At Pappas Seafood, the emphasis is more on the seafood—not so much the Cajun—and the vibe aims for something more upmarket than Pappadeaux’s raging bar scene. You won’t find people sucking the heads of crawfish here; but you will, happily, find that same awesome tableside Greek salad.

The décor’s remarkably genuine for a chain; it’s not over-the-top nautical, nor does it go out of its way to feign a downmarket feel. Rather, with its high-backed booths and bow-tied servers, you might say it’s trying to be the seafood equivalent of a steakhouse. As at Pappadeaux, the treatment is more hands-on than hands-off, but that’s not always a bad thing: the balance of its lemon-garlic-butter sauce is admirable. Jambalaya, though, is boring; even the sauce can’t revive it. Fish is cooked expertly, and the daily specials are generally a good bet; still, think cream sauce and zucchini ribbons. Not exactly highbrow stuff.

Margaritas avoid being sickly sweet or too tart, and their strength will creep up on you. We can’t give the wine program a rating—only the Little Pappas on Shepherd has a shockingly astute list of well-made wines that pair beautifully with seafood; oddly, the other branches don’t seem to have a clue. Even an average number wouldn’t make sense. Suffice it to say: oenophiles, head to the Little Pap.