TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
A s spring grows closer, and the days start warming up, we’re hitting that sweet spot in the year—crawfish season. It’s time for the tradition we all love—diving into piles of those spicy, delicious mudbugs. If you have lived in the south for any amount of time, chances are you have been exposed to the ritual of dining on boiled crawfish. This year, thanks to some wacky weather our crawfish buddies were playing hard to get. The reason we’re seeing fewer crawfish basically boils down to not enough rain and way too much heat. Fortunately, we hit the jackpot in the midst of a tough crawfish season when we stumbled upon local crawfish kingpins, Hot Tails. Hot Tail’s Crawfish has been selling crawfish in Texarkana for over 24 years. They got their start cooking these Louisiana crustaceans from a trailer set up on State Line near Walmart. Over time, they relocated to their current location on Highway 71 North. In 2023, new owners took the reins and have turned Hot Tail’s into a dining destination much different from their grab and go roots. Lana and John Robert Lee, along with Christina and Lance LeMay, have done a fantastic job with some changes and additions they have made to a local Texarkana staple. Andrew Having been to Hot Tails several times in years past, the first thing I noticed was the retrofit of an existing building on site. As I entered the big open doors, what looked like a freshly painted red barn turned into every sports fan’s dream. There were numerous fresh tabletops, an amazing bar top serving beer and wine, and big screen TVs everywhere! Ray and I even started a nice game of pool on a new table. But before we could finish the game, we were interrupted by one of the best-looking platters I have ever seen. Ray We had a platter full of crawfish, crab legs, shrimp, mushrooms, corn, potatoes, boudin, and Cajun sweet sausage, finished off with a couple of dipping sauces to try. We wanted to try a little bit of everything, and I’m glad we did.
TASTE BUDS COLUMN BY ANDREW McELHANY AND RAY SANDEFUR
PHOTOS BY MATT CORNELIUS Mudbuggin’
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COMMUNITY & CULTURE
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