Gators and mudbugs

Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.

One dull rainy day we were sitting around the Dining Duo palatial estate bored out of our minds. Our lives are so hectic that we cannot stay at home for a couple of hours and do nothing but relax. How screwed up are we? Staying home usually winds up being a very expensive time due to the ease of online shopping, but it’s fun seeing those “smiling” packages by your front door and not having a clue what’s inside.

Today, however, our thoughts went to food. We thought it would be a good idea to shock our taste buds with some spicy Cajun food. The only Cajun restaurant that came to mind was Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen in Westmont

Even before you enter the restaurant, you are transported to the bayou. You walk through their beautiful courtyard with luscious landscaping and a cascading water feature. Seating is available for you to enjoy the décor while waiting for your reservation.

The New Orleans theme continues on the inside. The authentic gas lights on the walls complete the Bourbon Street theme. Our waiter brought over a warm baguette with butter and took our drink order.

Jim was totally immersed in the Cajun theme and wanted the Crispy Alligator ($20.95) as an appetizer. This was served with fresh cut potato sticks and creole dipping sauce. This may seem expensive, but you must realize, you have to catch and cook the critter which isn’t easy. You are probably wondering what alligator tastes like. He said these breaded chunks tasted like a cross between chicken and shrimp and the dipping sauce registered about a “4” on his sweat head meter. I wanted no part of it. I don’t want to eat anything that could bite me back!!! I did enjoy the potato sticks that came with his gator bites.

Nancy ordered the Crawfish Platter ($39.95) which is fried crawfish and crawfish etouffee. For those of you who may not be familiar with crawfish, we will now explain what these delicious little creatures are. They’re also known as: Crayfish, Mudbugs, Crawdads, or Fresh Water Lobsters, and are about two inches long. In New Orleans, they are served by the bucketful and the correct way to eat them is to break the tail off, eat it, and then suck the juice out of the head. Sorry readers, Pappadeaux only serves the tails cleaned and prepared to your liking. Nancy, being Nancy, changed the platter to her liking. Instead of the crawfish etouffee, she wanted her crawfish blackened. This entrée comes with dirty rice and she asked for French fries instead. This is her favorite Cajun dish. Be careful, the blackened little critters pack quite a punch!!!

Jim was totally in his Mississippi Delta mood and ordered the Giant Shrimp and Grits ($39.95). This was seven giant grilled shrimp, sautéed spinach, creamy cheese grits with andouille sausage and sweet corn in a spicy creole butter. He said this dish was sinfully good, and the spicy creole butter on top was what made this dish exceptional.

Nancy wanted dessert for a change today. She spotted her favorite, Key Lime Pie ($8.95). This gigantic piece of pie was adorned with a variety of berries and whipped cream and served on a graham cracker pecan crust. Nancy and I could hardly finish this dessert which was delicious and refreshing after our spicy meals.

To sum it all up, the quality and quantity of the food along with the service, makes the trip and the cost worthwhile. We both enjoyed our doggie bags the next day. We can’t say enough about Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen.

FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.

The price for shocking our taste buds was $124.01, a day trip to New Orleans, priceless…

Jim’s take: Alligator is actually tasty, and you’ve never truly had grits till you try these.

Nancy’s take: Jim calls me a fussy food critic, but I ate mudbugs, so there!!!

Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at: thediningduo@gmail.com

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