Where Do You Get Good Cajun Food?

I'm really at a loss as to where to find it in Fort Worth. And, no, Pappadeaux's really doesn't cut it. Not that the food is bad -- it's quite tasty -- it's just I never have an exceptional dining experience there. I feel overfed and overcharged.

Anyway, I bring this up because I did experience a total Cajun foodgasm today ... in Dallas. The place in question is Dodie's on Greenville Ave.

I ended up there because no good deed goes unpunished. Like two years ago, I did some design work for my friend, Lee Roth. Lee's a very accomplished landscape architect. I won't name-drop his clients, but most of them are nine and ten-figure net-worth types. Yeah, I know how many zeros that is.

Anyway, I did a little favor for Lee and he says, how much? I say, don't worry about it. He says, I'll take you to lunch. Deal.

Now, Lee is from New Orleans, so I know he knows good Cajun. So I say, hook me up, brutha. And then a lot of time passes.

So today, Lee calls me and says, you got lunch plans? I do now. And that's how I ended up at Dodie's.

Basically, I don't even need to look at a menu -- Lee just orders. We start off with Abita Amber. Now, I don't know about you, but there's something about drinking beer at lunch when you are really supposed to be working that just kicks ass. Maybe it's the beer part.

Well, if you follow that up with some really great food, it gets better.

For starters, there was this cole slaw -- vinegary, not creamy -- with loads garlic. Now, I hate cole slaw and I ate the whole bowl.

Then we moved on to chicken and sausage gumbo. I've been leaning toward this a little more when I eat at home, except I like to put a little duck in there when I can get it. But I digress, the gumbo was superb. The roux was actually a little on the light green side -- not the thick, dark brown to which I'm accustomed. Again, I ate the whole bowl.

That was followed up with Cajun tamales, which are these chili peppers stuffed with this -- I dunno? -- crawfish sausage? -- then deep fried. Wowza.

We are just now getting to the entree -- crawfish etouffee. Again, this was a little different than I'm used to -- the roux was red with a hint of tomato. And the best part was the crawfish were fresh. Excellent.

Because this wasn't enough food, I sampled with red beans and rice. Lee believes that great red beans need to be thoroughly soaked -- which few people will do. These were soaked and served with grilled andouille sausage. I'm going to order this next time.

So we ate, talked about some of his projects, bamboo for my yard, LSU football and kids. And as you can imagine, I wasn't worth a shit at work all afternoon. Is Christmas here yet?

Anyway, thanks, Lee. You are a rock star. And if anyone knows where to find good Cajun in the Fort, lemme know.

New Tenant on the TCU Drag?

Looks like the former Texadelphia space on the TCU drag is about to have a new tenant: the Fort Worthian blog reports that Buffalo Brothers Pizza & Wing Co. appears to be the new tenant. Too bad. I'd prefer something locally owned, but I'll withhold judgment for now at least.

Random Thoughts

I've been a little busy at the office and haven't had time to get my blog on. So please bear with me while I take care of a little housekeeping:

Church of the Sub Genius (right): As if there wasn't enough conspicuous consumption to make me feel small and inadequate, the new must-have transportation gizmo for the ultrarich is a private submarine. Kind of makes your iPhone look like a piece of crap, doesn't it? For example, one sub maker's midsize model is the $25 million Seattle 1000, a three-story-tall vessel with five staterooms, five bathrooms, two kitchens, a gym, a wine cellar and a 30-foot-long by 15-foot-wide observation portal. It has a range of 3,000 nautical miles. Sheesh, where is a depth charge when you really need one?

But I have a plan: I will find and sink the secretive submarines of these wealthy fops the same way the Allies did it in WWII -- with my very own Enigma machine! There's one for sale now on eBay for a mere 10 large. Can someone write me a check?

Show Me The Money: This big project in the Startlegram today looked a little familiar. I wonder why.... Oh, yeah, now I remember - I wrote the same damn thing three months ago! That map kicks ass, though. I'll give you that.

Lili's Bistro: Kevin reminded me of a dining destination on Magnolia I had not yet experienced. Yes, you had me at Gorgonzola. Dropped in late Saturday night. Had the Asian crab cakes, grilled halloumi and mini cristos. Dessert was the Italian cream cake and chocolate almond torte. Not exactly health food, but plenty of yum. A little spensive (Entrees are $16-$18) but good food and a great vibe. Steve says check it.

Dutch's Burgers N Beer: Grady Spears' newest venture occupies the old Jon's Grille space on the TCU drag. Bernie's already given his take, so once again, I'm playing catch-up (no pun intended). Grady makes a mean burger -- a big fat patty and a fresh baked bun. The onion rings are awesome but the fries had an unexpected fishy taste. WTF? The frito pie made me care a little less about the fries -- it's a little more upscale than the heartburn-inducing versions I usually prefer, but plenty good and I'll be back for it again. As for the vibe -- well, no one will confuse it with Fred's. It's a little more tassled-loafer than I would prefer. I like a little raunch with my burger -- my inner redneck, I guess. And spensive yes. Terry Chandler, you don't got nuthin to worry bout, Brutha. Still, can Grady make it? My wife and her co-workers were wondering the same thing. Their conclusion -- nope. My conclusion -- as long as you can drag the TCU kids and their fat wallets in -- you'll be fine.

Not Wrecked: Stash reminds us that the Wreck Room is not closed. Brian ... that fella can hang on.

Birthday Greetings: Speaking of Stash, as we discussed on Sunday, July is a good month to get older. Ken wrote this touching birthday greeting to his oldest daughter and reminded me of two things: 1) Daughters are awesome. 2) Ken really isn't a blogger, he's a poet. Good on ya.

Cindy has left the building: Miss Cindy from the Fine Line now calls San Antone home. Wahh!

Good news / bad news for newspapers: Good news: The Audit Bureau is adding "audience engagement" (read: Web site visitors) to its measurements which will make dismal circulation numbers a little less dismal. Bad news: It's earnings report week for the industry. Let the bloodletting begin ... er, continue.

PSA from our robot overlords Bret and Jemaine: "The humans are dead!"

A Year Older, But Not Wiser

Dave Barry once wrote that there is an age to stop expecting people to make a big deal over your birthday and that age is 12. Well, today is my birthday and I don't expect anyone to make a big deal over it, but sometimes, it happens anyway. And I am much older than 12.

So here I am. I just finished lunch with my colleagues at Chic Barcelona (or, as I like to say, Bar-THE-lona) and you can see what I had pictured at the left -- rotisserie chicken with a side of of roasted apples and grilled asparagus. We also had an appetizer of olives, pan con tomate -- toasted bread slices rubbed with tomato, salt, pepper and virgin olive oil with some slices of manchego -- and a shot of gazpacho. Washed all this down with a bottle of tempranillo so I've got a nice little red wine dronk right now and I'm not anticipating much productivity this afternoon.

Tonight, I'm going to party like it's 1959 -- red meat, martinis, champagne and Sammy Davis Jr. Schmelkus, babe!

All Over The Place Dining

My good friend Dominick has left the building -- or at least Fort Worth. D is now in New York City pursuing his photography full-time, but one of his parting bits of wisdom was to try the all-you-can eat vegan pancake feed at Spiral Diner on Magnolia.

Well, I'm willing to try new things. I like to eat the animals, but going meat-free for a meal doesn't bother me, so me and the fam dropped in on Saturday morning to give it a try. Unfortunately, I wish I had listened closer to D about the pancake feed -- it's Sunday only. Undetered, we stayed for lunch and I have to say I enjoyed it. I had the Big Taquito, a dollop of Tofu Scramble with diced sausage, onions, red bell pepper, potatoes and avocado, all wrapped, grilled and sealed in a tortilla. This pretty much bolstered my theory that you can wrap just about anything in a tortilla and have taste good.

That night, we enjoyed a completely opposite dining experience -- M&M Steakhouse on the North Side. It's dark, it's dingy. The walls are covered with deer heads, barbed wire and neon signs. The jukebox is loaded with records (not CDs) from likes of Webb Pierce, Commander Cody and Roy Acuff. There's ain't a non-smoking section. And they cook up a mean ribeye. Happy Father's Day to me.

Just so my body would be thoroughly confused, we went back to the Spiral Diner for pancakes on Sunday. I must say that was a righteous feed. I had two plates of blueberry pancakes and a side of tofu sausage that was pretty heavy on the thyme, and chased it down with fresh squeezed OJ and a cup a joe. Those were probably the best pancakes I've had in Fort Worth, and I like the ones at Paris Coffee Shop quite a bit. I'm glad they didn't know where I ate dinner the night before. They might have refused service.

If you think your body can handle it, give the M&M/Spiral combo a try. And if you do, drop me a line. I might join you.

Cowtown Taqueria Tour

Kudos to the Startlegram's Amy Culbertson for great Sunday Food Section on what makes a true taco and a taqueria tour de Fort Worth. So what makes a true taco? Hint: If your plate looks like the one at the right, you're on the right track.

Fred's Burns ... Again

Public Service Announcement: Fred's burns again. World Wide Fred says it's a minor one. Let's hope they get online again before I need a ribeye in chipotle butter. NOTE: Re-re-opening scheduled for Feb. 12.