J. Gumbo's Poplar Level open again!

I'm a J Gumbo's fan, and the mention of Fern Creek was intriguing.

Gumbo's to me is in that middle ground between fast food and sit down restaurant, so I base my opinions of the place on a different set of criteria than I would use for a 'traditional restaurant'. My list consists of:

1) Do I like the food?
2) Is the preparation consistent from visit to visit?

The Hurstborne location has never let me down on either one. Voodoo Chicken Po Boy with Cajun Crawtators and an unsweet tea makes for a great lunch. It may not be authentic Cajun, but it is different and that is what draws me in.

One question though - I went to UK in the days of Jozo's (a Lexington Cajun place you may or may not have heard of) and one of the things that made them special in my book was the option to order any of the menu items served on jambalaya instead of rice. Is that an option at J Gumbos? I never thought to ask before now...

Oh, how I miss Jozo's.

My favorite part was the variety of hot sauces that they offered. A split plate of red beans/rice and jambalaya covered in Cajun Power Garlic Sauce ... good stuff.

Ronnie, I eat at your downtown occassionally. If you had Cajun Power Garlic Sauce, I would be there weekly. Just sayin',

-Pete

I'm a J Gumbo's fan,

1) Do I like the food?
2) Is the preparation consistent from visit to visit?

My criteria as well. I ate Drunken Chicken for a week when it was first offered. VooDoo and Drunken Chicken are my go to "fast food" choice. Thank you Ronnie.

Call them cajun, call them fast food, call them junk food, call them whatever you want. I call them tasty.

VooDoo Chicken, Drunken Chicken, and Bumblebee Stew are all great.

Oh, how I miss Jozo's.

One of my absolute favorite places to eat while in Lexington while attending school during the early - mid 90's.

I'd love to have a little variety on hot sauces than just the basic three on the table. Plus, I'll be the first to admit I stopped going a while back because of the food. Then after hearing they regained control of the kitchen, I gave it another shot. It was dramatically improved from the previous few times I had been to J. Gumbos.

I'm a J Gumbo's fan, and the mention of Fern Creek was intriguing.

Ditto. I'd really like to see this happen in the future.

Voodoo Chicken - My favorite. I'd really love to see this dish with more cheese on top and less rice on the bottom.

Ronnie, I know what you mean about having to adapt recipes to suit people's tastes. When we first started doing our Greek Salad we did it how they do it in Greece, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Green Bell Pepper, Red Onions, Feta Cheese, Kalamata Olives, sprinkled with Oregano. NO LETTUCE. However, people thought it odd that a salad didn't have lettuce in it, so we added chopped leaf lettuce. Sometimes you've just got to go with the flow.

I'm a J Gumbo's fan, and the mention of Fern Creek was intriguing.

As another Fern Creeker, this has my attention also.

I'd love to have a little variety on hot sauces than just the basic three on the table.

A bottle of this on the table would elevate it from 'good' to 'win' That stuff is like crack (and CajunGrocer.com is my current dealer).

[Robin Garr]

A bottle of this on the table would elevate it from 'good' to 'win' That stuff is like crack (and CajunGrocer.com is my current dealer).

How do you suppose it compares to this? I go through a LOT of Melinda's Garlic Habanero. (Available locally at Lotsa Pasta.)

Aw, hell with it. Buh-bye, Michael.

Gee Dad...does this mean Michael can't hang out with me, Lumpy and the Beaver anymore ?

A bottle of this on the table would elevate it from 'good' to 'win' That stuff is like crack (and CajunGrocer.com is my current dealer).

How do you suppose it compares to this? I go through a LOT of Melinda's Garlic Habanero. (Available locally at Lotsa Pasta.)

Robin,

They are fairly similar products...in the same "family" anyway. Cajun Power is about half as expensive (5.95 for 16 oz.) and I believe it's made in the USA, so it's got that (almost) locavore thing going for it. I think I saw Cajun Power on the tables at Joe's OK Bayou the last time we stopped in.

CAJUN POWER........is made in Abbeville, Louisiana

They have great products.....They started with the Garlic Sauce and now have many products......

All of the products are good....real good!!!!!!!!!

How do you suppose it compares to this? I go through a LOT of Melinda's Garlic Habanero. (Available locally at Lotsa Pasta.)

Not sure the two sauces really compare well - the only thing they have in common is the garlic. The Cajun Power is a semi-thin, runny kind of sauce with a vinegar base, so it has more of a 'tangy' flavor than the Melindas. The Melindas has some vinegar in it, but it isn't the 'first taste' that hits the tongue like it is with the Cajun Power. In my kitchen, the Cajun Power is more of a 'drizzle on top of stuff' or dipping sauce, and the Melindas is an 'add as a seasoning' or slather on a sandwich/burger kind of thing because it sticks to food better due to the texture.

My favorite use for the Cajun Power these days is to toss a big glug of it into a bowl of fresh steamed peas, throw in some butter, and mush it to goo with an immersion blender. Makes a great side (or topping) for grilled pork chops among other things...

Jozo's in Lexington was actually the first place I ever encountered both of these sauces - they always had the original Melindas on their little rack of sauces, along with about 5 or 6 others. Chicken Sauce Piquant on a bed of jamba, then fired up with sauce.... Mmmmmm.

That stuff is like crack

I agree 100%. I am getting the cold shakes, jonesin' for some right now.

Robin, one comment I would make in the comparison between Cajun Power and Melinda's is that Cajun Power has very little heat associated with it (i.e. Franks Red Hot is hotter than Cajun Power). It is vinegary garlicky goodness in a bottle.

-Pete

[Robin Garr]

vinegary garlicky goodness in a bottle.

I could definitely eat that ...