Danny's Big Easy

John and I joined the group and were excited about the Cajun food.  The atmosphere of the restaurant was great.  We really enjoyed it and loved the band.  However, there was no way to have a conversation and that adds so much to a great dinner.

John ordered a catfish dinner and I had the shrimp poor boy.  It seemed to take a long time to get our food and it was not all brought out at the same time.  The best part of both meals was John's side order of jambalaya.  It was fantastic. 

As I mentioned before, the atmosphere was great and we loved the music.  However if you want to go somewhere and have a dinner conversation, go early or elsewhere. 

I think we gave it a 4/5

Danny's Big Easy

Mr. Ref here, well this month we went to Danny' Big Easy.  It is New Orleans style food, so I was looking forward to some Cajun cooking.  I have been to a few different Cajun style places in town, over the years, and one thing I have noticed is they are all a little different.  Usually my favorite thing to try is the Jambalaya, and by trying the same thing I can kind of compare the taste and quality of the food.

To start, I really like some of the decor, they had several pictures on the wall, some of famous people that have visited the restaurant and some painted pictures that I really liked and definitely thought went with the theme of New Orleans.  They also had a band that played and they were really entertaining, however for my preference, being with my family, it was too loud and we were not able to continue our conversations.

Now to the food part.  After reviewing the menu I asked the waitress about the Jambalaya and exactly what types of meat were in dish and if it was a red or brown Jambalaya sauce.  She told me the information, however when I received my dish I realized she was incorrect.  That told me she was not familiar with the prepared food.  It was fine because it was better than what she had indicated, but someone else was wanting to order the same thing and did not because of the misinformation.  The Jambalaya was very good and was the one saving grace for the experience.  For me it was the perfect amount of spice, the Jambalaya red sauce was very tasty and the sausage, chicken and shrimp were all good.  I very much enjoyed my Jambalaya, but the rest of the experience was just okay, excluding the great conversation with the family.  I gave Danny' Big Easy a 3.25 out of 5.

Danny's Big Easy

We had a great group tonight at Danny's Big Easy and greatly enjoyed our Guest Gassies tonight!.  Our large group may explain the slow service we received; but who cares when we have plenty of great company and a talented band singing about 18th and Vine while crooning the classic "Kansas City"!  The beers were flowing, and I wanted to try a real New Orleans drink--The Hurricane!  Tasted like a delicious fruit punch, but didn't pack much of a punch (except to my pocketbook at $9.00 for a few slurps through my straw).  

My first bite of Big Easy food was Mr. Ref's Jambalaya Pasta--mmm, mmm delicious!  Lovely nuanced flavors mixed in with chicken, sausage, and shrimp for a perfectly balanced bite!  A taste to remember.  I chose to order the shrimp creole which was suitably spicy, but strangely sweet.  The sauce lacked subtlety, and reminded me of tomato paste, sweetened with  a tablespoon or so of sugar.  Served over chewy rice, it filled me up quickly but lacked style.  Becky's stuffed catfish was fabulous with flavor and Grandpa's hot, crispy french fries were some of the best I've ever tasted.  Some of the other traditional creole dishes fell flat.

Just when I was inspired to get up and swing with the band, it was their break time and Gassies chance to pay the check and make our way home.  Danny's Big Easy stands out for it's cool location and diverse crowd (by the time we left the place were nearly full of band lovers!) and the hour it took to get that Hurricane!  Final score from Mrs. Ref 3.5 of 5.

Westport Cafe. I sure can pick 'em.

Last month was my pick, and I sagely chose Westport Cafe.  It was a great pick, really exemplary.  Top notch.  What foresight!  Let's just say, if I was the Portland Trailblazer's GM in 1984, I would have picked Michael Jordan instead of Sam Bowie.  That's the kind of picker I am.  And Westport Cafe is the restaurant version of Jordan.

I got the filet mignon, which came with a mushrooms and savory bread pudding.  The steak was perfect, and the sauce meurette was great with it.  The mushrooms were like the Jordan flu game - unbelievable.  The bread pudding was drier than I expected - maybe it was supposed to be that way, but I thought bread pudding was supposed to be more moist.  Didn't matter, it was basically a loaf of some of the most delicious stuffing I have ever had.  I also had bits and pieces of other people's meals, and they were all great, but I particularly loved the curried carrot soup.

The feel of the place was great.  It was energetic and casual.  There was a general din, but it was easy to hear everyone in our group.  Our waitress was anonymously wonderful.  The cost was appropriate for the quality of food and atmosphere.

I thought it was great.  Let's just hope they don't go all Wizard's or White Sox Jordan on us.  4.9/5.0 (I might have given it a 5.0 at the restaurant). 

Westport Cafe

We visited Westport Cafe in March and the name cafe brings to mind, more burgers, salad, cottage cheese and green jello.  Westport Cafe is nothing like that.   I have never traveled abroad, but believe cafes in Europe may be similar, small, dark, and incredibly amazing food.

I only tried a couple of the dishes, I had order trout and it was delicious, but better yet was the Char that my dad had ordered.  It was the 2nd best fish I had ever eaten right behind the red fish I had in New Orleans.

I felt the restaurant was a little small and cramped, but I would go back in a heartbeat.   I felt for the quantity and quality of food it was well priced. I give a 4.8/5.

Westport Cafe & Bar

Mr. Ref here, it has been awhile since I have blogged.  Actually, it has been awhile since any of us have blogged.  We took some time off from our monthly family gathering to increase the size of the family.  Welcome Hazel!!!!  We have already had some great times with Hazel and the rest of the family during the holidays and are really looking forward to the spring and summer months ahead.

Last month we went to The Westport Cafe and Bar.  If I am being honest, I really do not remember the experience very well.  I do remember I had the Bar Steak sandwich, as usual I cheated and had to look at the menu online.  I do remember that the sandwich was good, but I did not feel it was great.  I thought since it was a prime rib beef sandwich, with horseradish cream sauce, that I would love it and that is probably why I was a little disappointed, because I did not love it.  I think the waitress did a really good job and the decor was nice.  I gave it a 3.25 out of 5.

Oui! Oui! Westport Cafe

Now that I have exhausted my French with the above title, I will endeavor to use English to express my intense satisfaction with this outstanding establishment.  Our waiter delighted us by bringing out a lovely cheese plate to share--free of charge.  (I think an expatriate had gotten lost on his way to the bar...or the wait staff couldn't locate him in the cavernous space...or maybe it just dropped on the floor and they could see we would be happy to scoop it up and gobble down every morsel!  In any event, it was the right way to start off our dinner as we sipped red wine purchased by Becky and Grandpa.

I had braised chicken with rosotto that was delectable!  But honestly, it was the fennel soup that earned my admiration.  It still calls out to me in my dreams and I can't wait to return and order a bowl of my own.

The Westport Cafe delivers on atmosphere, food, service and drink.  Don't know what more could be asked--except--Why is it so small?  They could pack a restaurant twice the size!  Final score 4.5 of 5.