Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Pralines, gumbo and jambalaya on Roanoke City Market
Larry Bly
Larry Bly runs an ad agency and does freelance writing in the Roanoke area.
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Everyone knows my passion for all things Louisiana-style, including my obsession with New Orleans, its food and music.
Now, New Orleans has come to the Roanoke City Market in the old Buddy's Restaurant location. Jeffrey's Bar and Grill sports a new awning on the outside and freshly painted walls and newly covered seating on the inside. A smallish place, the owners have reconfigured it a bit, ripped out the bar, and are making inroads into turning it into a nicer place.
Jeffrey Fuller is Roanoke-born and raised, but his chef, Mike, has extensive experience in the kitchens of Louisiana, which explains the Cajun and Creole fare on the menu. They're still working out some of the dishes, but they've pretty much nailed it, in my book. I've been over about a half dozen times in the past month and I've tried a number of dishes, some more spectacular than others, but I give high marks for their willingness to try things and to take suggestions.
The lunch menu closely resembles the dinner menu, minus some upper-scale steaks and dishes. Daily lunch specials are listed. One recent special was slow-cooked pot roast. Starters include Bourbon street wings, shrimp cocktail, crawfish bisque, boiled crawfish, crab slammers and burgundy mushrooms.
They frequently offer boiled or steamed crawfish, and I asked how this was going over. The little crawfish are a pain to the average person -- and quite ugly, besides. According to the wait-staff, Jeffrey and his gang are more than willing to teach you the finer points of eating them and enjoying them fully; and it seems to be working. They're selling a goodly amount of them per week now. I prefer my crawfish swimming in etouffee -- the hard work already done for me. It just doesn't get any better.
Lunch includes a fine variety of sandwiches, including what might be arguably the best Muffaletta in town, served on a fine Italian flatbread, just brimming with chopped olives. The oyster po' boy is an authentic Louisiana sandwich as well, featuring Gulf oysters, deep fried and stuffed in a sub roll, soaked in a remoulade sauce. A recent luncheon special included their deep-fried catfish: a huge steak perfectly cooked and fluffy white inside. Other sandwiches include burgers, crab cake sandwich, turkey club, and portabella mushroom burgers.
You can get Louisiana gumbo anytime, as well as red beans and rice. I claim to make a mean red beans and rice, but I think this might be better than mine. I just hate to admit that. They took my suggestion and started serving it with bread, but I still think it deserves corn bread. Just an opinion.
Another dish -- the Jamabalaya -- is excellent, served with bone-on chicken (the authentic way they say). I find that the bones are too much to deal with; a friend, chef Michael St. Pierre of Louisiana says that while it's true that his maw maw served it that way, he probably wouldn't in a restaurant. It's delicious, no doubt. There's grilled chicken and a lunch rib eye for the hearty eater; and salads for the diet-conscious. Soups, too.
Dinner sometimes includes live music. There are announced evening specials as well, a recent example being shrimp and grits or a tuna filet. The menu starters are the same as lunch, but dinner selections include filets, USDA Prime 8 oz. filets, rib eyes, crawfish etouffe, shrimp Creole, fried catfish, crab cakes and so forth. Many served over rice and some with baked potato or rice.
Of course, there are bigger, fancier versions of grilled Gulf shrimp (served with dirty rice and veggie of the day), smoked sausage, red beans and rice, Mardi Gras Jambalaya (with bone-on chicken and vegetables), Louisiana Gumbo (smoked sausage, okra, onion, bell pepper, celery, and sautéed with tomato and blended with shrimp into a thick brown Creole Soup, served with dirty rice).
For those not brave enough to try Cajun or Creole in a Louisiana-style restaurant (so why did you go there?) you might try the grilled breast of chicken, with rubbed chef's spices, served over dirty rice.
There's a nice menu for the little Cajuns. If you can't find any little Cajuns, just bring your own children.
Because I like Cajun and Creole cooking, I love this place. If you haven't experienced it, the folks there will be happy to let you sample a few spoonfuls of this and that. All Cajun and Creole cooking is not spicy-hot; and much of it is about the best food you'll ever eat. Inexpensive, too.
I'm happy that a bit of Louisiana has ended up on the City Market. My only problem is trying not to go there every day for lunch.
Jeffrey's Bar And Grill
214 Market St.
Roanoke, Va.
(540) 344-4313
