The Krewe du Review Rating Scale

A Introduction from Reviewers Steve Montooth and Christy Williams:

Disclaimer: We are not trained chefs or Zagat's surveyors, but we do enjoy good food and the company of our friends. We have fun sampling the food and talking about it and hope you enjoy reading about it. We welcome your thoughts and comments and hope that you get out and explore the Cajun food in your community too! Bon Appetit!

January 9, 2006.

9th and F Street Gumbo House

OVERALL RATING:

The Krewe du Review's first outing was an ambitious one-we chose to visit two restaurants, the tiny "Gumbo House" and "Gelano's Cajun Fried Chicken". Several of us (the group included Steve, our editor Aileen, her distinguished dining companion, Joe Page, and I) had been to the Gumbo House before, but none of us had heard of Gelano's until seeing an ad in the paper this week, with a picture of two smiling guys with chef's hats. We had to try it!

It was a gorgeous late Fall evening. We set out under a bright pink sky, the last rays of the sun setting. En route we needed to make a quick stop as a young moose sauntered across the road. An auspicious beginning to our quest!

The Gumbo House is set in a cozy little house off of Anchorage's park strip. It is a tiny establishment-two rooms with a small, jam-packed counter where food and beverages are ordered. Behind the counter is a window opening up into the kitchen. The house is decorated simply and the walls are painted a deep orange. There are about one dozen small wooden tables and as we enter it is quiet-only two diners are in the restaurant. It is "J.R." and his dining partner-J.R. is a Hawaiian dance instructor and an active member in the local Polynesian Cultural Society. He spots us, smiles and gestures a big "thumbs up", recommending the "kitchen sink" gumbo.

We are quickly greeted by Roberto, the restaurant's owner and chef. He said that it looked like a quiet night (it was quite chilly out tonight), so he had sent his "help" (his son) home early. Roberto was a one- man operation. He took our food and drink order, put the ticket up on a spinner at the kitchen window, then assembled our beverages. He then went around the hall into the kitchen, took the order off of the spinner and began preparing our meal. Steve noted that he felt he was watching a Saturday Night Live skit.

We sat ourselves down at a little table-nice and neat plus several choices of Louisiana hot sauces. We perused the place for our "Mardi Gras spirit" rating. There were several strands of beads here and there, pictures of Mardi Gras masks and such. No music was playing, but a baseball game was on over a television in the adjoining room. Between the rooms was a giant Altoid dispenser. Is the food going to be so hot that we need them?

Our appetizers came quickly-an order of fried oysters to share. They were piping hot, tender, juicy and spicy. We were all hungry and we savored every bite. The plump oysters were served with a remoulade sauce. At first we all thought the sauce was too "ketchupy/mayonaissey", but the spicing was just right and we dipped up every bit of it as we relished our oysters.

Steve bought a corn muffin. These were served cold, each wrapped in plastic and set out in a basket on the counter. They seemed a bit sterile for my taste, but Steve gave it high marks. Though served cold the jalapeno chilies in the muffin provided plenty of zip.

Our gumbo was delivered by Roberto, served up in colorful square bowls. Aileen and Joe shared a bowl of shrimp gumbo. Steve and I refused to share, each of us ordering a bowl of the kitchen sink. The gumbo was served over rice and was loaded with plenty of okra and peppers with a thick, creamy, chocolate brown broth. Aileen and Joe raved about the shrimp and our gumbo indeed contained everything but the kitchen sink-chicken, andouille sausage, oysters and shrimp. A hush fell over the table as we ate (we were tape recording this first outing and at this point all that I could hear was soup spoons hitting the bowls and contented murmurings).

The side order of jambalaya was less inspiring. Aileen and Joe liked it, but Steve and I found it to be missing something. Too bland? Not enough vegetables and shrimp? Perhaps we have been spoiled by another restaurant in town that shines in the jambalaya department. This dish just didn't pack much of a punch spice or taste-wise.

The dinner conversation drifted to an interesting topic. Our distinguished dining companion, Joe, a professional in beverage distribution, pondered what "pairs" best with Cajun food. It seems that beer is the standard accompaniment for most Cajun dishes (I happen to like iced tea with it). Joe wondered if any particular wines would go well with Cajun cuisine-possibly a very dry white wine such as a chardonnay or fume blanc. Aileen wondered if a pinot grigio would fit the bill.

Before the conversation got too deep into wine trivia, we were visited by our server, chef (and cashier) Roberto. Did we like the food? He received a resounding "YES!" He visited a bit, sharing, at our request, how he had begun to cook Cajun food (Roberto is Hispanic and the restaurant had originally featured Mexican fare). He spoke about his experience cooking at a high-end restaurant in town, where he learned to prepare the roux to make their gumbo. Roberto graciously shared some of his roux "secrets". We won't reveal these here, but hope to discuss roux preparation and gumbo styles in future columns. The controversies abound-should butter be used, or oil? Do you prepare roux the old-fashioned way, stirring it on the stove -top, or try the "new" method of cooking it in the oven at super-high temperatures? How thick should the broth be? Do I really like the creamy rich gumbo because I secretly like gravy? Oops…..back to the review.

Roberto asked if we saved room for bread pudding. We were all too full and had another restaurant to visit this evening. We left wishing that we could have tried other items on the Gumbo House menu. They serve six varieties of po'boys. We will certainly have to return.

Just before leaving we spotted a string of beads over the cash register-Mardi Gras beads with a chicken. Great! On our first night out, we were visited by the spirit of "Mambozo"! If you don't understand the reference, you're encouraged to go to the Killer Rubboard website to read the on-line murder mystery. Mambozo lives on!

Off we went-full, happy and eager to pursue our next culinary destination!

Food:

Atmosphere:

Mardi Gras Spirit:

Lagniappe:

January 9, 2006.

Gelano's Cajun Fried Chicken

3636 Mountain View Drive, Anchorage 277-3555

OVERALL RATING:

This is a restaurant worth the visit. Served with our order was Cajun fried chicken, jambalaya, dirty rice and Cajun fries. Well worth the visit. Upon initial contact there were two very eager employees ready to take our order. They were cheerful in the florescent- lit quick mart and gas station across from the Alaska Super Pawn Shop on Mountain View Drive. There were a few tables set up next to the display of cold medications and jerky. Upon walking into the restaurant I was distracted by an Anchorage Police Department officer detaining a psychotic man hearing voices. The middle aged man taking our order was not distracted and engaged our foursome with an eager smile and delightful response to our food questions. Slightly distracted from screaming outside and flashing lights, our food was served at the table in short order.

I thought that this kind of service would be worth a return no matter what happens outside. The Cajun Fries were hot and spicy without the typical heavy oil taste. The Cajun fried chicken was cooked right with a thick crunchy batter coating. The Jambalaya was spicy and cooked with care, much more "inspired" than the dish earlier this evening. The Dirty Rice was tasty, chock full of both meat and vegetables, a great side order. Dinner is served with coffee, tea and what ever is stored in the Quik Mart coolers. This is a great take out place and the cook and server's attitude was a plus.

Cajun Fries were a special hit and worth the visit alone. The atmosphere was questionable considering the action outside and florescent institutional lighting.

The Krewe du Review ended the evening stuffed, but happy. As the food at Gelano's was served in take-out Styrofoam and paper plates, it was easy to pack up to take home the leftovers. Our distinguished dining companion, Joe, admitted that he had begun the evening a bit skeptical about being able to find good Cajun fare in Anchorage. He stated that the food had been great and noted that he'd learned that we have to open our minds a bit and do some real looking around, for good things can be found even if they are across from the Alaska Super Pawn shop.

Food:

Atmosphere:

Mardi Gras Spirit:
They did have a nice big sign in Mardi Gras colors AND I would like to have the two proprietors of the restaurant on any Mardi Gras float!

Lagniappe:
Where else could you grab a Cajun dinner, fill up your tank with gas, pick up a bottle of Motrin AND watch a commitment process all at the same time!

January 16, 2006.

Mumbo Gumbo Cafe

OVERALL RATING:

It was another cold, clear Anchorage day and two of the Krewe du Roux (Aileen and I) were on a quest for the perfect bowl of gumbo. First we stopped into a tiny café we had heard about, "Fire and Ice". It is a festive little place, with artistic renditions of alligators and other Louisiana-themed things. What a disappointment when they told us that they only make gumbo on weekdays. They had po' boys on their menu but we were really in the mood for gumbo, so we traveled on.

Undaunted in our search for gumbo, we drove to Mumbo Gumbo. I'd ordered their gumbo to take out several times before, but today we were going to take in the full experience. The menu spells out their motto, "Feel the Mojo". We intended to check it out.

We zoomed into the place less than an hour before closing (2 o'clock on Saturdays), but we were greeted warmly. We were also greeted by a toddler, a little girl who waved and smiled at us. She was there with her mother, clearly a friend of the employees, and looked like she had been enjoying her lunch. A circle of crumbs ringed the floor around her high chair, and the waitress looked perfectly comfortable with this.

The restaurant was fairly quiet, but the one waitress was busy serving another couple and told us to pick whichever table we liked. The restaurant is pretty and cheerful-small, nice wooden tables (with table clothes), flowered wallpaper and décor reminiscent of a "country living" magazine. An unusual touch is the teddy bears tucked here and there through the restaurant. All of the staff wore kerchiefs on their heads, just as pictured on the menu. The restaurant's chef, Pamela Dakota Grant, describes their cooking style as "Gullah", a tradition from the lowcountry region along the Atlantic coast, which includes South Carolina and Georgia. The restaurant's atmosphere felt a bit like Porgy and Bess meets Martha Stewart: a great menu of Southern faire in a cheerful, pleasant setting.

When our waitress was free to serve us, she came to our table, pulled out a chair and sat down and visited with us a bit. She told us about the menu and chatted about the busy morning they had had. The restaurant serves a Southern breakfast on Saturdays-grits, bacon, sausage, eggs and buttermilk biscuits. It was a cold day and they had had lots of takers. She cheerfully wrote down our orders and took them to the cook. A window into the kitchen from the dining room allows diners to watch the action.

Aileen and I both chose to try the Gumbo Ya-Ya, gumbo with shrimp. Our orders came fairly quickly-a nice sized bowl of rich brown gumbo topped with white rice. It was served with a side of potato salad and a good- sized slice of corn bread. The broth was dark, rich, soup-like and spicy…no need for extra seasoning. It had a generous serving of perfectly cooked whole shrimp, chunks of chicken and andouille sausage and plenty of okra, peppers, tomatoes, and celery. The taste was different than most Louisiana gumbos as it was tomato-based, more in the Creole cooking tradition. It was tasty, satisfying and warmed us up.

The side of potato salad was a treat-another Southern comfort food. It tastes just like the salad my mother makes-potatoes, a little celery, mayonnaise, mustard, and a little sweet pickle relish. The corn bread was warm, crumbly and good. It was a perfect lunch---portion-wise and a good combination of flavors.

Our friendly waitress came by, took our plates and asked if we wanted coffee (café au lait). We did, and appreciated that even though the restaurant had closed its doors, they were not rushing us out. The coffee was really good, as she had promised. As we left the little girl in the high chair waved us goodbye. We left full, happy and relaxed. Good "mojo" in my book.

Food

Atmosphere

Lagniappe: This restaurant really does provide a little something "extra". Friendly service, the kerchiefs, a peaceful, pleasant atmosphere and the cutest ladies room we'd seen in any restaurant reviewed so far!

N/A. Mardi Gras Spirit: This is a gumbo restaurant, but it is not in the Louisiana tradition. They would get high marks for "Gullah" spirit.

January 23, 2006.

THIS WEEK FROM THE KREWE DU REVIEW: TAKE-OUT CAJUN

January 23, 2006.

Tommy's Burger Stop and Po-Boy Shop

OVERALL RATING:

Tommy's is best known for its burgers, but we had heard that they serve a few Cajun items also. Tommy, the owner and chef, is the son of the folks who run the Double Musky restaurant in Girdwood. The Double Musky is known for its great Cajun cooking and is one of our all-time favorites. We decided to see what Tommy's had to offer.

Once again, we set out on a freezing day (hot, spicy food does sound good in wintry weather). Tommy's was absolutely packed, although it doesn't take much, as the place is tiny-three four place picnic-type tables and a little counter squeezed into the front of their bustling kitchen. Every table was full, but several people offered to slide over and make room for us. Some people were eating and some were waiting for their take-out orders. The one lone counter person was working hard, taking orders and occasionally bringing food to a funky little window for drive up customers. It looked like an ordinary window in a home, because that's what it is. She would pry the window open and a blast of cold air would pour in. The place was plenty warm though, with a hint of chilies in the air. Salsa music played through a little sound system.

Steve and I looked at the menu and ordered three different po'boy sandwiches to go. The posted menu noted that they were all out of Double Musky pie -shoot! We'll have to make a return trip for that. While we waited, we looked around at the kitschy décor-like the Double Musky, the walls (and every spare space) are covered with odd-ball items. Tommy has his lunchbox collection displayed as well as unusual postcards, Elvis memorabilia and a few strands of Mardi Gras beads. We read reviews of the restaurant posted here and there. The restaurant has its logo in a large print on the wall-a large red heart criss-crossed with barbed wire with flames pouring out of it. Steve opined that it meant a prisoner of love. I thought it might be pointing out the fiery spiciness of their food AND the heart-clogging nature of their menu selections. We'll have to ask Tommy.

It was a bit of a wait until our food came. The cook came out to check us out like we might be trouble. By that time, we were really hungry and decided to sit down and try the sandwiches while they were nice and hot. We knew that we couldn't possibly eat all three sandwiches, but we wanted to try a sampling of their po'boy choices. I dug into the shrimp sandwich. The shrimp were lightly breaded, fried, and tucked into a warm, dry-toasted French roll that had spicy, homemade remoulade sauce, lettuce, pickle and tomato on it. Yumm!! Spicy, shrimp nice and tender, good bread-it was a great sandwich. I reluctantly shared some of the sandwich with Steve-he did need to review it, too. He concurred-a GREAT sandwich. We cut pieces of the two remaining po'boys to try-halibut, and a cheeseburger po'boy. Cheeseburger po'boy? Steve and I wondered what the "true" definition of po'boy really is-can anything be put onto a toasted French roll and be called a po'boy? We talked about going on a po'boy quest someday.

The halibut po'boy was good, but didn't match the shrimp. It was less spicy-we investigated and noticed that the breading on the fish (also fried) did not have the Cajun seasoning as the shrimp did. It was a good sandwich, but not a great one. The cheeseburger po'boy was basically a burger on a French roll. Again, no Cajun spices graced this sandwich. O.K. if you're in the mood for a hamburger. We had lots of leftovers and packed them back in their wrappers to take home.

"Authentic po'boys in the heart of Spenard" is what Tommy's claims. We'd certainly return. Maybe next visit we'll get there before the Double Musky Pie is gone!

Food: The shrimp po'boy rates a 4!

Atmosphere

Mardi Gras Spirit: We did see a few strands of Mardi Gras beads.

Lagniappe: We liked the kooky collection of stuff in this little place. Elvis items are always a plus in our book, and the drive-up window was unique. We still can't figure out how they placed their order or even got the attention of the folks inside!

January 23, 2006.

Popeyes Chicken and Biscuits

OVERALL RATING:

I'm not a fast food franchise fan, but Steve brought up the idea of trying Popeye's on a work night when we were both beat and too tired to cook. Once again it was bitterly cold -4 degrees and dropping. As we pulled into the parking lot a person from the restaurant came out and delivered bags of food to a waiting car-engine running to keep the heat going. They do have one of those drive-up gizmos that you talk into to place your order. Then it looked like the customers drove around to the side door of the restaurant where they would run it out to you. We went in to check things out.

The restaurant has the layout of a typical franchise-a long counter for customers to order and pick up food, large menu with pictures of the items served, large booths in rows through the building. It has bright wallpaper throughout, with New Orleans oriented themes….jazz musicians, a piano player, a red-haired fiddler (a young Dewey Balfa?), cartoon chickens pouring hot sauce with flames shooting out of their little beaks, crawfish playing harmonicas while being dipped out of a big gumbo pot. We liked it!

Steve also liked the menu items and decided to try one of everything that sounded vaguely Cajun. Here's what we ordered: catfish, red beans and rice, Cajun chicken wings, dirty rice, jambalaya, Cajun fries and fried okra. Biscuits came along with our order. The young man taking our order told us, apologetically, that the wings and fish would take eight minutes to cook. (Maybe the car outside had been waiting for their chicken wings). It was no problem to wait, giving us a moment to look around. The restaurant was clean and bright and the bench seats were comfortable in the wood-accented booths. We both liked the wallpaper-at least it didn't feel like your run-of-the-mill burger joint. Later I learned that Popeye's was started in the '70's in a suburb of New Orleans. On the food packaging they had a few fun phrases, one being, "we do good ba-you!"

Our food came (in eight minutes, Steve was counting), and we rushed home, hoping that it would keep hot. We had ordered a huge amount of food, and being up for the job, we tried it all with plenty left for the next few days. I couldn't resist sampling the fried okra first. What a find! I love the stuff (even though it's got to be terrible for you health-wise). It was battered and fried perfectly….I hate it when okra is covered in so much breading that it fries up into a little hard chunk of batter. This was delicious and the price couldn't be beat! I had also ordered the catfish. (Doesn't that sound healthy-vegetable and fish? Of course, both were battered and fried into nutritional deficit.) The portion of fish was generous, nicely spiced, crispy, but not dried out. Steve's favorite was the chicken wings. They clip off the tips of the wings, so they are more like little drumsticks. The meat was juicy and tender, encased in a not too thick Cajun spiced breading.

We could have stopped there, but we didn't. I love good red beans and rice and had to see what Popeye's could do with the dish. Terrific! Creamy, just salty enough red beans over rice-just like they should be done. Red beans and fried okra would be a perfect meal in my book. Add the wonderful, flaky, buttery biscuits and a person from the South would be in heaven.

Back to the Cajun dishes-the jambalaya was good enough but not great. Steve swore that he saw a shrimp and small piece of andouille sausage in it but I never could find any. There were plenty of vegetables (peppers, onion, celery and tomatoes) and a rich tangy sauce. The dirty rice was good, with bits of chicken in it and just the right amount of spice. Steve also tried "Cajun fries", but by the time we got them home they were a bit cold to give them a fair rating. I still think the idea of French fries being a "Cajun" food dish is a bit suspect-they just shake some Cajun spices on the fries rather than regular salt.

We were pleasantly surprised by the food at Popeye's….some great choices, fast-food place prices and a nice change of pace. Some great food to-geaux!

Food 3 ½ crawdads overall, yet some items rated a 4 ½

Atmosphere It still is clearly a fast-food franchise.

Mardi Gras Spirit: At least the wallpaper gives a nod to its New Orleans roots.

Lagniappe: The restaurant does deserve credit for bringing in something a little different to the fast-food scene.

January 23, 2006.

The Gumbo House (take-out menu)

OVERALL RATING:

Another night of working too late and Steve and I decided to pick up take-out. All in the service of writing our food reviews of course! We've already reviewed the Gumbo House and stick by our rating scale for it, but we wanted to try their take-out options. Steve ordered gumbo and po'boys and we zoomed down to pick them up. The sandwiches were ready and Roberto dipped out the gumbo when we arrived to make certain it would be hot.

The "bucket" of kitchen sink gumbo (it has a bit of everything in it, seafood, chicken and sausage) was enough for two large bowls or four "cup" servings. It was as good as our last visit…. rich, smoky, spicy broth and chock full of goodies. Everything we would want in a gumbo.

On to the po'boys…we ordered a shrimp po'boy and a barbequed beef one. They were huge, sliced in two pieces (thank goodness) and neatly wrapped. The shrimp sandwich was incredible…loaded with lightly battered, perfectly spiced, juicy shrimp. There were so many shrimp on the sandwich that they were falling out! The toasted French roll had their remoulade sauce, lettuce and pickle. Clearly, a five-crawdad rated sandwich!

The barbequed beef po'boy was equally as delicious, with a more than generous serving of tender, spicy, thinly sliced beef. Another five-crawdad sandwich..WOW!! The sandwiches were served with a side of crispy, sweet coleslaw made of red and green cabbage, grated carrots and topped with raisins. Anybody interested in joining us on a "po'boy tour"?

We've already rated this restaurant but give the city of Anchorage a "3-Crawdad" rating for take-out Cajun food. Who knew that we could get gumbo, okra, red beans or po'boys to go? I don't think however that our town is ready for drive through daiquiris.

January 30, 2006.

THIS WEEK FROM THE KREWE DU REVIEW: BREAD PUDDING

For this round of tastings, we picked up our orders of pudding from around town and gathered together to enjoy them. Before diving into the desserts, we agreed that the real fun of the past few weeks has been to have an excuse to get together more often, eat great food, and to talk to cooks (and wait staff) about their approaches to cooking and the dishes they serve.

-- Christy Williams and Steve Montooth

Gumbo House

9th and F Street, Downtown Anchorage

RATING:

Our first pudding was from the Gumbo House. The dessert was a generous, hefty rectangle of sliced or torn bread held together by the custard it was baked with. It was a light golden color, toasted brown on the top. Steve and I smiled to recognize the pattern on the top pieces of bread-it looked exactly like the rolls from the po' boys we had tried last week!

The "pudding" (not really pudding we're used to-you know, the soupy stuff made from those little boxes) was moist, sweet and just chewy enough. Plump raisins were mixed in with the bread and there was a hint, not overpowering, of cinnamon. The topping for the pudding (served separately to add it on yourself) was a Kahlua cream sauce. WOW!! We heated up both the bread and the sauce (it's usually served warm) and gobbled it up. I globbed on the sauce it was so good-sweet, warm and buttery with the little kick of Kahlua. We all (Steve, Aileen and I) loved it.

*********************************************

Snow Goose and Restaurant and Brewery

717 West 3rd Avenue, Anchorage

RATING:

While Aileen waited at the restaurant for the pudding to be packed up she copied this description from the menu: "Made from scratch using the full bodied John Henry Stout which boasts nice hints of roasted coffee, with chocolate notes and blended with a sweet apple ale sauce." Sounds like a wine review, doesn't it? The Snow Goose has its own brewery so it makes sense that they use their own specialties in making the dessert. A waitperson named Rena chatted with Aileen and told her that after long busy shifts at the restaurant the staff often sits down to share an order of the pudding at the end of the night. With the description and vote of approval from Rena we could hardly wait to dig in.

Plated beautifully in its Styrofoam container, the Snow Goose pudding looked very different from the Gumbo House dessert. The pudding was dark and dense. It looked like it had been baked in a loaf pan and was sliced into neat thick slices and topped with caramelized walnuts---quite elegant looking. The restaurant provided two sauces, a dark, thick, clear whiskey sauce and a light colored cinnamon cream sauce. Again, we warmed everything up before serving it. We sliced our pieces of pudding and sampled both sauces. The pudding itself was spongy and chewy-we weren't wild about the texture. The taste of the pudding however was wonderfully infused by their ales (I cheated and tried the leftovers the next day, and it seemed even tastier!). The "hard" whiskey sauce was a bit disappointing as you could still taste the granules of sugar. We wondered if the sauce hadn't been fully cooked, as we picked up the dessert early in the day. The cinnamon cream sauce was our favorite.

It looked like the Snow Goose staff really did make the pudding from "scratch", maybe making a sort of "quick bread" using their ales? It was indeed tasty but we preferred the texture of the first pudding.

*********************************************

Fire and Ice

Off of International Airport Road, between C and Arctic, Anchorage

The Krewe du Review has made several trips to this quirky little restaurant over the past few weeks. Sometimes they have menu items and sometimes they don't, depending upon how busy the family running it is that day. On our "bread pudding day," I went to pick up some from them but was told that they hadn't had time to make it that day. We did decide to print the description on their menu--so intriguing that I'm sure we'll keep trying to catch them when they have it.

"Sue's nearly famous bread pudding: French bread soaked with Sue's own mixture of milk, eggs, cinnamon, raisins, amaretto, brandy, butter, nutmeg and a bunch of secret stuff, smothered with our own whiskey sauce and whipped cream. I married her for her bread pudding, but you only gotta fork over a couple of bucks!"

*********************************************

Simon and Seafort's

420 L. Street, Downtown Anchorage

RATING:

We needed to wait until the evening to sample our third pudding as Simon's didn't open until then. We were all headed to a square dance with the music of T Improbabillies as part of the Anchorage Folk Festival so we picked up a few orders and brought it along. Friends and a few band members sampled along with us.

Once again, this dessert looked very different from the other two samples. We opened the container to see a large chunk of rustic looking torn bread pieces, cooked until brown and soaked in a sauce. This dessert was much saucier than the first two-we could tilt the box and watch the sauce running out of and around the bread. The pudding was also laced with sliced pears and raisins. Unlike the first two puddings, this one was served with ice cream rather than a sauce. It came with vanilla ice cream, generously sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg.

The pudding was tasty and moist and we all liked the sauce it was baked with. We were not as excited about the ice cream topping. We all agreed that we liked sauce with a little "punch', whether it be from whiskey, rum, brandy, etc. Aileen decided that she would have liked to combine the Simon's pudding with the Gumbo House Kahlua cream sauce.

One band member, Forrest Gibson (musician extraordinaire), gave us his thoughts on the pudding, "It beats the best bread pudding that you can find in Ketchikan. (He did let us know that you can find it there occasionally). Forrest added that the best bread pudding he had ever tasted was made by his friend and restaurant owner Brad in Seattle, who makes his dessert with leftover cinnamon rolls. The piece de resistance for Brad's pudding is "a killer rum sauce". We of the Krewe du Review are in Forrest's camp-the sauce really can make the pudding.

*************************************************

FINAL NOTE FROM CHRISTY: After our bread pudding quest I hopped onto the Epicurious website-my favorite place to find recipes. The variety in the list was unbelievable- some use french bread, others plain white sandwich bread, chocolate, pumpkin, whipped cream and some are more like soufflés. Like the old-time tunes we were listening to at the dance, the pudding started out with a simple, accessible framework---then was picked up, embellished, added onto, twisted, jazzed up and carried into endless wonderful directions. Special thanks goes out to the "Improbabillies" for providing us with great tunes over the past Folk Festival weekend-a perfect and inspiring "pairing" to our food review adventures.

For recipes and links related to bread pudding and cooking, check out our LINKS PAGE for January 30, 2007.

February 6, 2006.

Little New Orleans Restaurant

8201 Old Seward Highway, Anchorage (Off Dimond Boulevard)

RATING:

Of all the restaurants we've visited so far, Little New Orleans is the only one owned and operated by a bona fide Louisiana native. Not only does the Krewe du Review feel that the restaurant deserves "extra credit" for this, but also for the fact that for the past five years the owner and chef, Johnny Duplantis (great name, non?), has sought to bring real Louisiana food (and music) to the people of Anchorage.

Last month, we made the pilgrimage to Little New Orleans to have dinner and hear friends playing music to celebrate the anniversary of the restaurants opening. Two members of the Krewe du Roux were playing music with the Zydecohos, so they joined us, tables pushed together, to sample some of the restaurants offerings. Krewe member Jason's two young children, Jack and Lucca were along and chose to sit at the restaurants long counter. They were content to play with some toys they'd brought along and a special Mardi Gras chicken (Mambozo?) that Aileen had given them. The restaurant staff seemed comfortable with the kids playing and just hanging out as we adults visited, ate and danced. The restaurant was bustling, with a good number of people there, and the band was playing lively music, bringing unsuspecting diners up to join them to play rubboard.

The Krewe du Review set to work. We poured over the menu, clearly the most extensive offering of Louisiana fare anywhere in town. They offer etouffeés, Cajun pepper steak, seafood dishes, gumbos, nine varieties of po'boys, and lots of Southern "sides". We ordered a sampler seafood appetizer plate, three entrees and several side dishes to try out. The sampler tray arrived with a generous serving of battered and deep fried oysters, shrimp, crawfish and okra. It took a few minutes to chase down our waitress to get some silverware and napkins (not that we're above eating with our fingers!) Being an okra fan, I first snapped up a piece of the fried stuff. It was hot and the batter made it nice and crunchy. My second bite was a piece of battered crawfish. I love just about all types of seafood, but I knew that this was not good---it had a strong, "muddy" flavor. Maybe they'd received a bad batch of the little mud bugs, but I stayed away from the others on the platter. We pondered how the restaurant gets crawfish to Anchorage-it is a long way from the bayous of Louisiana. It was a bit difficult deciphering what was what on the platter, as all of the items were fried in the same batter and looked pretty similar. The oysters and shrimp were good, especially when dipped into the thick spicy remoulade sauce accompanying the dish.

Steve ordered the seafood platter. Basically, it was a larger serving of the items on our appetizer platter and several times I started to eat off of his plate, thinking that it was our appetizer-oops! We all shared the dirty rice and jambalaya he ordered and sent it around the table for all to sample. Both were tasty and had lots of goodies, bits of vegetable and meat.

Aileen ordered the crawfish etouffeés. She had had this dish in Louisiana, loved it, and hoped that it could be as memorable. It was spicy but not too hot and the etouffeés sauce was dark, thick and rich served on white rice. The crawfish in her dinner were good and fresh tasting-not "muddy" like the appetizers. Aileen's only critique- that there was not enough crawfish in the dish. It was more sauce that anything else. She did report later in the week that it tasted great heated up as leftovers the next day.

The seafood gumbo that I ordered was the prettiest dish of the bunch. Served in a large bowl it had a neat scoop of rice to the side and a piece of toasted French bread perched on the rim of the bowl. The broth was dark, smoky and spicy the way I like it. Unlike other gumbos we have sampled this had a much thinner broth, more soup-like. It was filled with plenty of shrimp, peppers and onions.

I also ordered a side of beans and rice. This is another dish that we could spend weeks trying, as every restaurant cooks it a bit differently. Little New Orleans uses kidney beans-they are sweet, firm and keep their shape. The beans looked like they are cooked with onions, peppers and sausage. They were nicely spiced, and had plenty of sausage too, but I learned that I'm a fan of the creamier red beans, that are cooked until they almost dissolve into the other ingredients.

Jason's two children entertained themselves all evening, but they were waiting patiently for the promised dessert-beignets, deep-fried puffy rectangles of dough served hot and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Jason's wife Erica brought platters of the beignets to the table-for the kids and the rest of the table. They were enjoyed by all.

We jotted down a few notes as we visited and listened to the music. All of the Krewe du Roux have enjoyed eating at the restaurant over the past few years and appreciate having a cheerful, bead-decorated venue to hear music. We noted that we appreciated the owner's dedication to keeping selections within the realm of Louisiana fare and for setting aside a spot in the restaurant for live music-an absolutely essential ingredient in the "gumbo" of Louisiana culture.

Food: The food is good but not "great" in our opinion. Of course there are many more items on the menu we need to "research"!

Atmosphere: The restaurant is nicely laid out and decorated. The kitchen is open so diners can watch food being prepared. Service can be a bit spotty-wait staff are friendly but sometimes nowhere to be found.

Mardi Gras Spirit: Beads, masks and other New Orleans themed items decorate the restaurant.

Lagniappe: The bandstand, dance floor and spice shop (they sell Cajun and Creole spices) are wonderful "extras". In past visits they have also sold fresh pralines to take home.

February 13, 2006.

Fire and Ice

401 W. International Airport Road in Anchorage

www.fireandicecafe.com

RATING:

Where else but Alaska can you find a combination Cajun/Creole café, hair salon, beauty school AND tanning salon? This place has it all and is hands down the most interesting establishment the Krewe du Review has visited to date. We had swung by the restaurant several times before, hoping to try their gumbo. Gumbo is only served on weekdays, so we picked some up as take out (smoked pork and alligator sausage) to share with the Krewe on a Saturday afternoon.

Alligator gumbo sounded a little scary, but our fears were allayed with our first bite. The broth was thick, dark and creamy with a great smoky flavor. We closely examined the alligator sausage---it tasted good but to be quite honest I wouldn't have guessed it contained reptile meat. Peppers, celery and onion were plentiful and the spicing was a little different but great. The menu notes that they like to be creative with their spices. I guess if they can be "creative" with hair-dos they can certainly take an artistic turn with their cooking, too! The meal came with a good little corn muffin and a side of red beans and rice. The red beans were kidney beans, not my favorite, and were spiced quite differently-lots of cumin and spices that I couldn't quite determine.

On the following weekend, we were able to visit the restaurant for a sit down meal. When we had popped in before (yes, the Krewe has done a lot of scouting out of restaurants around town), we had always seen a colorful fellow with curly gray hair and a groovy crocheted hat, involved in lively conversation in one of the booths. There he was again, and we learned that he was Sigel, the owner and cook (plus beautician and beauty school instructor). In this visit, he was helping his daughter Aly (the waitress) with her studies (yep, they home school right there in the restaurant), and assisted a few young women studying beauty school stuff. Aly took our orders and talked with us about learning to play the piano, viola, accordion and guitar-all of the instruments are sitting out, ready to play when the spirit moves. Steve and I ordered sandwiches, a Creole dip and a jambalaya sandwich.

While waiting we explored the restaurant-there's lots to look at. The walls are painted in bright, bold Mardi Gras colors, and there are five roomy booths. A long table runs the length of the room with colorful outdoor umbrellas perched above it. The table was jam packed with different beauty supplies that looked like someone was labeling or sorting. Each booth has a large, glass topped table, and underneath the glass are all sorts of Mardi Gras and New Orleans memorabilia-"throws" of all sorts, beads, coins, photos and prints of New Orleans scenes, travel brochures, restaurant menus and matchbooks from Louisiana, etc. Beads, masks, pictures and original art adorn the walls. A large wirework alligator hangs on the wall near the doorway, and we counted at least three REAL dried alligator heads here and there. One particularly festive one held their business cards and loads of Mardi Gras beads. A wire shelving unit holds large jars of pickled okra and Café du Monde coffee cups. Odd items are stacked or hung here and there.

When there was a break in the action, Sigel came over to chat with us. He talked about how he and his wife Sue had started the restaurant. They had moved to Anchorage from Seattle where they had both worked in the beauty industry and he had done professional cooking. Upon arriving here they began to miss one of their favorite restaurants, one that served Cajun and Creole food. When a space became available next to their salon they decided to start up a restaurant of their own and cook the food they love-Cajun ("Fire") and homemade ice cream ("Ice").

Sigel brought out a few delicious pieces of confection for us to try, "it's something we're playing with". The squares were made of fudge, malted milk, pecans and Grand Marnier-WOW! About then Aly brought out our sandwiches. Steve's Creole dip was a meaty roast beef sandwich with melted gouda cheese. Mine was jambalaya, topped with melted gouda cheese on a toasted hoagy roll-it was spicy and good, and Steve kept wanting more "tastes" of it. Get your own buddy!

We decided that we couldn't do a full restaurant review without sampling the ice cream too. Steve tried the coconut jam ice cream, loaded with tiny chocolate chips and coconut. I tried the "shipwreck" which was a combination of cocoanut, mango, guava and other tropical fruits. Both flavors of ice cream were out of this world good. All of the ice cream is made fresh at the restaurant, and Sigel showed us the machine he uses. He also talked to us about how he juggles starting up his roux in the mornings (he uses rice cookers!) and gets the salon up and running. About then a pleasant young woman came in to tell Sigel that his beauty shop customer was ready for her color. He laughed, bid us adieu and zoomed off to the salon. Sue, Sigel's wife, took us into the shop to show us around a bit and to take our payment at the cash register. One wall of chairs was filled with teen girls waiting to get their hair done for the prom that night. What an adventure! We plan to go back for the "surfin' gator-doggie", gator sausage with gouda, red beans and gumbo---now that's getting creative!

Food:

Atmosphere:

Mardi Gras Spirit: They have far more beads and Mardi Gras décor than any other place we've visited so far.

Lagniappe: This place is friendly, interesting and funky beyond belief!

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