On the Bayou

New Orleans grub is not very popular in Atlanta, eventhough, it's one of the most flavorful and exceptional "cuisine" in this country. The French rednecks really did a fine job on their local cuisine, along with Spanish, Italian, African, Native American, Cajun, Chinese, and a hint of Cuban influences made this area a world-class food destination. Unfortunately, outside of New Orleans the cuisine translation are pretty much watered down. Hard to find a decent po'boy outside of Weezy-Anna. Ok, we have Crawfish Shack which is tasty but far from authentic. There's a few other Cajun/Creole places way OTP but not good enough to merit the drive and time. I just don't trust any place that claims they have authentic New Orleans grub but that doesn't stop me from trying it either... Especially, when I have a hankering for a oyster po'boy.

Gumbo Ya Ya. The cup is a generous portion and the toasted baquette was nice but rather have a little shaker of file powder, instead.

The gumbo was full of andouille slices, shrimp, a nice chunk of chicken with skin on and some rice... But it was too watery and a tad oily. It needed more okra and/or roux, well, I prefer a thicker, richer, heartier, more consistent gumbo.. But that's me, though. The flavor was acceptable but definitely not a classic gumbo.

Oyster Po'boy. Oh, boy, Leidenheimer bread! It's all about the bread, just like an Amoroso with a Philthy. I think this is the only place in town that uses the real deal. This bread made the po'boy... But the oysters were quite good as well. Crispy, greaseless and plump. This might be my favorite po'boy in town. The bread is so good. The seasoned fries were the frozen kind and as expected, filler.

Soft Shell Crab Platter. This is a good deal for the amount of food and that soft shell crab was really nice. It was pretty large, crispy, tender and pretty fresh. Eventhough, the minced crabmeat on top was from a can, it was still a nice touch. The batter/crust was not greasy which was a nice change to see. It also comes with a boatload of brown bag seasoned fries, couple of hush puppies and white bread toast. The star of the dish of course was the crab and everything else were just conversation.

Side Salad. This thing came with the platter... I had more "salad" fall out of my po'boy than in this monkey dish. I thought it was a joke at first but they were serious it was a real salad. Still laughing at this pathetic joke played on me.

Banana Pudding. Not bad, nice and mushy and chunks of bananas. One of the better ones in town.

I like this place... Mostly because they use Leidenheimer bread (oh, that bread!). But the grub was not too shabby. I would come back and try the other po'boys and a couple of entrees like the frog's legs and jamabalaya. Too bad they don't have beignets.


3120 South Cobb Dr SE
Smyrna, GA 30080
(770) 990-6614