“As spicy as you can get it,” said Daniel Karl with a grin as he sat in the quaint outdoor patio of K.G.’s restaurant on April 24.  It was his usual order of two heaping pounds of Cajun flavored crawfish - an uncommon delicacy in the usual Central Texas hubbub of Tex-Mex and Chinese buffets. Yet as uncommon as the signature dish, a step into the restaurant’s small dining area all but transports patrons to the thick Creole culture of Louisiana. 

Big colorful beads, washboards and alligator figurines are just a few of the decorations that cover the walls and then there are the more obvious characteristics, like the license plate cover that reads ‘This is Cajun Country.’

No room for confusion there even as the swift rhythms of zydeco music swing their beats softly through the restaurant. A cork board filled with photos of a recent employee recognition party captures smiling faces and the restaurant’s owner, Kathy Arnold.

The Louisiana native explained that crawfish may be Karl’s favorite dish, but it is also one of the reason’s she started the restaurant 13-years ago.

“Every weekend we would cook crawfish for friends so I figured after a while - I should make money off of this,” said Arnold, who explained that the 30 pounds she started off broiling for friends has evolved into the 250 her restaurant prepares every Friday (and most of that batch doesn’t survive to Saturday).

But it wasn’t only the crawfish that caught on. Shortly after opening her restaurant, with the help and support of her family, Arnold had to quit her second job in Austin to help cook up and dish out her Cajun cuisine.

“It was a little scary in the beginning because I didn’t have a clue about what I was doing,” Arnold said with a laugh.

“I kind of knew but not really. I had worked in several places back home but I had no idea what it was going to be like starting on my own.”

Even with her previous job experience, Arnold shared that her love of the rustic cuisine and hard work is tied to her roots.

“I’ve always had Cajun food ever since I was a child - not even realizing that there was a name to it. It was just what we had every night,” said Arnold, who added that she’s been cooking ever since she was tall enough to get to the stovetop.

“I always helped my Mom in the kitchen but my specialty on Sundays was fried chicken. My mom always said I made the best fried chicken. When my Dad past away, my Mom had six kids to raise so we all pretty much stayed home and did what we needed to do, when we needed to do it.”

K.G.’s Restaurant is a piece of home for Arnold. It’s a place where customers can get alligator bites without having to dial 911 and if live frogs don’t seem cute or cuddly - their legs are served fried and lightly breaded as a dinner option.

“I always dreamed of having my own business but I never thought that it would be a restaurant,” said Arnold.

“I really enjoy it and I would cook everyday in this kitchen if I didn’t have so many other things to do.”

K.G.’s Restaurant is located at 1612 E. FM 2410 in Harker Heights. For more information, call the restaurant at (254) 698-3456.