Gerald N.
Yelp
A fine example of what a creole restaurant ought to be, with good food and good service.
The restaurant is decorated in an old-style nautical "theme" that seems more organic than most places. What one doesn't see is crawfish, symbols of crawfish, or crawfish-like artwork anywhere (at least from where I was seated). It reminded me of an old restaurant that my family would sometimes drive down to Lake Charles occasionally. The sense is fairly informal, and while it's a bit noisy, it's the kind of noisy where people are sharing good food and good company.
We got in during a busy lunch due to graduation ceremonies from a local college, so a larger influx of customers. I have mobility issues, and the host/owner didn't have anything immediately, but as soon as he had a spot that would work for me (he said fifteen minutes, it worked out to be closer to five), we were seated, and in no time at all, Tierra was at our table ready to get our drinks and apps order. A combination of sunny disposition and competent waitstaff, she proved to be helpful throughout the meal.
It was just me and the missus, and I wasn't really in the mood for an adult beverage, but if I had, they've got quite the selection of craft brews, mixed drinks, and a variety of bourbons, whiskeys, and scotch. Two teas (sweet and un), and the alligator/pork sausage w/ "jezebelle" sauce. The sausage was nicely done, with the sauce drizzled over it as well as a small container for dipping, with ritz crackers to round out the appetizer. The sauce was barbecue-ish with what tasted like some creole mustard thrown in.
The orders: for the wife it was their fish tacos (two, grouper), with a cilantro lime slaw and a corn and black bean salsa topped with a drizzle of remoulade and fries. I ordered a cup of the gumbo, their "Jam pups" (basically jambalaya balls breaded and fried), and grilled scallops with Tasso cheese grits.
I didn't get a taste of the tacos, but my wife said they were good, with her only regret being that they served with flour tortillas vs. corn, but the rest were good, and fries were fresh and had that nice crisp outside and tender insides that are the mark of someone knowing what they're doing with a cut up potato and hot oil. I don't know if the restaurant will substitute corn tortillas for the flour, but that is an opportunity to discover for next time. Over all, nicely done.
My gumbo arrived before the main meal, which makes perfect sense, and it was easily the most authentic and best combo that I've tasted with the exception of my Mom's (I'm not suicidal, and she does make a good pot of gumbo!). It was all the things I grew up thinking were essential for a gumbo; a dark roux that provided flavor and some thickening, the trinity (onions, peppers, and celery) in a good proportion, and plenty of protein to "put some meat on your bones", and okra (technically, I grew up without okra in the gumbo, but do not consider my childhood deprived for the absence). The gumbo itself was such a treat that I was already in my happy spot when the main meal arrived.
When I put the first bite of the jam pups into my mouth I was surprised to find that it really did taste like a jambalaya! Understand, many of the foods that I've eaten that were supposed to be jambalaya balls didn't have the flavor of a jambalaya. They were more like a hint of what a jambalaya was. They were light, fried with a nice crispy shell, and a tender collection of rice, sauce, and meat on the inside. The remoulade was nice and complimented the pups.
The scallops were grilled right; tender and a little bit of seasoning on top, and the Tasso grits were creamy, cheesy, and had a garnish of crisply fried Tasso ham. Three pieces of baguette toast were there to help sop up the grits or hold a scallop.
Throughout the meal, Tierra was bright, on top of making sure I was hydrated (here's the thing: the tea really tastes good! It's dark but not bitter, and sweet but not syrupy, and I was going through glass after glass. My wife reports that the unsweetened tea was tasty as well, hardly needed any sweetening), she helped my wife navigate through some choices based on her more delicate palette, and overall just fun snippets of conversation.
I walked out of the restaurant actually happy for the experience. Good food, good service, and an ambience that doesn't scream "We're Really Cajun!" At you. The couple who run the place have done a fine job of putting it all together. If you're in Macon and looking for a place that will give you food that would match up to many a fine cook in New Orleans, head on over to Kudzoo Seafood, and say hello to Tierra.
