The Cajun Foodie

Joe’s Dreyfus Store Restaurant, or Joe Dreyfus’ in local language, is just one of those places.  You know, THOSE places.  The places that you love to go through thick and thin, good dishes and bad, for better or for worse.  Set in Livonia, about a half-mile off of 190 between Opelousas and Baton Rouge, Joe’s has had some rough patches in the past. The restaurant has gone through changes of ownership, changing hours of operation, and tidal changes of food quality.  Joe’s is back though, and the little restaurant that could in the middle of nowhere is once again beckoning: Eat at Joe’s!

Roberto’s in Sunshine is another one of  THOSE places for me.  Indeed, Roberto’s is similar to Joe’s in that they are both converted stores and retain that old homey feel.  You walk in, the floor creaks a little bit, you smell the food wafting from the kitchen, and noise dampening is an unknown concept.  I can’t forget to mention the service either.  The wife had come from Baton Rouge, and had a bit of a wait as I drove  to meet her at Joe’s, and our server Marlys certainly took care of her while she waited.  On her second beer and chatting away with Marlys, I walked in as if I was a third wheel at this party.

Chef Martin bringing the heat!

On to the food.  Joe’s has always been famous for their seafood dishes, so it was only natural that a featured appetizer was a garlic flambeed shrimp dish.  However, for the first time that I can remember, they were cooking tableside.  Chef Jeff Martin was bringing the song and dance, complete with flaming brandy and 12-15 count butterflied shrimp.  He sauteed them in a mixture consisting of brandy, butter, garlic, and fresh herbs.  Simply served on a plate with some sliced french bread, they were fabulous.  Seriously, could have eaten the “my takeout box is busting out of the seams” version twice over of this stuff.

Their marinated crab claws have a reputation unto themselves.  Claws served over a bed of greens with what seems like house pickled red onion slivers with an Italian-like marinade/dressing over the top.  I have had this dish here many times and I have to say I do miss the previous version a bit.  The new version no longer includes the chunks of carrots in the mix and the dressing is more, well, like dressing than a marinade.  Nonetheless, they satisfied my, or more appropriately, the wife’s craving for them.

She also had a cup of their seafood gumbo which arrived with half a crab protruding from it, always a good sign.  The gumbo had a great flavor to it and the roux was nice and dark in true Cajun style.  However, it was almost as if Chef Martin decided to thicken the gumbo late in the game by adding more roux.  The gumbo had almost broken up as the flour separated from the liquid. Still, it was better than most you get from South Louisiana restaurant kitchens.

My entree was off the special menu and was titled “Deep fried almond shrimp drizzled with a garlic cream sauce and served with a sweet potato filet and vegetable.”  When I ordered it, Marlys mentioned that they were actually stuffed with crab also.  Umm, YEAH!  The dish came out looking mighty tasty and it did not disappoint.  Those 12-15 count shrimp were back, wrapped in a crab cake type mixture, battered and rolled in slivered and sliced almonds. The dish was very good, with only two points of contention.  The almonds almost overtook some of the other flavors, especially in places that were heavier in slivered almonds than sliced.  Second, while the sauce was excellent, I wished that some of the brandy used earlier was used once again.  It could have used just a tint of sweetness, but as I said, I cleaned my plate and smiled in satisfaction.

Marlys offered the dessert of the day, Chef Martin coming back out to the floor for tableside prepared bananas foster cheesecake.  We simply couldn’t pull the trigger though.  Stuffed and pleased, Joe’s had done it again.  If only that homey decor included a sofa up front…