Michelle D.
Yelp
Cafe Maspero spoke to us so we headed there tonight. It was delightful from the moment we sat down because the front and right side walls are actually doors that open. And there are large fans turning slowly on the ceiling, so there was a lovely breeze on this 85°day. It also opened up the outside world to people watching! Our waiter Sammy was eager to please and very good at his job.
They have a full bar, and offer anything you would ask for, plus house special drinks. They also offer a nice variety of beer, in the bottle and on tap. We enjoyed a cold local favorite, Abita Amber on tap. It paired very nicely with our appetizer, fried alligator with remoulade sauce. I asked for it crispy and they didn't disappoint. It was very nice, with a flavorful breading and perfect with very tasty remoulade.
My wife opted for crawfish Étouffée and since I couldn't pick just one, I had a flight of New Orleans delicacies. I ordered the Taste Of Cafe Maspero:
All the bayou traditions: red beans & rice, jambalaya with chicken & sausage, chicken & andouille gumbo, or crawfish etouffee. You have the option to select 3 or all 4.
Since my wife had Crawfish Étouffée, I had a flight of 3. The portions were perfect, just enough to give you the experience and share a bite. Not so much you are stuffed and unwell. We both selected a side salad with honey mustard dressing. The salad is basically Romain lettuce with a pinch of shredded cheese and tomato wedge. A bit of a let down honestly.
The rest of the dinner did not disappoint! The red beans and rice tasted traditional and wonderful with a nice kick to it. The jambalaya was a also flavorful with just the right amount of kick. I am not a gumbo fan but ordered it as part of the trio hoping it would change my mind. It didn't, but I'll own that. I liked the crawfish étouffée as well, but the jambalaya and red beans and rice were the stars of this plate. Based on my tastes of course. The flavors of all of them were very traditional with just the right kick of spice, which I was looking for and therefore delighted to find.
To finish off the evening we decide to round out our evening of traditional food with an order of the beignet fries. These were a nice twist on traditional beignet pillows but had the same dough flavor and avalanche of powdered sugar.
The atmosphere was just great, perfect for this hot day, the full bar and beer choices were nice to see for groups who need the options, and the menu is full of all things traditional to dining in New Orleans. It also happens to be across from the Cafe du Monde, if a large order of beignets is the way you want to end your day, and the water front, a nice place to walk after a satisfying meal.