Lafayette Cajun Seafood Restaurant

Reviews

• ★★★★½ Fried Oysters Fried Alligator Garlic Bread Boudin Balls Red Beans & Rice Fried Oysters Fried Catfish Etouffee Fried Shrimp Visited Mar 10, 2022

  Tried The Catfish, Alligator, Shrimp, Oysters, Red Beans & Rice, Etouffee, Boudin, Dirty Rice & Garlic Bread

  This was my first time eating here. I was traveling through Houston and decided to make a detour to give the restaurant a try. While we waited for our food, we looked through some of the reviews and noticed that slow service seemed to be a common complaint. The waiter was also the owner and, from what I could tell, may have been preparing the food as well, which could explain some of the wait.
  
  We ordered a variety of items so we could try several things, including the fried alligator appetizer, boudin balls, the catfish and étouffée lunch special with a substitution of red beans and rice, shrimp and oysters, and a side of garlic bread. My friend also ordered the dirty rice on his shrimp and oyster plate. We split the alligator, boudin balls, and garlic bread.
  
  The fried alligator came out first and was probably the highlight of the meal. The meat had really good flavor, but unfortunately, the batter was soft and somewhat mushy and tended to peel away from the meat. My friend also really liked the alligator and discovered that it was even better when placed on top of the garlic toast, almost like a po'boy.
  
  The boudin balls came next. The batter was a little crispier than the alligator, but the boudin filling itself was just decent. It was somewhat lacking in seasoning, and the texture was a little mushier than I prefer. I've tried boudin at several places along what Louisiana calls the "Boudin Trail," which highlights some of the state's better-known boudin spots, and these didn't quite reach the level of my favorites.
  
  The catfish had decent flavor, and most of the pieces were a good thickness, so they weren't dry or overly chewy. There was a slight fishy flavor, but it wasn't bad. The étouffée was probably my second favorite item. The texture was unusual and very thick, almost like a soup where crushed rice was used as a thickener rather than the flour-and-cream style. While the consistency wasn't quite what I expected, the flavor was very good. It had some nice spice, wasn't fishy at all, and was filling. I could see a bowl of this really hitting the spot on a cold, rainy day. My friend tried some as well and agreed that it was one of the better items we ordered.
  
  My friend ordered the shrimp and oyster plate, so I didn't score those, although he seemed to enjoy his meal. He also had the dirty rice.
  
  The final issue came when we went to pay. I noticed that my total was almost the same as my friend's, even though he had ordered a more expensive entree and appetizer. I went back inside and the owner went through the order twice to figure out what happened. He found the mistake and refunded me about $6, which I appreciated.
  
  Overall, this was one of the more expensive meals of our trip, and while the food wasn't bad, it fell a little short of what I had hoped for. The alligator and étouffée were the standouts for me, but some of the texture and seasonings kept the meal from being more impressive.
  
  I'm not sure I'd make this a return destination, but if I were in the area again, I'd consider stopping back in and trying some of the other dishes. Despite all the items we tried we spent about $35 each.

  — Paul