Restaurant review: New Orleans

View Larger Map

   I usually stay away from Cajun food. My gut gets sideswiped by the holy trinity - bell pepper, onion and celery, and I get heartburn but my second oldest daughter (by 11 minutes) wanted to have some real down south food for her birthday yesterday so I agreed to go to a Cajun restaurant.  The owner/operator is the real deal. He emigrated from New Orleans where he grew up by “Da Lake.” He makes all his seasoning from scratch. No Tony Chachere's. It’s a small family owned restaurant where the service is attentive and the food is authentically cooked.

   The interior is intimate but gives you the feel of being in New Orleans with the decor and the jazz music playing in the background.

Appetizers:

Monticello Salad

  The Monticello salad has mixed baby greens with a classic Monticello dressing made from Tobasco, mustard, lemon juice, ground pepper and red pepper.

New Orleans Gumbo Yaya

   This little gut wrenching gumbo is made from spicy dark roux soup with chicken, rice and the "trinity".

Crab Cakes

Main Courses:

Blackened Chicken breast

    Blackened Chicken breast (Cajun style) with rice and seasonal vegetables. 

Fisherman's Plate

  The New Orleans Fisherman's Plate consists of blackened fish (bass), Cajun calamari and coconut beer shrimp served with rice and seasonal vegetables.

Shrimps Creole

   Shrimps sauteed in white wine garlic and creole sauce. Served with rice and seasonal vegetables.

Deserts:

Ice Cream

Bananas Foster

 

  Bananas Foster is a dessert made from bananas and vanilla ice cream, with the sauce made from butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum, and banana liqueur. Often flambéed in front of the customer but not in this establishment.

  The total cost for four including a bottle of Argentean Shiraz was $170 plus tax and gratuities. A moderately priced and very authentic Cajun experience. Not a Uglesich's or a Tujague's but well worth a return visit.