Cafe Rue Brings the French Quarter to the Ozarks

Exactly 25 years ago, I hopped on an airplane to go meet the family of my future wife.  I went straight to the airport after finishing my night shift at FedEx.  By the time I made it to St. Martinville, LA, I was exhausted.  The first person Kim introduced me to was a wonderful woman, Beatrice Leon, affectionately known as "Grand-maw"(May not be spelled right but with the creole accent you get the point).  Ten minutes later, I was sitting at the dining room table with a plate of crawfish stew in front of me.  Up to that point in my life, I had never eaten crawfish.  After the first bite, I was hooked.  Later that evening, I met my future father-in-law, Francis Leon.  It was then, I tasted jambalaya for the first time.  I was absolutely hooked.  The next day, which was Easter

Sunday,  we had dinner at Grand-Maw's house. I had no idea that so much food could fit into one house.  For the first time, I had red beans and rice, etouffee, and rice dressing.  25 years later and a 75% increase in body mass, I'm still a fan of creole dishes.  Grand-Maw is no longer with us, but my father-in-law is still hooking it up.  Many restaurants tout that they serve authentic creole dishes.  I have given many the thumbs down due to the standards that have been set.  This past weekend, Kim and I found a place at the base of the Ozark Mountains, that is very close to the real deal.

When we heard that AAU basketball was taking us to Fayetteville, AR, the only thing I knew was the Razorbacks.  I went to the food channel to see is they had any restaurants that have been featured on Man vs Food or Diners, Drive-in, and Dives.  Nothing.  However, trip advisor mentioned a place called Cafe Rue Orleans.  The reviews peaked our curiosity, so Kim and I decided to give it a try.

My first reaction when we pulled up to the restaurant was, "Uh-oh."  The second floor restaurant was partially encircled by a motel, whose sign would be the perfect foreshadow for a horror movie.  When we entered the restaurant, we were immediately greeting by a friendly face and was seated.  We looked over the menu and our eyes caught "The Bayou Boat."  This consisted of crab cakes, fried shrimp, fried crawfish, fried fish, fried oysters on a bed of french fries.  "Enough to feed 2 to 4 people" the menu touted.  "I'll be the judge of that,"  I thought to myself.  We ordered the bayou boat and sides of Jambalaya and red beans and rice. 

When the boat pulled into the dock, I heard angels singing and a bright light emitted from the table.  It was beautiful.  Everything thing in that boat was seasoned and fried to perfection.  We were provided cocktail, remoulade, and tartar sauces.  All of which were perfect as well.  As for the claim that it was enough for 2 to 4 people, it was on point.   There were so many french fries, not even Craig's daddy could eat all of them(From the Movie Friday). I had to throw in the napkin.  That was when I realized that there were two side dishes in front of us.  The red beans and rice had the right color and flavor, yet it was soupy.  The jambalaya was dry.  There was no hint of the tomato base, which I was accustomed.  The thing I like about it was that it had authentic andoullie sausage.  Many people list andouille as an ingedient; however, it is mere smoked sausage.   I signed up for their text club and we were given a free order of beignets.  They didn't revival Cafe du Mond in New Orleans, but they were great.

Needless to say, I boxed up our leftovers for a late night snack at the hotel and vowed to return. If you're in Fayetteville, AR, a visit to Cafe Rue Orleans is a must.  Stay tuned to read about our dessert experience while visiting Fayetteville, AR.