The Big Easy
There are a couple new cajun restaurants that have sprung up and come back in the recent months. As a big fan of spicy food, i’ve visited them a few times. Yancey is back with his place and The Big Easy is open a few blocks down. Both places are on Fayetteville street and while both are “Cajun” they both offer something a little different. I’ll detail Yancey’s in another article
I find that the big easy is a very good deal for the money. Their entrée’s are a good size and they often start with a salad. Tonight I had a couple of my favorites. The Louisiana Pretzel and the * Crawfish Etoufee*. The pretzel is definitely something different to try. It’s a large soft pretzel covered with crab/artichoke dip and cheese that’s baked until it’s warm throughout. I’m a big fan of all the ingredients, crab dip, artichoke dip, pretzel and of course cheese. I never would have combined them, they do it very well. I usually get this to start when I visit.
My main dish was their crawfish etoufee. It starts with a small house salad and your choice of dressing. The main dish is a fairly large bowl of etoufee with a pile of rice in the center. It has all the makings of great etoufee. The roux is light brown with plenty of flavor, the crawfish are cooked perfectly (not over-done and chewy). The dish is not too spicy but you can spice it up with some of the hot sauce on the table.
When you check the big easy out, also look notice the atmosphere, it’s what I’d expect to see in a New Orleans joint. They also cater to parties and events with their large upstairs area and large bar.
–Matt