Crawdaddy's has played host to celebrities, politicians and musicians, both local and nationally known. Photo by Ben Hensley

Hollywood has long been known as the home of celebrity watching. Anxious fans gather outside of restaurants for a chance to see their favorite movie star, musician and even politician grabbing a bite to eat.

The owner of Crawdaddy’s strives for a similar atmosphere, drawing well-known musicians, professional athletes and politicians to the corners of Main and Bridge streets in Visalia for nearly 20 years.

In the early 2000s, Crawdaddy’s Owner Keith Korsgaden and his brother Troy, who owns the building, decided over drinks to build a restaurant.

“The more we drank the bigger and grander this idea got,” Korsgaden said.

 

Provided with very little space on the corners of Main and Bridge streets, rather than “building out,” the duo opted to “build up,” creating a three-story restaurant reminiscent of the restaurant’s featured menu — a New Orleans-style restaurant specializing in Cajun cuisine.

The Cajun food, however, is not the only appeal to the restaurant. The restaurant also serves a variety of fresh seafood, as well as pastas and premium steaks from Harris Ranch, and also features a full-service bar at the front door.

“In the Central Valley you have a hard time if all you did was try to cater to the Cajun [menu],” he said. “In the Valley you’ve got to have steak and potatoes.”

Korsgaden, who also owns nearby Visalia Radiator, was given a special opportunity with the restaurant; prior to opening Crawdaddy’s, Korsgaden also performed as a local musician, frequenting clubs and bars around the Valley playing smooth jazz hits from Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.

With his own place, Korsgaden also provided local musicians – including himself – with an outlet for their talents, drawing musicians and groups from all over the Valley to draw a variety of crowds.

“I’ve gotta sell tequila, so I’m going to be playing anything from Rick James to The Rolling Stones to Bruno Mars,” Korsgaden said. “We’ve gotta please an audience.”

His work at Crawdaddy’s has drawn in celebrity musicians, both local and national, attracting the likes of Damon Johnson — the lead guitarist for Lynyrd Skynyrd — and the late Leon Russell, who performed with Joe Cocker and recorded tracks for Sinatra.

Last Tuesday, the restaurant featured a live orchestral tribute to Sinatra hosted by comedian Bob Zany.

Korsgaden also sees former athletes frequently stop by the restaurant, recently hosting former San Francisco Giants and Crawdaddy’s regulars Mike LaCoss and Jim Wohlford.

 

In addition to musicians and athletes, the restaurant has also drawn local politicians and media personalities, with KMJ radio personality Ray Appleton, former Rep. Devin Nunes and retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. and former adviser to Donald Trump, Mike Flynn.

The relationships have helped strengthen the restaurant financially.

In 2020, Nunes acquired vineyards in San Luis Obispo County and began producing. When his Patriot Cabernet dropped, Crawdaddy’s was one of the only spots in the Central Valley to get the wine.

Since then, Nunes’ wine is still hard to come by, with Crawdaddys’ in Visalia being one of the few places to get a glass, not to mention a bottle. Nunes’ vintages are typically only available through his wine club.

“We’re just selling the hell out of it,” he said. “This is an absolutely fabulous blend. It’s been received really good here.”

Korsgaden said that the only place he knows of that sells the wine in Fresno is Vintage Reserve Wine.

The wine — Patriot Cabernet — is sold for $65 per bottle at the bar. Korsgaden also sells it by the case at a discount of $45 per bottle.

“It’s a high-end wine,” he said. “It’s not Carlo Rossi in a box.”

Korsgaden, who is active on social media, also features interviews with many of his guests, including Flynn, who stopped by in December.

“We’ve had some fantastic musicians come through this door,” he said. “Politically, we had General Flynn, who’s Donald Trump’s right hand man, come in…Over the years it’s sure been a lot of fun meeting all of these pretty neat people.”