Darrow’s New Orleans Grill UPDATE - Carson

What would you like? A Zeek or a Zeek?

The all-fried Zeek is king...or is it? Golden shrimp, catfish encased in a crumby shell, creamy potato salad all in a chewy roll...

Don't decide before you give the grilled Zeek a go. The shrimp are super tender, and the catfish is almost buttery, a feat when working with a bottom feeder that usually tastes like mud. 

Which did I like better? The Zeek or the Zeek? Depends on my mood. My gluttony favors the fried, but my arteries appreciate the grilled. The fried has an extra crunch, but the grilled has so much flavor. Solution: Go halfsies on both. I don’t know much about love, but I know I need someone who's always willing to share a couple Zeeks.

Darrow’s New Orleans Grill - Carson

Support black businesses. And more importantly, support the best businesses! Darrow's makes the best sandwich in the South Bay, and it's our damn fault if we let them go!

The best sandwich in the South Bay. You'll hear that a lot. Many dare to make the claim, but none of them make the Zeek. And none of them that dare to make this claim have ever had the Zeek. A po'boy with potato salad sounds like something you’d see on thisiswhyyourefat.com, but it’s unequivocally the best of the bayou between two slices of bread. Fried catfish has a crunch, and the shrimp are sweet and fresh under golden-brown breading. The creole potato salad cushions the rougher edges of the frying, and there is something about how the mashy potato and mayo bring it all together. It's also a literal glue so your sandwich never falls apart.

The Bayou Classic made me nervous - life is like a box of oysters - you never know what you’re going to get. Fear the salty pungency, fear the briny stench, and especially fear the freshwater oyster which tends to taste like mud. No fear needed, the oysters fry light, and the freshness kills the stench. The frying cuts the slime factor, and the texture and finish are more meaty than mollusk in a way. A bit on the saltier side, but stays on the tasty side. 

Fresh seafood seems to be their specialty. The Soft Shell Crab Po'Boy is a smooth and sizable crustacean, sweet and for lack of a better description, just really good. 

The Chicken Sausage is nice as well - made with dark meat to give it some extra flavor. The spice mix sings, but I wish it would singe a little more. It doesn't have that Cajun-Creole fire, but it would make one heck of a breakfast. 

Sides are important, and all of theirs are vegetarian. I prefer my collards with the ham, but these Bayou Blend Greens are a healthy, garden-y, god's-green-earth mouthful of bitter greens that have a refreshing pop. 

Also vegetarian, the Red Beans & Rice. The beans are soft-boiled, the rice fluffy but firm. Comfort food for sure. 

I recommend a soup and sandwich, specifically a po'boy to dip into the File Gumbo. I've had my share of gumbos, and this is the gumbo to roux them all. A brown, almost-gravy stew is spicy and meaty with crab and shrimp bringing out the seafood savor and chicken adding the meaty flavor. 

I support Darrow's. Because they are awesome! They roll out some of the best flavors that ever graced a roll, and judging by all the hits I've tried, they seem to be on a roll.  

Ragin' Cajun - Redondo Beach

I've had a long day. Too long a day to cook a compelling dinner for two. I love Cajun, and I was ragin' so Ragin' Cajun was an obvious choice.

The Bourbon Flight was the first bit of fun I've had all day. Each little glass had varying amounts of dark and fruit and wood. But it only works for so long on an empty stomach.

My hanger was horrible, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized 20 minutes into sipping bourbon that none of the food had arrived. "It's only been 5-10 minutes," our server insisted, as if my watch were lying.

The Crawfish 1/2 & 1/2 arrived, and I wolfed down batter-burdened crawfish tails and felt them soak up all the booze in my empty stomach. The breading is heavy on the thin little tails, but it's the better 1/2. The erroroneous etouffe had a spicy kick to it, but it was more like a watery soup. Shallow flavor with no detectable roux.

Our catfish po'boy came out as a Crawfish Po'boy, but we ate it in stony silence. We didn't dare send the sandwich back, lest we wait another hungry half-hour. The po'boy was fine and forgettable.

Don't be fooled by the reviews. They only get good yelp reviews because they give out free Beignets in exchange. Yelp says it's a check-in deal, but our server refused to honor it as such, telling me I had to write a review. He eventually relented and said he'd bring the beignets, but they must be invisible because mine never materialized... And the beignets-who-must-not-be-named were never mentioned again.

Check your bill. Chances are, it is incorrect. They charged us $19 for the flight, which is $18. We pointed out the error and were told, "There is nothing I can do to change that - that's just how it rings up on the register." Ummm... Excuse me? It's not about the amount, it's more about the fact that they've stolen money from countless customers. They gave us cards for $5 off our next meal. As if we would ever come back.

I Melt for Tupelo - Cambridge

For those who are not diehard fans of my fave country boy-band Rascal Flatts (before they sold out with their whiny crossover hit “What Hurts the Most”), this review is written as a giant reference to the lyrics of their many hit songs. The links are to the songs in case you want to know just what the heck I’m actually alluding to. And if you think I’ve gone off the deep end with this review, fear not, I’ll be back to my snarky self in the next one.

I set out on a narrow way, many years ago. Hoping I would find true southern cooking along the broken road through Cambridge. I got lost a time or two, wiped my brow, kept pushing through. I couldn’t see how every sign pointed straight to Tupelo.

                                                              

Every long lost dream lead me to the Fried Grits. Others who broke my heart, they were like Northern stars pointing me on my way into the loving creamy buttery filling under a lightly fried shell. This much I know is true: that god blessed the broken road that led me straight to Tupelo.

Southern Fried Chicken is hard to make well, and I’m guessing all that pressure often makes chefs feel like a candle in a hurricane when they’re trying to get it right. The chefs at Tupelo were neither alone nor helpless, never lost their fight, and the fried chicken turned out way better than alright. Cuz when push comes to shove, the chicken was made of crispy brown batter, with not a single soggy spot, and a nice kick of spice. The side of collared greens had enough vinegar to make me bend and break cuz it’s all I can take and with my tastebuds on their knees, vinegar made me a bit mad by getting so overpoweringly strong, but I wiped my mouth and shook it off, and that’s how I stand. But when it comes to the chicken, well…I could definitely stand for a lot more of that.

The side of Jalapeno Mac & Cheese didn’t taste a day over fast cars and freedom. A childlike classic with a kick creates a first time feelin’. That jalapeno was hot, but we gave it a chance. And if anyone deserves a chance, it’s the mac & cheese. And don’t forget to just sit there and let a side of spicy-sweet pickles take you back.

I melt every time I look at the Beer Battered Crepes that way.  This savory classic never fails, anytime, any place. The hot melted gruyere with a steamy assortment of impossibly flavorful wild mushrooms was burning me but it one of the coolest things I’ve ever tasted. I melt…

The Mud Pie with 3 Musketeers ice cream and the Pecan Pie with Tupelo honey ice cream are the best desserts I’ve had all year, maybe EVER. Though these desserts are borrowed from Petsie Pies and Toscanini’s, it’s never a bad idea to borrow what someone else does better – just look at the Hippocratic Oath! Besides, the chef of Petsie Pies is also a chef at Tupelo so it’s not really even borrowing when it comes to the pies. These pies were pieces of perfection – no twists or surprises but the best mud pie and pecan pie I’ve ever had. They were ordinary, plain and simple, typical and deserving of my everyday love. Same ol’ but keeping it new. Amazingly delicious explosion of sweetness, so familiar, nothing about it too peculiar. But I can’t get enough of my everyday love for pie.

I’m gonna stand on a rooftop, climb up a mountaintop, scream and shout. I wanna sing it on the radio, show it on my food blog, leave no doubt. I want the foodie world to know just what southern cooking is all about. I just wanna love Tupelo out loud.