‘Invest in freshest food’ is key, says owner of family operation
By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – Nick Asprodites Jr. is evidently a man who likes a little variety in his work life.
Growing up in a New Orleans home where his father was a pediatric dentist, he got drawn a bit into the business after his college days when he opened a dental lab that he sold after only three years.
From there he worked in sales and financing for Sewell Cadillac, then was hired by Textron in a 10-year job that gave him some great challenges, especially the time he was sent to Japan to fix a hovercraft with jet engines.
By the time he was 58 he admitted to “looking for the next thing,” which surprisingly turned out to be the Blue Crab restaurant that he built and opened in 2013 on Lakeshore Drive in New Orleans, bringing back the famous lakefront restaurants that were so popular there before Hurricane Katrina destroyed them all.
Even though Asprodites had no experience at all in the very difficult restaurant business, the Blue Crab in New Orleans has been so successful that it opened the door for what you might call “Adventure Number Five.”
That is now the restaurant at The Pointe in Slidell where he recently opened the Blue Crab Northshore, out Hwy. 11 to the end of Rat’s Nest Road where Vera’s Seafood used to be located, then take a left to 118 Harbor View Ct.
“Considering no restaurant background, I’m sure a lot of people are surprised I have done so well with the Blue Crab in New Orleans, but I knew the key to success was to be consistent with everything we did, and especially to have great food. I put my dollars into getting the freshest seafood possible, and everything we make is from scratch. Nothing you get at the Blue Crab comes out of a can,” he explained.
Now, his son Nick III is managing Blue Crab Northshore, which is following the same model as the New Orleans restaurant that turned it into a very popular place.
Naturally, Blue Crab Northshore is featuring a similar menu with super fresh seafood, but a few other points are also why New Orleans began drawing big crowds from the time they opened.
“New Orleans had these great lakefront restaurants—Fitzgerald’s, Swanson’s Berning’s and more,” Asprodites said. “I used to go there when I was young. Not only did they have great food, but there was this atmosphere to be eating as you looked out over the lake.
“When I considered doing something with a piece of land on the lakefront I knew I wanted to open a restaurant, since all the old ones were destroyed from Katrina,” he said.
Additionally, Blue Crab New Orleans draws big crowds with a huge, outdoor dining, dancing and music area where live bands are playing much of the time.
Asprodites has the same setup being constructed at Blue Crab Northshore, where he has a stage for bands that have already played a few times, and will return full time in the spring after the entire area gets a roof that covers the 30 foot X 70 foot area right on the water.
“We’ve got a big dance floor, plus we are building an upper deck with bathrooms and a bar. I hope to have it opened in the spring,” he said. “That will give us a downstairs bar and upstairs bar, plus we have beer taps that come straight from a 29 degree cooler. The beer is really cold.”
Asprodites said he never planned to have such a large restaurant in New Orleans, but the land he had was owned by the government and after FEMA forced him to build his restaurant 17 feet high in the air, “I had to have more space to make it pay for itself.”
But the upgrade has paid off in a big way with giant crowds all the time, especially when the bands are playing.
“The weather is getting cool now so we will probably hold off on the bands until the spring,” Nick III said, now stepping into manager shoes after working with his dad in New Orleans for three years. “But they will be coming.”
Blue Crab Northshore has been open for a little over a month and is already drawing crowds, even though their location tucked far back off Hwy. 11 near Rat’s Nest Road is not something you see driving by. But the newly-renovated and improved Pointe is beginning to draw larger boat crowds for all their supplies, and Blue Crab Northshore is getting plenty of business and name brand growth from that.
Some of the most popular items on the menu are “everything seafood,” said Nick Jr. “But also we have very, very large shrimp, a great shrimp and grits, a popular Cornbread Muffin, and chargrilled oysters.”
Blue Crab Northshore is also much larger than the former restaurant at The Dock, which was purchased by The Pointe’s new owner Louis Faust. Asprodites said they pushed a wall out, moved a former downstairs kitchen upstairs, and opened up the ceiling to now reach over 25 feet high, not to mention a large bar that seats over 20.
“Everyone dines looking out over the water, but the secret for us is still in the food,” he added. “We make sure to maintain the consistency in what we cook. Even all our dressings and sauces are made here—I know you will like our place if you give us a try.”
The restaurant is now open for lunch and dinner on Wednesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. top 9 p.m.
Call them at 985-315-7001 or check them out online at:
thebluecrabnorthshore.com