetizer that picky eaters will even enjoy, this requires a view. As always, eat like you mean it!