100 Favorite Dishes, No. 57: Campisi's Crab Claws

Leading up to September's Best of Dallas® 2017 issue, we're sharing (in no particular order) our 100 Favorite Dishes, the Dallas entrées, appetizers and desserts that really stuck with us this year. We knew it was a solid order when our server, who looked as if he's worked the floor...

By Beth Rankin

July 12, 2017

Yes, there is an occasion wherein eating a bowl of butter is warranted, and that occasion is Campisi's crab claws. Beth Rankin

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Leading up to September's Best of Dallas® 2017 issue, we're sharing (in no particular order) our 100 Favorite Dishes, the Dallas entrées, appetizers and desserts that really stuck with us this year.

We knew it was a solid order when our server, who looked as if he's worked the floor at Campisi's since before we were born, quietly suggested that it was the best dish on the menu: a market-price appetizer of crab claws swimming in butter.

But when the bowl hit the table, that's when we really knew we'd done right. The massive white bowl was filled nearly to the brim with garlicky butter and a tiny mountain of succulent crab claws. There were so many crab claws in that bowl, in fact, that we felt compelled to count, and count we did. By the time we finished, we had devoured 71 crab claws.

Dig through the online reviews for this Dallas Italian mainstay, and you'll see the same phrase repeated over and over: "Crab claws are a must!!!" For once, the internet isn't wrong. Fresh and vibrant while endlessly indulgent, thanks to the herbaceous, buttery bath, this appetizer ($25 on our visit) was far more than two mere mortals could tackle. Ordering this app made us feel like Campisi's pros — even more so when we took the server's suggestion and ordered Joe's garlic bread ($4.50) to dip into the succulent, garlicky butter left behind.

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Beth Rankin is an Ohio native and Cicerone-certified beer server who specializes in social media, food and drink, travel and news reporting. Her belief system revolves around the significance of Topo Chico, the refusal to eat crawfish out of season and the importance of local and regional foodways.

Contact: Beth Rankin

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