What's a meat-laden barbecue joint to do when Lent comes around and every restaurant on the planet is serving up fish fry?
If you're Chef Aaron Patin of Iron Grate BBQ Co., 4125 S. Howell Ave., you dig deep and come up with a succulent seafood dish to augment your menu of artfully smoked brisket, pork and ribs.
Last year, it was hickory butter barbecued shrimp, a finger-lickin' Southern-inspired dish featuring a pound of peeled, head-on shrimp tossed in a smoky buttery sauce and served up alongside slices of Texas toast to soak up all the leftover sauce ($18 a pound). The dish was so popular, it’s now a mainstay on the Iron Grate menu.
This year, folks will get a little taste of NOLA thanks to Patin’s latest creation: Louisiana Steamed Crawfish.
The crawfish, which are flown in live from the Gulf, are coated in Patin’s custom-blended Grandpa’s Spice and stir fried in butter with lemongrass, garlic, ginger, Thai chilis and lemon juice. They are $21 per pound and can be ordered as-is or "extra spicy" upon request.
The crawfish will be available beginning Friday, March 9 on a first-come first-served basis (when they're out, they're out). They will be offered every Friday through the Lenten season (pending availability).
Iron Grate BBQ Co. is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
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