Spice Up Your Summer with Cajun Crawfish at Perky’s Restaurant
By RACHEL DALTON
Together with his mother, Gay Perkins, Greg Toren owns Perky’s Restaurant on Route 29 in Altavista. Greg tells me people come from all over to enjoy Perky’s family atmosphere and tasty food but quite often for one dish specifically—the crawfish! Crawfish or crayfish (or mudbug if you prefer) are freshwater crustaceans that taste like a combination of lobster and shrimp.
Listed as an appetizer or an entrée that comes with a salad and two sides (I’m partial to the twice baked potato when available), the Cajun Crawfish is served in a Cajun sauce alongside a spicy cocktail sauce. When all the crawfish tails are gone, Greg says his customers love to
soak up the leftover juices with their French bread.
His mother and her husband “Perky,” who passed away in 2011, decided to add crawfish to the menu when they transitioned the restaurant from a hotdog and hamburger joint to the cozy steak and seafood establishment it is today.
“One reason I think people love Perky’s so much is for the consistency! 90 percent of the time the same server waits on you, the same people prepare their meal, and they see the same friendly faces throughout the restaurant,” said Greg.
The Cajun Crawfish alone are worth the short drive from Lynchburg. And no matter if you’re a first timer or a regular, everyone is treated like part of the Perky’s family at this truly special restaurant.
Perky’s Restaurant
802 Wards Rd, Altavista, VA 24517
(434) 369-9908
www.perkys-restaurant.net
