Dining at a Chain...

The hubby and I love a good gumbo. Anyone have a good recipe they'd like to share? *cough*

[Robin Garr]

Robin, how dark do you go on your roux? It generally takes me 45 min to get the roux to what I was taught was the proper color.

Kris, I generally go for a dark brick but not black, and using a black-iron skillet with plenty of heat and constant whisking, it doesn't generally take me more than 10 minutes or so. I'm not sure that I'd try for a black roux or have any confidence in my ability to get there without burning it.

Robin, how dark do you go on your roux? It generally takes me 45 min to get the roux to what I was taught was the proper color.

Kris, I generally go for a dark brick but not black, and using a black-iron skillet with plenty of heat and constant whisking, it doesn't generally take me more than 10 minutes or so. I'm not sure that I'd try for a black roux or have any confidence in my ability to get there without burning it.

Ah, I see. As an aside, I remember my first day at Commander's Palace I asked the chef how long should I cook roux for gumbo and he replied by telling me in the time it takes to drink three beers, the roux would be perfect. Ah, the good ol' days.

I love Gumbo too! I asked for a few recipes in one of the other sections of the forum.

[Robin Garr]

I remember my first day at Commander's Palace I asked the chef how long should I cook roux for gumbo and he replied by telling me in the time it takes to drink three beers, the roux would be perfect. Ah, the good ol' days.

HAHAHAHA!

And ... Commander's! I admire that! I spent a couple of weeks working in a soup kitchen in Lafayette back in another job. It was supposed to be for poor and homeless folks, but the old, African-American chef was so famous that he drew in the general public, who paid full price. I learned a lot from him, and loved the work, even though I was really there to study the institution, not work in the kitchen.

cooking gumbo for one/two people seems a little ridiculous.

Diff'rent strokes, I guess ... gumbo for two is one of the regular dishes in our rotation, especially during okra season. Maybe my short experience working the line in a kitchen in Lafayette, La., left their stamp on me, but honestly, we're looking at an hour's work here, max, a good bit of it spent in unsupervised simmering.

Any good recipes you'd want to share? It took all of two days spent at my cousin's place close to NOLA to fall in love with the cuisine but for some reason have never tried it on my own. I have a great love of okra so anything you could divulge would make me happy!

[Robin Garr]

Any good recipes you'd want to share? It took all of two days spent at my cousin's place close to NOLA to fall in love with the cuisine but for some reason have never tried it on my own. I have a great love of okra so anything you could divulge would make me happy!

Mandy, here are a few gumbo and other Acadian recipes I've published over the years:

Okra and sausage gumbo
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvis ... 0502.phtml

Okra and tomatoes
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvis ... 070823.php

Jambalaya
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvis ... 0717.phtml

Jambalaya revisited
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvis ... 41118.html

Cookin' Creole
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvis ... 1027.phtml

"Cookin' Creole" touches briefly on roux, but I notice that I did not include a roux procedure in any of these recipes. As Kris and I were discussing, making roux right takes a little practice, and I've been reluctant to throw a Cajun roux procedure at a general audience. If you want to go for it, though, start a thread in The Louisville Kitchen, and I'll bet a bunch of us will chime in.

Yo Gumbo Recipe

http://www.gumbopages.com/food/gumbo.html

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm ready to go off the deep end, but it was really one of the saddest experiences I'd had lately. I ordered the half-rack of ribs, the baked potato, and the steam veggies. The minute I saw and then tasted the ribs I knew they were the pre-cooked/frozen variety I was familiar with from Tumbleweed. The BBQ sauce really had no taste, and the baked potato lacked seasoning. I'm not really sure how to describe the veggies, other than to say they were floating in a toxic liquid of some sort and were pretty much inedible.

This thread took a hard left turn before I saw this, but I was served the exact same meal at Tony Roma's. My wife was given a gift card over a year ago and we finally decided to use it. If I admitted to eating there I would be thrown off of my smoker forum, because they actually boil the ribs in water flavored with liquid smoke, then throw them on a grill. A lot of people seemed to be enjoying themselves and spending not a small amount of money; I just felt sad that their customers must not know of anything better. I guess it just shows what you can accomplish with marketing in this country.

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm ready to go off the deep end, but it was really one of the saddest experiences I'd had lately. I ordered the half-rack of ribs, the baked potato, and the steam veggies. The minute I saw and then tasted the ribs I knew they were the pre-cooked/frozen variety I was familiar with from Tumbleweed. The BBQ sauce really had no taste, and the baked potato lacked seasoning. I'm not really sure how to describe the veggies, other than to say they were floating in a toxic liquid of some sort and were pretty much inedible.

This thread took a hard left turn before I saw this, but I was served the exact same meal at Tony Roma's. My wife was given a gift card over a year ago and we finally decided to use it. If I admitted to eating there I would be thrown off of my smoker forum, because they actually boil the ribs in water flavored with liquid smoke, then throw them on a grill. A lot of people seemed to be enjoying themselves and spending not a small amount of money; I just felt sad that their customers must not know of anything better. I guess it just shows what you can accomplish with marketing in this country.

Is that still the same here? I know it used to be that this franchisee cooked in that manor, but the franchise was sold many months ago and I was hoping the new owners would do things right. In other markets, Tony Roma's uses Southern Pride smokers and does a decent job on most ribs (and an even better job on onion loaves!).

We actually like the salads there. Otherwise, the most positive thing is that it's better than Macca's (around the corner from it).

I like Maccas - I like the caribbean style rice & beans they serve with entrees. My whole family likes it, they have something for all ages. The noise level can get a bit too loud, but we really like the food - and they're NOT a chain, this is
the one and only, right here in Louisville.

Is that still the same here? I know it used to be that this franchisee cooked in that manor, but the franchise was sold many months ago and I was hoping the new owners would do things right. In other markets, Tony Roma's uses Southern Pride smokers and does a decent job on most ribs (and an even better job on onion loaves!).

I could not detect any smoke on the ribs at this location. I know better than to order ribs at any place that doesn't have a pile of hickory out back, but I decided I should see how the other half lives. It was a gift certificate, after all. I just didn't know how bad it could get.

I like Maccas - I like the caribbean style rice & beans they serve with entrees. My whole family likes it, they have something for all ages. The noise level can get a bit too loud, but we really like the food - and they're NOT a chain, this isthe one and only, right here in Louisville.

They were actually going to be a chain (I can't remember what the name was going to be) but the deal fell through so instead they copied the format and went independent. They may not be a chain but it certainly isn't original. The couple of times we've been there we weren't overly impressed, the food was OK but the service was definitely lacking and as you mentioned it was quite loud.

We actually like the salads there. Otherwise, the most positive thing is that it's better than Macca's (around the corner from it).

I like Maccas - I like the caribbean style rice & beans they serve with entrees. My whole family likes it, they have something for all ages. The noise level can get a bit too loud, but we really like the food - and they're NOT a chain, this is
the one and only, right here in Louisville.

Actually, I LOVE the rice and beans . . . it's the entrees that I dislike. Specifically, the first (and last) time I ate there three of us had fish so overcooked as to be inedible (and we had specifically asked for each to me "medium rare"), and the fourth - who ordered fried fish and fries - got greasy semi-raw food. When we complained to the waitress (and later to the manager) we were told that this is the way they cook it.

We now go to Indigo Joes for a less expensive dinner in that center, or to Napa River or the Japanese restaurant for more luxurious fare, or occasionally to Jade Palace for dim sum or to Los Aztecas.