Hot Dish Review

I’m a food snob, so it will come as no surprise that I try to avoid chains much like I avoid sick people and crying babies. I cringe at the thought of thousands of containers of “product” distributed to restaurants nationwide, containing identicle crab cakes, egg rolls, frozen cheesecakes.

But sometimes dining at a chain is unavoidable, like at a recent business dinner. The location was negotiated based upon accessibility to the interstate (nearly always a bad sign), and its proximity to all guests.

Don’t get me wrong, I love some chains, like the much maligned Krystals and the simple yet delicious Wendy’s. Fast food chains, however, are a necessity of life, filling a literal void on grueling road trips, providing a consistant product whether you’re in New York City or smalltown USA.

Pappadeaux, and other concept chains, are another story. They thrive on tired themes that appeal to (you guessed it) middle America. LC and I pulled up to the huge stand-alone building, its sprawling deck awaiting warmer weather, decorated with copious neon signs lighting the way to a smorgasbord of Cajun and Creole seafood favorites. At least it’s a theme I like.

Jambalaya, etouffee, and gumbo anchor an extensive menu of every kind of seafood, all available fried, broiled, blackened, steamed, or grilled. Several creative, and caloric, specialties caught my attention, like the Texas redfish, grilled with Maine lobster, avocado, sauteed spinach, and roasted tomatoes in a white wine lemon butter sauce. Another paired grilled jumbo scallops and shrimp with mushroom risotto, spinach, and herb butter. That’s what LC ordered for his entree.

The organizer of the dinner had mentioned martinis and lobster earlier in the day and I was having a hard time steering away from either one, but first, I was intent on having something Cajun. So I talked LC into splitting a bowl of Louisiana style seafood gumbo. We requested hot sauce on the side, fully expecting the soup to be pretty mild. And it was….until we added the hot sauce. But the bowl did contain copious amounts of crab meat, shrimp, and oysters, plus a few chunks of tomato and okra.

Everyone was drinking martinis, mine being the only real one, made with Bombay Sapphire. I ordered my lobster grilled but didn’t care for the mashed red potatoes and broccolini sides that came with it, so I switched them for onion rings and spaghetti squash.

There’s a fine line between under and overcooked lobster, and Pappadeaux unfortunately crossed it. My crustacean was a bit chewy, but had a nice grilled flavor. The stringy texture of the spaghetti squash didn’t appeal and my onion rings never showed up….a blessing in disguise. I was hoping they would offer a comp’d dessert to make up for the snafu….and they did!

LC’s dish was tasty, although there was no hint of New Orleans on the plate. Meanwhile, martinis were being delivered to our table at a furious pace, adding fuel to the boisterous banter.

On cue, our patient server brought out the tray of desserts, each one enough to serve four. I chose the bread pudding, of course. A couple of cheesecakes and a chocolate cake joined the fattening fray. Made with apples and raisins and resting in a pool of creme Anglaise, it was not overly sweet. I was pleased with my selection.

Pappadeaux’ menu states that the seafood is fresh, as in not frozen, as in “swimming yesterday”. Not bad for a chain. I bet the place will be crawling with crawfish and Carnival revelers soon!

5635 Jimmy Carter Blvd. 770-849-0600

When I visited my folks in Florida last Thanksgiving, we stopped by Neon Leon’s for a drink after dinner one night. I didn’t get a chance to sample their Cajun cuisine so it was on my hot list a couple of weeks ago when LC and I made the trip South.

The restaurant’s neon, beads, and live zydeco music on the weekends make it the obvious choice for a Mardi Gras celebration any time the mood strikes.

It was a Friday night and the place was packed with locals. Men in T-shirts and caps dined on plates of fried anything, raising their cans of PBR after each song. We were seated unfortunately close to the stage, making converstion nearly impossible.

My Dad doesn’t waste any time when it comes to food, ready to place his order before we were seated. Me and both of my parents ordered the trio of Cajun favorites….seafood gumbo, etouffee, and jambalaya. I was hoping the dishes would be spicy and ordered a Corona Light to quench the fire. LC was the lone holdout, going for the blackened grouper special, with fried okra on the side.

Even though fried green tomatoes are really a side dish, like so many other restaurants, Neon Leon’s offer them as an appetizer. The menu says “can’t get ‘em anywhere else”. I was compelled to try them, although I suspected they would be heavily breaded. I was right, and glad I wouldn’t be able to get them anywhere else. The ones I make at home are a thousand times better.

Aside from Cajun classics, Neon Leon’s specializes in char-grilled steaks. They also have some unusual items, frog legs and gator tail in particular.

LC’s fish was perfectly grilled and seasoned, however his fried okra was as disappointing as the fried green tomatoes, with a batter so heavy it completely masked the flavor of the vegetable.

Our Cajun samplers came out with three bowls inexplicably sitting upon a scant bed of field greens….likely the only use for lettuce at this restaurant. The contents of one bowl was beige. It was the etouffee. My Mom described the sauce as pasty and I agreed.

We each received a dish of dirty rice which I added to the gumbo, along with a few drops of hot sauce. Plump shrimp and okra came together for an authentic and tasty soup. Another bowl contained a deep red soup, the jambalaya. Full of red beans, shrimp, sausage, and chicken, this dish was definitely my favorite. It was spicy enough without the addition of hot sauce.

I can’t pass up bread pudding for dessert. Topped with vanilla ice cream, the pudding was exceptionally dense with an overwhelming flavor of nutmeg. Not so great, but the four of us polished it off.

Neon Leon’s is truly a hidden gem, tucked away in the woods in the middle of Florida, but it’s clear that lots of folks have found it over the years, making it a destination for Cajun food and entertainment.

10350 W. Yulee Drive, Homosassa, FL 352-621-3663

TC is so sweet but it’s already time for her to go back to TX. On the eve of her departure, along with her sis E, the three of us chicks were treated to a great lunch by her Dad LC.

We were going to go to Robek’s but LC veared off to Chequers Seafood Grill on the way, despite TC’s aversion to seafood of every kind. LC was wound up so he got a vodka martini, which in turn influenced me to also drink at 1:30pm during my workday (yes, I am that easily influenced). A glass of zin for me.

The decor of Chequers reminds me of a French brasserie with checkerboard floors, lots of wood, etched mirrors, and brass accents. The spelling of the name drives me nuts, though….makes me think it’s a cheesy chain when it is, in fact, an upscale seafood restaurant that specializes in fresh fish flown in daily.

Like many restaurants, their menu lacks focus to a degree, offering sushi rolls, lobster tamales, and Vietnamese crab spring rolls…..18 starters! Soups, entree salads, sandwiches, and 12 entrees ranging from the benign blackened chicken penne to the more daring San Francisco style cioppino. And this is a lunch menu! So many options had me and LC pondering our choice for quite some time, as we chatted with the girls.

E chose the panko fried shrimp with French fries. Holy shrimp Batman! TC ordered a side salad with carrots, cheese, and a chicken breast. Not on the menu. Our server was very accommodating.

LC and I split a bowl of Creole gumbo to start. Described as spicy, I found the base a bit too thick, and of course, not spicy enough. My spoonfuls contained more sausage than seafood, along with bits of okra, tomato, and white rice.

Once I spotted the green curry mussels I couldn’t be swayed otherwise. Plus a side of lobster mac ‘n’ cheese, it made for a bizarre pairing. Just as strange was LC’s combo of the roasted duck breast flatbread and a tuna sushi roll.

A smattering of cilantro and sweet potato hay added enough interest to the coconut milk and curry broth to make the mussels quite good. My lobster mac ‘n’ cheese, its thick pasta corkscrews great for holding onto sauces, found little to hold onto. What promised decadence was instead dry and only contained a few tiny bits of lobster…..somewhat disappointing. I like my mac baked and bubbling with cheeses. The truffled bread crumbs on top were a nice touch, however.

LC seemed to like his tuna roll. Roasted duck flatbread, another name for mini pizza, was topped with fig barbecue sauce, fontina, gorgonzola, provolone, red onion, and julienned apple. Sounds gooey and delicious, right? But it suffered the same fate as the mac, with little cheese to be found. The absense of gorgonzola’s pungent bite was particularly evident, although the sweet and salty flavors presented did work well together.

E loved her crispy shrimp and fries, sticking her last shrimp on TC’s leftover salad, “contaminating” it before it was boxed up to go. Funny.

Verdict? If variety is the spice of life, this place is over-seasoned! What’s better….to do 10 things perfectly or 50 things just OK?

Nevertheless, I would order the mussels again and certainly try a grilled fish dish or entree salad like the lobster cobb in the future.

236 Perimeter Center Pkwy NE 770-391-9383