Laissez les bons temps rouler!
For those of you who don’t speak French, or don’t care to bother translating on the computer, the popular Madi Gras exclamation means “Let the good times roll!”
I’ve never been. My friends and I very much wanted to make a road trip to Mardi Gras in college, but no one had a car that we trusted enough to carry us from upstate New York to the Crescent City and back. Nowadays you couldn’t drag me there with a parade float.
But here at FFF, we’ll let the good times roll in our own way — by eating meals a few days ahead of Feb. 17 at two restaurants that specialize in Cajun and Creole cuisine: Cajun Cafe on the Bayou in St. Pete and Happy’s Bayou Bites in Dunedin.
For dishes, I went with gumbo, a regional staple, and — on a whim — a specialty sausage.
CAJUN CAFE ON THE BAYOU
The restaurant opened in 1996 on Cross Bayou, set back from Park Boulevard in Pinellas Park. It moved to a shopping center on 66th Street in 2019. No surprise, the current location can’t approach the original’s rustic charm.
When we walked in at 6 p.m. Wednesday, it was clear that the owners were doing their best to give the interior a festive air — and, all in all, they did a pretty good job of it. I didn’t much care. I was there for the food. But it didn’t hurt that honest-to-goodness Cajun music played at low volume on the sound system.
Johnny, who was our server, and his wife ran a restaurant in Shreveport, La., then relocated to Indian Rocks Beach and bought Cajun Cafe in December ’24.
I had my bowl of Creole Gumbo ($12.50) locked in, and was perusing the sausage offerings, which are flown in from Floyd Poche’s Market in Breaux Bridge, La. Johnny recommended the Chaurice Creole variety. Sold. I ordered one link ($9.50).
Appearance
The soup looked yum-inducing. The plump, bronzed sausage sat in a small bowl atop of bed of lettuce.
Taste and Texture
The gumbo’s brown roux had a seductive, earthen quality that produced the anticipated yum. The shredded chicken provided a lovely contrast to the thinly sliced Andouille sausage. A generous portion of plain white rice added substantiality. None of the flavors dominated but rather melded together for a complex yet homey flavor.
The pork sausage was gussied up with garlic, peppers and other stuff. Jalapeño gave it a bit of spicy heat. It’s hard to describe Chaurice Creole, other than to say that it had its own subtle flavor profile and didn’t have the gristly mouth feel of some other sausages. Another yum.
It ate my entire two-course meal and could’ve stood for more.
HAPPY’S BAYOU BITES
A light haze infiltrated Happy’s rustic courtyard at 2 p.m. Thursday. A U.S. Foods box truck hummed loudly and relentlessly on Skinner Boulevard not far from where sat at a picnic table, drowning out the blues playing on the box. I can’t fault the open-air restaurant, but the vibe didn’t exactly make me happy. No matter — I was there for the food.
We ordered at the counter: a bowl of Gumbo ($10.99), with coleslaw; a Basket of Alligator Sausage ($15.98) with an add-on of Red Beans & Rice ($2.99); and a bottle of Abita Root Beer ($3).
Appearance
In keeping with food-truck style, the meal came on two plastic trays, the soups in cardboard bowls, accompanied by plastic utensils. It was a lot. I was glad Bonnie was along to help.
Taste and Texture
I stirred the gumbo in anticipation. (It was a late lunch and I was hungry.) First scoop — ayeee, mouth scald. I salved with root beer, then switched to the sausage, which was scattered on paper in chunks. The gator is mixed with pork, yielding a meaty quality with the slightest hint of gaminess. Good stuff — but I’m an occasional sausage eater, and this was my second round in two days.
The red beans & rice, more a soup than my preferred stew, was tasty, but could’ve been spicier. Back to the gumbo. It took quite some time for it to cool down so that I didn’t have to eat with caution. I dug deep to dredge up spoonfuls with shredded chicken. There was a paucity of Andouille sausage — we counted one slice. (I made Bonnie fork it over.) The rice floated in the roux.
Kudos to the coleslaw. House-made, Cajun-style, it had a mustard base, with a hint of blackened seasoning, and crispy cabbage. This slaw had an unusual flavor, in a good way. It was more bold and tangy than sweet, and provided a refreshing alternative to the standard fare.
Heading home, we drove east on Main Street, and within a mile the sun was shining.
And the Winner of the Mardi Gras Mojo Gumbo Rumble Is …
Cajun Cafe on the Bayou.
True, these are vastly dissimilar eateries, but I did my level best to zero in on on the food, particularly the gumbo. All told, though, I enjoyed both meals.
A Final Note: I’ve gone years where Mardi Gras barely registered, so it was fun to have our own little celebration of the holiday in two locally owned, Louisiana-style restaurants.
