Reel Thing Catfish Cafe - Allen, TX

When you have a hankerin' for some good catfish, I highly recommend a short drive up to Allen,
TX to the Reel Thing Catfish Cafe! Driving up you seem to get mixed signals of what to expect because it is located in the end of a little strip center. A lot of times, the little strip center places are "also rans" who are there to throw together a bite for shoppers who are wanting to grab something quick while they shop. With that in mind, we decided to give it a try anyway, since we had come up from the other side of Plano to get there. Happened to find it listed in Jill, the GPS, and since Sharon wanted a little drive, we came up with no notion of what we would find, quality-wise!

When I rolled Sharon in, the waitress came out and opened the door for us and welcomed us in. A quick look around gave a comfortable feeling and that really set the pace of the rest of the visit. The decor, that could have looked contrived, fell into place with the first bite of catfish! Yup, it was authentic "catfish house down by the river" plain good fish and the bobcat skin on the wall across from the boar's head and deer on the wall WERE the real deal!

First, the fish! The menu listed one, two, or three piece dinners and also an AllYouCanEat selection for a couple of more bucks! Given normal standards of sizing of portions, I was almost ready to go for the AYCE. I asked the waitress how big the pieces were and she indicated that they were larger than her hand! Yeah, I thought, sure they are! OK, then, bring me the three piece filet meal with coleslaw, fried okra and some of that green tomato relish. As a side note, Tennessee catfish houses haven't discovered how well that tomato relish goes with catfish. More's the pity! It just needs to be done! When the food was served, I was shocked! The plate seemed HUGE and the presentation was, well, almost gourmet-like! The fish was stacked in the center of the plate and the sides were gently placed appropriately around. OK, NOW the fish! The flour/corn meal coating was perfect! Not to thick, not too mealy, just right! She did NOT exaggerate! The pieces were very large and were cooked to perfection. It would have been easy to have pieces this size either cooked to very dry or slightly under done. Not the case. Was as good as any anywhere and much better than most. It gets a 5-star in my book! The three-piece meal filled me to the very comfortable level and I can put a way some catfish! One more piece and Bulli would have gotten to share some with me!

The sides were pleasant compliments to the fish. The tartar sauce just HAD to be homemade! Far better than some of the school-paste with lumps served at lot of places. It had good body, great flavor and was suitable for a quick dip of the fried okra, as well! The okra was prepared and cooked just right. I can't get enough fried okra and this surely did not disappoint! The coleslaw, while good with a great flavor, was a little "dry" to my taste. Not bad slaw, just not as outstanding as the rest of the meal. Coleslaw is the one item on anyone's menu that is alway different. No one makes it like anyone else! (chain-restaurants aside, and for this comparison, they don't count!) That fact alway leads to a little adventure when tripping to different locations and ordering slaw!

Overall impression - great meal, well prepared and presented! A lot of food for the price! One of the repeaters! There are other things on the menu, including BBQ. Would like to try the Q, because it is likely as good as the fish, but probably won't! Why, because I've had some fabulous catfish here! Good Q can be had in many places, but great catfish is a lot harder to come by!

Real Thing Catfish Café
600 E. Main Street
Allen, TX 75002
972-396-5000