Cajun Food

Jennifer’s birthday dinner celebration at Iva Lee’s in San Clemente. I was really looking forward to this as they are supposedly Southern to the core!! Their menu certainly seems to confirm that.

First course – a basket of cornbread and baguettes with our Springtini (vodka, Aperol and lemon) and French Martini (vodka, Chambord pineapple juice and rose water). Second course – Fried Green Tomatoes topped with goat cheese on a tomatillo puree, and Buttermilk Hushpuppies with grilled Peach and Vidallia Onion Marmalade.

Neither of us could resist the Fried Chicken with garlic mashed potatoes, haricot verts & Gravy. The potatoes could have been a little thicker and creamier, but overall, it was very good (not Willie Mae’s good, but very good). To top it off, the waiter treated us to a birthday N’awlins Bread Pudding complete with a candle and birthday song! Our waiter J.C., by the way, was very cute, very attentive, and very efficient.

The Other Thing – You do get a Southern feel here. There is even live music Wednesday through Saturday. I can imagine after a few Hurricanes and some Zydeco, the place would be really jumpin’!!

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Ritter’s Steam Kettle Cooking aka Cajun food is on MacArthur in Santa Ana. I had blogged on July 7th about Sandy’s and my experience at Kettle Bar at the Union Market at The District. We enjoyed that experience very much. Not so much with Ritter’s. Their concept is exactly the same but what they produced wasn’t nearly as good. I was looking forward to the oyster po’boy but was disappointed. It was huge and impossible to eat as a sandwich (which is OK) but the flavor of the oysters was overpowered by a thick crusty breading. Sandy’s Half Chicken and Sausage Pan Roast was pretty good but very spicy. Of course, this is Cajun food, but a heads up on the extra dose of spice would have been appreciated.

The highlight of the meal was actually the salads. The greens were crisp and fresh and the dressings quite delicious.

One other thing – Ritter’s was not our original destination that day. We were headed to TRADE on Jamboree in Irvine. It is a new retail center with a large food hall. The website was a little misleading, however, because the food hall wasn’t finished. There were no EATS and DRINKS for us – only the large signs. So that adventure will have to wait a while. Stay tuned…..

This, That, and The Other Thing

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New Orleans West?

Ritter’s Steam Kettle Cooking