Killer Crab Dip & Po’boys in the Hood at Nicky’s
By Tom Maicon at January 12, 2012 | 8:21 pm | Print
Anybody out there remember Big Fish? For those who don’t, it was a fish shack that opened on the corner of Holcomb Bridge and Spalding Drive somewhere around 2005, I believe. The restaurant served killer po’boys and a highly addictive little Charleston crab dip that was so good the snobbiest of Charleston transplants couldn’t help but give a nod. The restaurant unfortunately had major service issues and closed its doors.
The owner was a man by the name of Nick Caliendo (Nicky), a local fishmonger who began his successful run in the fish business back in 1984 at the age of twenty-six.
What few people knew was that Nicky was the longtime owner of a place called Nicky’s Seafood (609 Whitehall Street, Atlanta Tel: 404.588.3474) in downtown Atlanta near Morehouse College. He had sold the restaurant many years ago.
But as fate would have it, Nicky re-purchased the business about a year ago and is up to his old tricks, only this time he’s doing it in the hood. A quality jumbo shrimp po’boy has all the makings to be a great one, but the bread is too squishy. A truly great po’boy has crunchy bread with only enough chew to hold the shrimp.
Crab dip ($2.50 for a large) is a generous portion for the price and loaded with big chunks of meat with a nice little kick on the back — so worth the drive all by itself. Seriously.
When it’s cold, you either sit to the left in a small dining area or the front where people place their orders. I sit in the front so I can watch over my car to make sure it isn’t jacked while I eat.
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