At least half a dozen new Asian crawfish joints opened this spring. Jolynn's Crawfish on Beechnut, a few blocks West of Beltway 8, has the best prices on mudbugs I've seen. They're selling for $5 a pound at the moment, and they're available in lemon pepper and garlic butter flavors. The owner of Jolynn's is from Washington State, and she has a unique way of serving her crawfish. No matter how hot you order them, they aren't very spicy. But they come with lots of the selected flavoring, so the garlic butter crawfish really taste like delicate crawfish and garlic butter--not like pepper. Then you get several bowls of dipping sauce at the table -- one is sweet and spicy, and the other is creamy butter. Beside those you get bowls of lime wedges, salt and pepper and cayenne. So you can go crazy with the dips if you want it hot. Corn and potatoes are extra, of course.

The proprietor has an unusual attitude about restaurant management too. When I got up to leave, she told me I hadn't paid for my meal. She was the one who had collected my money when I ordered. I even asked her for a receipt. But she seemed to have no recollection of the transaction. She made me get out my wallet and show her the register tape before she let me leave. Word to the wise -- get a receipt.