Tag: rice

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Crawfish Étouffée

Before heading over to Gumbo I had been looking forward to their crawfish étouffée. “Looking forward to” is an understatement. My crawfish craving was so intense the boyfriend was starting to worry that it was a symptom of something else. It’s not.

Gumbo‘s a good place. A menu focused on New Orleans cooking is always welcome. The mood is set with stained glass windows, a fireplace, exposed brick and stone. Upon walking in, you’re ready for a good night.  This is a solid place for a date, going out with friends or family.

The etouffee came with plenty of crawfish. Whoo hoo! Those sweet fresh water pygmy lobsters were making my dreams come true. Gumbo cheerfully served their just-right New Orleans style rice on the side. That first fork-full should have been a dream sequence of anticipation being met. Harps playing, clouds parting, a bite of bliss. Well, it should have been bliss, but there was no spice, no bite, no New Orleans fire to warm my mouth. It was such a mild dish that I added salt, hoping it would bring out a subtlety that I’d missed.

Even though the dish lacked the usual heat, there were plenty of crawfish and the consistency of the dish was just right. I’ll try something else the next time I’m at Gumbo. There were so many other delicious sounding dishes, and it was so comfortable at Gumbo, that I’ll be back. -MF

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Blackened Pork Delmonico

Gumbo sits down stairs in what looks like a refurbished basement in the building at 65 Water St. The main room of the restaurant is a lovely room, with stone and brick walls, a fireplace (gas), and a stained glass window. The lighting is nicely done, providing ample light to read the menu and converse, while keeping the atmosphere cozy.

The food here has a Cajun slant and there is a nice mix of meat and seafood to choose from.

As an appetizer, I started with the Chicken, Okra, and Andouille Gumbo. This is a very thick gumbo, served on the side of a bowl with rice. The gumbo was very flavorful with a hint of heat and very tasty. It went very well with the rice, and it was nice without the rice as well. The only negative I could say is that it is a little large for an appetizer. Overall, a very good 1st course.

For dinner, I had the Blackened Pork Delmonico over Red Beans and Rice. I was asked if I wanted mild, spicy or extra spicy so I asked for the extra spicy. Again, the presentation was very nice with two very large/thick loin chops over a large portion of rice with red beans, sausage and vegetables and a small side of garlic butter. The read beans and rice was delicious. Everything was cooked perfectly, had a great flavor and all the parts married together very nicely. The pork was thick, but was still cooked perfectly. The blackening was nicely coated and they were still very moist. The chops were fantastic without the garlic butter, and even better with just a hint of the garlic butter coating them. They were not extra spicy though. What they called extra spicy, I’d call mild for blackened. Again, a very large portion, there is no reason to leave there hungry. Overall, an excellent main course. –DL