RESTAURANT REVIEW: Chill and get your fill at DacqShack

At first glance, one notices two things about The DacqShack, in the former Famous Dave's location in west Little Rock.

The sign — "CAJUN SEAFOOD & DAIQUARI S" — is misspelled.

And the parking lot — especially on peak weekend evenings — is packed and has been so since the joint opened in January.

Serving a variety of frozen rum and vodka daiquiris as colorful as their names ("Call an Uber," "Let That Man Go," "Panty Dropper"), the locally owned DacqShack is a party place with a fun vibe and loud music — from hip hop and R&B to country. The Shack, which has the wood paneling of the former barbecue chain and added some marine decor like a fishing net with plastic sea creatures, also serves a two-sided menu of New Orleans-inspired appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers, baskets, entrees and steak.

The DacqShack is the first restaurant for owner Kymberly Beard, who has made a bold career move; her Ph.D. is in nursing. She says it's still a work in progress; they're still tweaking the menu and changing up the decor.

Deciding what to order from DacqShack's big, glowy bar with multiple drink machines is difficult. There are almost too many daiquiri flavors — there were about 40 listed on a double-sided table placard when we visited. And they didn't include prices and they weren't described, so the servers rattled off details of the "Finding Nemo" and the "Flaming B****" from recall. Furthermore, flavors can be blended together.

Our first trip, I stuck with a simple, fruity Pina Colada, a friend went with a simple, sweet White Russian and a more adventurous friend went with a blend of Blue Raspberry and Hog Wild, she said, "mostly because I like my tongue to turn blue. Plus, Hog Wild is one of their stronger drinks, and I give that a big thumb's up. It was very full of food coloring, sort of full of booze and a bit tart.

"But I drank every drop of my 16 ounces." We all did. During happy hour (3-6 p.m.), we paid $7.95 for the strong 16-ounce drinks served in plastic cups.

We all liked the spicy breaded Fried Crawfish Tails ($9), finding the portion plentiful and poppable. The shrimp cocktail ($9) was standard, however, the five shellfish perched on the rim of a mini-margarita glass full of cocktail sauce was cutely presented.

As for our entrees, it took a long time to receive cold food, suggesting that it sat for a good while before it was served.

That went for the cold Chicken Gumbo with Andouille Sausage ($6.95 cup) and Chicken Tenders basket ($10, served with fries or Zapp's chips) that one friend received.

Another friend got a meal that was both cold and overcooked: the Hand-Breaded Oysters (menu said $21, but we were charged $19), one of the pricier entrees. She said: "As for those poor oysters, they never stood a chance. Whoever fried them had a vendetta, because those oysters were unrecognizable after spending way too much time in the hot grease. Crunchy is definitely what fried oysters should not be." A baked potato came with only sour cream, no butter or other toppings, but she didn't receive the hush puppies or slaw the menu specified.

My Red Beans and Rice (an older menu said $11, but we were charged $9; a newer menu said $12) probably would have been enjoyable had the dish been hot. Other than an unappetizing stray sausage casing, there was no actual meat to be found in the dish, which maybe I should have expected; the menu only said it was flavored with ham and smoked sausage. The garlic bread and a house salad that were supposed to accompany the meal didn't. Our server did eventually bring both, though neither were standout.

We might have tried an order of two beignets ($4), but we didn't want to wait.

We're pleased to report that our second dinner was seamless. Food arrived hot and in a timely manner.

Having missed happy hour, I was charged $9.99 for a 16-ounce Dance Like a Stripper, a dessert-like strawberry daiquiri accented with whipped cream and berries. It was so sweet and strong that I managed to drink only half. For the record, I also managed to keep my clothes on.

For an appetizer, we split two Dacq-sauce-drizzled Crab Cakes (menu said $14; we were charged $13). They contained a good amount of breading as well as crab, but had a decent flavor, enlivened by a sprinkle of fresh parsley, bits of red pepper, a side of zesty rice, and a grilled lemon half.

My date's Seafood Gumbo ($8.95, bowl), which featured shrimp and crawfish, a clump of rice and a sprinkle of fresh parsley, looked appealing but didn't have much flavor. Adding some hot sauce helped.

My date was more pleased with his Catfish Po Boy ($14; other choices are oyster, shrimp and andouille), featuring a perfectly cooked, nicely seasoned filet, lettuce, pickle, tomato, red onion and Cajun mayo. The sandwich came with a pickle spear and a pile of thick steak fries.

My Mardi Gras Pasta ($16), featuring linguine with tender crawfish and shrimp, salty andouille, mushrooms, green pepper and a grilled lemon half, was tossed in a plush and peppery cream sauce. It was served with garlic bread and preceded by a basic house salad.

And speaking of Mardi Gras, we're positive the Dacq-Shack will be jumping come Fat Tuesday.

Weekend on 02/21/2019