When I heard Worcester Foodies was heading to Gumbo, I was excited to head there again. Even though it has only been open a short time, I had previously been here 2 times each with a different set of friends but the food kept drawing me back. Knowing that the menu was extensive and covered a variety of Cajun favorites I was looking forward to trying something new once again. Previously I had tried the Gumbo, Jambalaya, Grits, and fried green tomatoes which I thoroughly enjoyed so I knew this time I had to try something a little different. Peaking my interest this time was the Blackened shrimp dinner with a choice of a side and your choice of a sauce. Picking what to blacken was no easy task as they had about 10 different proteins that you could get blackened but shrimp had my calling that night. I was pleasantly surprised when they asked if I wanted mild, spicy or extra spicy for my blacken seasoning. Of course I had to go with extra spicy.To try and match the spiciness of the blackened shrimp I went the Remoulade Sauce. Normally remoulade is served with shrimp. For my side, this time around I was thinking I need some vegetables, so Creole Green Beans were ordered up.
After enjoying a small appetizer of French Quarter Tart (a tasty combination of ale caramelized onions, herbs de provence and Gruyere cheese baked in a savory pastry crust) I was anxiously waiting for the main meal. What caught my eye was the plate coming toward me with a heaping pile of blackened shrimp that looked like they had a fair amount of the seasoning coating the shrimp. With blackened foods, the flavor comes from the seasoning so the protein needs to be coated entirely. While I enjoyed the shrimp I was hoping it might have been a little spicier – I noticed some shrimp just had a light coating. Loved the Remoulade sauce – I could have eaten it on its own but dunking the shrimp into the sauce is a must. The sauce was a very traditionalcajun sauce with the flavors of mustard, garlic, a little mayo, some paprika and pulling it all together some cajun seasonings. The green beans were mixed with some cooked tomatoes, pieces of bacon and some green pepper. Normally I don’t really enjoy cooked tomatoes but these small pieces seem to complement the green beans and who doesn’t love bacon.
This dish was the right portion size for me though some with a really ravenous appetite might have been wanting more. Might be a good time to try another side dish, maybe the Jalapeno Grits. Yum, after eating these I know you will be wanting more grits. I know I will be heading back to Gumbo to try yet another dish… hope I see you there! -MM
At 86 Winter the Chicken Cordon Bleu is hand tenderized free-range chicken held together with the perfect blend of black forest ham and Swiss cheese.