If you like to travel and love good food you should consider a dining weekend trip to New Orleans. My wife Jan and I took off on an expedition there recently and we enjoyed everything about our visit to Louisiana's most famous city.
Food is king in New Orleans and gumbo is on the top of most diners menu selections when in the Big Easy. Since my web site is dedicated to gumbo recipes and all things associated with this dish, it is only fitting that I tell my visitors where they can get the best example when visiting Louisiana. While there, Jan and I planned on eating the famous Cajun dish from as many different restaurants that our time allowed. We had only the weekend and that limited the number of meals we could enjoy. But I have to admit we were successful in sampling quite a few bowls during our visit and I devoured them all with much enthusiasm.
The real reason for taking this trip was to attend the annual Gumbo Festival held in Bridge City, Louisiana. This small town is located just across the mighty Mississippi river from New Orleans. The festival is held each year at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church. During this event a cooking contest is held and daring cooks enter in hopes that their gumbo is judged a winner. The big attraction though is the different varieties of this Cajun soup that can be bought at the festival. Large pots are cooked outdoors and festival goers can sample as much or as little as they like.
Due to heavy rains on Friday night, festival events for Saturday were canceled because the festival grounds were wet and muddy. It was disappointing to hear this unfortunate news but we were not deterred from our mission, and the main reason for making the trip. We reasoned since this event was canceled we would have more time to walk the French Quarter and Central Business District in a quest for our number one objective. Finding hot steaming bowls of dark, rich and delicious gumbo was our quest so we left Bridge City to seek our treasure.
Earlier in the week Jan made dinner reservations at La Petite Grocery, a restaurant in the Garden District. When making the reservation she asked about their gumbo and was told that it is not always on the menu but since she asked for it the chef would have a pot made and ready for us. By the way, don't let the name of the restaurant cause you to hesitate. It was formerly a grocery store but has been converted into a very nice restaurant.
The selection that night was seafood, and of course I had a bowl. It was beautifully done and so delicious. Being a gumbo fanatic with decades of experience sampling my most favorite dish, I am a chef's worse critic. Before my first taste I evaluated the color and texture and examined closely the ingredients used in this most famous Louisiana soup. I knew before I spooned the first bite that this would be a great dish. The color was perfect. The thickness level was just right and clearly demonstrated that this chef knows his bayou brew. The proportion of liquid to seafood ingredients was just exactly to the level one expects from a traditional south Louisiana gumbo. It had shrimp, oysters and crab along with some andouille and the amount of okra was absolutely perfect.
The spice level was true and authentic. And to set the record straight now, traditional Cajun cooking is not hot and spicy. I grew up on the bayous of Louisiana and we never had hot except for a couple of drops of Tabasco. Hot and spicy is a recent trend made popular by celebrity chefs. But I digress. My sample was not oily and the proportion of rice to liquid was precisely as I had hoped for. This demonstrates the chef takes the extra step of siphoning off the oil that floats to the top, and takes care to serve it the correct way which means more gumbo and less rice.
This example of New Orleans most popular food was delicious and I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone wanting to try a real Cajun dish at it's best. It really sets a benchmark for seafood gumbo and I am sure only a scant few can make a better example of what devotees like myself judge as nearly perfect. I would rate this serving of bayou soup at 4.5 stars out of 5.
There are other fantastic selections on the menu and you will love them all. Jan had grilled fish that was wonderful and I had a pork entree that was delicious. I can wholeheartedly recommend this quaint restaurant to anyone dining in New Orleans. The wait staff did an excellent job and the wine selection is very good. But most of all the gumbo was perfect and was my most favorite dish of the evening. Call for reservations in advance and ask if gumbo is on the menu for the evening. You can get directions or make reservations by going to their web site.
Day two found us walking the streets early. It's fun to watch people, see the sights and get some exercise too. A favorite restaurant to have really traditional Cajun food is Mulates. It is located near the convention center and is a popular restaurant for tourists. Here you can have fried seafood that is well prepared and shrimp or crawfish eetoufee. A Louisiana style sub known as a PO BOY would be a good choice and of course you must get the gumbo.
Our excursion found us in proximity to Mulates around noon so naturally we had to try a sample of my obsession. Jan and I saddled up to the bar and took a seat that gave me a clear view of a TV. Had to keep in touch with the football scores you know. I ordered a cup of their Zydeco gumbo and an Abita beer to wash it down. When the waiter delivered my order I knew this would be good. The Creole soup served in my cup had the correct dark color, was rich and had the right amount of seafood. I detected a slight amount of file' and my taste buds told me the effect was just right. File' is a Cajun spice made from ground sassafras leaves and is commonly used to thicken gumbo when served.
The rice was cooked just right and the proportion of rice to liquid was correct. Many cooks and some restaurants make the mistake of putting too much rice in the bowl. Gumbo is a soup and the right proportion is about one third rice to two thirds liquid. I like it without rice sometimes and serve it in a natural state with nothing added. Mulates gumbo is very good and I would recommend it to anyone. I would give it 4 stars out of 5. If you dine there in the evening you can enjoy some live Cajun music and dancing. For more information or to view their menu check out their web site.
That evening we had reservations at Cochon which is one of my favorite places to dine in New Orleans. The food here can be considered upscale authentic Cajun. I could write an entire E-zine on the food here but this is about gumbo. And gumbo we did have. We ordered wine and of course inquired into the object of my desire. The selection that evening was chicken and andouille which is my favorite. I was anxious to sample what I thought would be best of the trip so I ordered a bowl during our waiter's first visit to the table.
We were not disappointed. The gumbo was excellent and everything about it was perfect. It reminded me of the great examples my grandmother would make in south Louisiana. It was dark, and deep and rich. It was not too heavy. It contained the right amount of chicken and andouille, with just the correct amount of rice. No file'. While enjoying my bowl of Louisiana delight I was reminded how incredibly delicious a simple and rustic dish like gumbo can be. And believe me I know what it takes to make it so delicious. It was obvious the chef starts with a flavorful broth and not just plain water. The rich color demonstrates his patience and skill at making the perfect roux. A roux takes time to make and cannot be rushed. And it requires a great deal of experience to get the color perfect night after night. The chicken was lean and tender and the andouille was obviously made on premises to a precise and traditional recipe.
You may have heard the old proverb that it is the small things that matter the most. It may be a worn out phrase but it definitely applies here because a lagniappe (a little bit extra) to my dining experience was the home made yeast rolls served with my gumbo. They tasted exactly like the ones my grandmother would make down on the bayous of south Louisiana and is the ultimate addition to an authentic Cajun meal. As I dug into the gumbo and devoured the bread, memories of my childhood came flooding back. I felt as though I was sitting at Maw Maw Elma's table with my family enjoying a big pot of gumbo and her yummy yeast bread. Everything tasted exactly the same as Grandma's food and that is the real thing.
The gumbo at Cochon was the best of the trip and I will recommend you have a bowl every chance you get. Don't pass on the bread either. I award Cochon's example of my favorite food 5 stars. The best hands down! Reservations are recommended.
We had other gumbo while there and enjoyed them all but the 3 notables are mentioned here. You will not be disappointed in any of them. In fact I suggest you try all of them while there since they are each different in their own way and that is in keeping with the very nature of the cuisine. Variety is the spice of life and GUMBO. It's the variety of ingredients, cooking styles and interesting spices that keep gumbo the most popular food in Louisiana.
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