STREET LEVEL

By Cynthia Dea, Times Staff Writer

THE latest eating habit taking over Orange County's Little Saigon has been quietly creeping its way into L.A.'s own Asian enclaves: Call it the Cajun crab crawl.

When Crabulous opened in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley in late December, crowds soon flocked. The nautical-themed Rosemead crab shack gives its original Louisiana-style recipe a slight Vietnamese spin, serving the spicy mudbugs, cooked by the pound, in 3-gallon plastic bags. The tunes of Elliott Smith, Joy Division, Master Ace and Queen play in the background.

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The people scene is an only-in-L.A. mix as well. Assorted local foodies rub elbows with the Asian youths whose souped-up import cars fill the parking lot. Families with young children who are allowed and even encouraged to eat with their hands fill the tables alongside transplanted Deep South natives hankering for a taste of home.

No one's afraid to put their elbows on the tables, and wearing a giant white plastic bib around one's neck is considered OK even among the 16-to-35 demographic.

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— Cynthia Dea