RAGIN’ CAJUN
9600 Westheimer #80 Houston (one
of several locations)
Let me start with a confession. I
don’t know much about Cajun food. Growing up in Southeastern Virginia, we didn’t
eat crawfish (aka mudbugs) and the only gumbo I ever encountered came in a can
and was made by the good folks at Campbell’s. But, Hubby loves Cajun and is
quite Cajun savvy. H-town’s proximity to Louisana’s culinary scene is certainly
something that we see as positive. I’m excited to explore Cajun cuisine and to
learn all there is to know about file powder and boudine. So, perhaps it isn’t that
surprising that on one of our first Friday nights in H-town we decided to try
Ragin’ Cajun.
It just so happens that the
Woodlake Square location is quite convenient for us, so after collecting the
kids from school we headed out for an early dinner. Walking into the restaurant, I was impressed
by the open and casual vibe. This is a perfect family venue. The tables are
large and the Zydeco music drowns out much of the kid-generated noise. My
daughter immediately started dancing once we selected our seats. In an unusual
display of culinary submissiveness, I allowed Hubby to order the entire meal
with one condition, fried pickles. I love fried pickles. There’s nothing better
than the salty briny taste of a dill pickle deep fried in cornmeal and flour
with a touch of spice dipped in ranch goodness. If I see fried pickles on a
menu, I’m pretty much required to order them. Hubby knows this and willingly
agreed to include fried pickles in our order.
Unfortunately for our arteries,
that’s not the only fried delicacy Hubby decided to order. Before I proceed with
my review, I will admit that, in the words of that creepy specter from Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade, we chose poorly. In addition to the generous (and
delicious) fried pickle appetizer, we also had fried crawfish tails and Mardi
Gras (fried) oysters. I also had a cup of gumbo and the kiddos had a very
traditional Cajun meal of mac and cheese with french fries.
Let’s start with the gumbo. The
word “gumbo” means okra. I should add here that I love okra (more than I love
fried pickles). Okra is a comfort food for me – a food of my childhood. I love
it in all preparations and forms. I was a bit suspicious when, upon review of
Ragin’ Cajun’s menu, I noticed that okra was not listed as a side. But, I was
actually shocked to discover that my cup of gumbo did not contain a single
sliver of the viscous veggie for which it was named. Otherwise, the gumbo was
just okay. It was the beautiful, rich brown color that gumbo is meant to be.
But, it lacked something – oh, wait…it lacked okra.
Onto the fried fish options. As
mentioned before, I don’t have much (any) real experience with crawfish. I know
there is a crawfish “season.” I think it occurs in the spring. I know that as a
child I used string and bits of raw bacon to (unsuccessfully) catch crawfish in
drainage ditches. But, since I never met a crustacean I didn’t like, I was eager
to try them. At first bite, I thought these crawfish to be a little under
seasoned. Hubby agreed and we added some salt and started dipping them in a
tartar sauce-hot sauce combo that Hubby whipped up at the condiment bar. Once
we added the salt and sauce, these little fried mud bugs became a taste morsel.
On to the Mardi Gras oysters, presumably
named as such because they were served with a festive pico de gallo. I’m a fan
of oysters and pretty picky about when and where I order them. These oysters
were good. Served on the half shell and with the pico, they were aesthetically
pleasing as well as tasty. The flour-cornmeal breading combo paired well with
the acid of the pico. This was my favorite among the dishes that we ordered.
So, the take away – As a Cajun
neophyte, I think Ragin’ Cajun provides a wide variety of casual Cajun culinary
adventures. In the future, I think we will depart from the fried foods and
branch out into some of the broiled seafood delicacies. I’m particularly
interested in some of the catfish offerings. No doubt we will be back, once our
arteries clear out a bit.
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