I realized I’ve had gumbo 4 times recently, all just as part of checking out new neighborhood places. And while a couple of them were worthy of having again, none were really top notch, so I decided to check out a few other offerings.
I went to Boudreaux’s, West Loop location. I ordered a bowl of seafood gumbo and some boudin balls. Not in my neighborhood but still really convenient.
An order of boudin balls is 5 pieces plus fries but they’ll sell 'em to you individually. These were hot and crispy, almost the size of a tennis ball; Boudreaux’s dirty rice is very flavorful. The Honey Creole Remoulade sauce was just meh. If the menu hadn’t told me, I would have guessed it was supposed to be a tartar sauce. Next time, I’ll check out the condiments table to see what else they have. You really need something with the balls, I think.
If I’d known how big the bowl of gumbo was I wouldn’t have ordered the boudin balls, so I’m glad I didn’t know. This was huge, at least 3.5 cups, I’d say, and very good. Shrimp, crawfish, a little fish, maybe a little crab; there were spoon-sized chunks of tomato, larger pieces of onion, green bell pepper and celery, the latter three cooked almost to disintegration. Surprising was the modest complement of rice, maybe only a half or 3/4 cup in that big bowl. It was very soupy, and very filling. There was just a little heat but there’s a counter with lots of hot sauces to choose from.
The garlic toast was the biggest disappointment, no crustiness, soggy from all the butter, wonder bread consistency. Pooh.
This is definitely a notch or two above all the little places in my immediate hood. 15% discount for seniors all day Wednesday makes this a steal. I qualify.
I plan to try BB’s, Pappadeaux (there’s one south of me on 59/69 that I never remember is there) and Kitchen 713, maybe some others.
