I drove down Halstead on my way home Friday evening looking for somewhere to have dinner when I spotted two banners with the words "Cajun" and "Creole". That's all it took for me to make a two-point tuheck out Louisiana Kitchen in the 2200 block of N. Halstead. Parking in the neighborhood was typically tough, so I opted for the valet parking. I gave the guy $10 bucks and asked him to keep it up close. That was $6 bucks wasted as the car wasn't kept anywhere in sight of the place. Oh well. I headed inside to the very comfortable dining room. The place is probably twenty-five seats or so in the main dining room. There was a note about eating on the patio, but I didn't check that out. The main dining room was decorated in light woods, some plants, and a few prints of jazz artists. The music (kept at a nice background level) was mellow jazz tunes. The staff was very friendly. I asked to be seated for dinner at the bar, and that was no problem at all. Speaking with the bartender I learned the place has been open about a year, and that business on that night (about fifteen or so people at 6:30pm) was about average. The menu is not extensive, but the selections were very interesting. A lot of gumbo, etoufee, and jumbalya. There were also a few other entrees (chicken, fish, etc.). I went with a fried alligator tail appetizer for starters. A good sized portion arrived shortly after I placed the order, and the presentation was very nice. The tail was served with a tangy sweet mustard sauce. Very tasty! Of course, the ice cold Dixie beer was a perfect compliment. :-) I tried the blackened pork chops for the main course. Here again the presentation was impressive. Two substantial sized chops blackened very nicely. Perhaps a little bit under-spiced for my taste, but probably the better for those who aren't into hardcore Cajun/Creole. The vegetables that came with were excellent. A mix of carrots, greens, and onions cooked with a bit hot sauce. Wonderfully fresh and an excellent flavor. The cornbread served with the meal was OK. The only disappointment was the rice. It was pretty bland and somewhat cool. The dessert selection included a pecan tart, bread pudding, hazelnut truffle, and french vanilla cheesecake. What was I thinking when I ordered the cheesecake? Not that there was anything wrong with it. It was good cheesecake with a decent stawberry sauce, but who the heck orders cheesecake in a Caju/Creole place. My bad! Total price for dinner (including appetizer, main course, dessert, 3 Dixies, and tip) was about $45. I'll definitely be headed back to the Louisiana Kitchen in the future, I encourage those of you who are fines of New Orleans cooking to give this place a try. George
Chicago, IL