JT's Fish House, Fort Payne, Alabama: A Review

If JT's Fish House wasn't in Fort Payne, Alabama, I'd picture it smack in the middle of Florida. Reminiscent of a typical Florida seafood shack, it is cheerful, casual, and comfortable--even for us strangers.

My husband and I drove to Fort Payne, from Mentone, Alabama, where we stayed at a bed and breakfast. Both communities are atop Lookout Mountain in Northeast Alabama and are only a few miles apart. Between them is DeSoto National Park. The beautiful drive to Fort Payne, through the park, delighted us. Before we knew it, we arrived at JT's Fish House.

The menu for JT's Fish house, painted on a bright green wall by the parking lot, cracked us up! Whimsical critters, including a cow and a pig running for their lives, a bewildered chicken, a cool shrimp in sunglasses, and a legless frog in a wheelchair, comically illustrate their all-you-can-eat specials:

Wednesday-- Chicken wings or boiled shrimp.
Thursday-Frogs' legs or boiled shrimp.
Friday--Pork chops
Saturday--Ribeye steaks

Boy was I glad it was Saturday! I didn't want to think about all-you-can-eat frogs' legs on Thursday! Rib eyes sounded much better.

A cheerful server, dressed in a t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops, greeted us at the door and escorted us to our red-and-white-checked- vinyl-covered table. She took our drink order, gave us menus, and set off for our our tea. We checked out the room's decor while she was gone.

Two of the dining room walls shimmer in silver wallpaper. Red and blue paint on the other two walls, and small American flag decals, bring a patriotic tone to the room.

Autographed dollar bills frame the entrance to the kitchen. A shark mounted on a wall serves as a hat rack. White rope lights twinkle along the ceiling and around a window. A fake palm tree, with white lights, sparkles in the corner. All kinds of nautical and lighthouse knick-knacks fill window ledges and decorate walls.

A long, red-trimmed window reveals a dining room behind ours. Dozens of posters cover its' walls. This dining room has more tables than ours and has a bandstand. That's because Friday and Saturday night, owners of JT's Fish House bring in live entertainment and stay open until midnight.

Alcoholic drinks can be ordered from a full bar set in a hall between the two dining rooms. Lots of people lingered at the bar. They ordered drinks and socialized, while waiting for the music to begin at 8:00.

Our server returned with our tea and asked for our order. My husband wanted to try frog legs. They weren't available. He ordered a rib eye, salad, and a baked potato instead.

I wanted the same thing. I couldn't have it because of my intolerance to wheat. The sauce they use on the ribeyes contains wheat. The owner said even a plain steak would pick up sauce left on the grill. After much consideration, he recommended boiled shrimp, a salad, and a baked potato.

Our salads consisted of lettuce and literally a couple of carrot shreds. Tomatoes were unavailable due to the salmonella scare. A basket of saltine crackers accompanied the salad. Our entrees followed soon after.

They served me a bowl of 12 cold boiled shrimp and a baked potato. No seasoning or sauce on the shrimp made them mighty bland! I can't blame the cooks at JT's Fish House for that. Just about everything served there is fried and contains wheat. Besides that, Saturday night rush hour is no time to ask for special accommodations.

My husband said he would give his steak 3.5 out of 5 stars. He thought it had good flavor. It didn't need added steak sauce. He thought it could have been more tender. He had a slice of key-lime pie for dessert. He gave the pie 3 stars--OK, but not great.

We stayed after our meal and waited for the music to start. I noticed an above average number of silver-headed people in the room. That seemed strange until I read the name of the band for the evening: "Still Kickin." We stayed awhile and enjoyed nostalgic tunes.

Dinner prices at JT's Fish House range from $6.99 to $17.99. Entrees come with a baked potato and a salad. Entrees include frog legs, chicken fingers, chicken livers, ribeyes, prime rib, pork chops, tuna steak, hamburger steak, a fried seafood platter, and snow crab legs. They also serve an entree called "surf-and-turf." Sandwiches, appetizers, salads, and a variety of desserts are also available.

Weekly specials come with three sides. The sides include white beans, boiled red potatoes, fried corn on the cob, baked beans, and cole slaw.

Everyone at JT's Fish House was friendly and helpful. My husband and I enjoyed our evening there. It is fun to try a local restaurant over a chain. Overall, I give JT's Fish House 4 out of 5 stars as a local, mom and pop establishment. The food wasn't that special, but the experience was.

(We will probably go back, but on a Thursday. My husband is still hankering for those frogs' legs!)

The lunch menu and additional information is found at their website: http://www.jtsfishhouse.com/menu.html

JT's Fish House
1907 Scenic Road
Fort Payne, Alabama
(256)997-0459