I have been curious about Boil & Roux for months. I pass it during my daily commute, and it’s always buzzing with several cars in the parking lot after work and on game days. I finally gave in and tried it recently.
The interior has changed little since the previous occupant, Portico. There is still a breezy patio perfect for happy hour, and still plenty of televisions to satisfy your viewing pleasure. There is a large bar area that opens onto the patio, and still plenty of interior seating.
What has changed is the menu. It’s separated into 16 different sections, and it takes a while to work through the plethora of choices.
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One of the 16 sections is devoted to fried seafood. Traditionally I avoid the fried options at restaurants, but I was tempted by the Crawfish Saintsation, with fried crawfish, dirty rice (not often seen on menus) and crawfish étouffée. While I ultimately didn’t order this dish, it sounded worthy of more than just a glance.
For the meat eater who prefers cow over crawfish, the homemade meatloaf in the “Southern Kitchen” section looked to be another fine option. Speaking of meat-eating: “The Boilin’ Room” featured both boiled neck and turkey bones, leaving us to discuss how our parents and grandparents would love these old-fashioned bites.
For appetizers our server favored the crawfish nachos but warned us of the imposing size. We heeded his warning and instead opted for boudin balls and blackened alligator. Since the boudin balls were served with remoulade, we chose the sweet chili sauce to accompany the gator. Juicy and reasonably portioned, the alligator had a light dusting of blackening seasoning loaded with immense flavor, yet none of the usual heavy-handed layers of coating and fat. The chili sauce was a sweet pairing with the savory gator. With a bed of crunchy raw cabbage, this was a satisfying start to our meal.
The boudin balls were plentiful, with a crunchy crust and moist center with plenty of heat and flavor and nice meat-to-rice ratio. The only dim note to the dish was the bland, uninteresting remoulade.
The homemade meatloaf caught the eye of my partner (they were out of the pot roast), while I chose the pork chops, and our friend opted for the Catfish Acadiana. The chops were moist and properly grilled, but those expecting a finer (and more expensive, less flavorful) center cut will be disappointed. These were bone-in with visible fat. To get to the meat you have to work a little harder, but you are rewarded with much better flavor.
The two crisp, flaky catfish fillets were smothered in a respectable crawfish étouffée and served over rice. The catfish had a great texture, and the étouffée was not the least bit fishy, even though crawfish was out of season during our visit.
The serving of meatloaf looked less like a loaf and more like a meat sandwich. The slices of meatloaf had ample spice, a toothsome quality and rich, creamy garlic mashed potatoes stuffed in between. But the best part was the deep brown gravy.
The dish was served with bland steamed broccoli that desperately needed something, anything, to jazz up an already boring vegetable. But at least it was cooked perfectly al dente.
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The server offered up dessert options, saying the Banana Pudding Cake was his favorite. We could taste why. Spongy with mild banana flavor, it had an interesting crunch that we discovered came from a sprinkling of turbonado sugar. The cake was layered and topped with an ever-so-slightly sweetened whipped cream. What we thought would be a heavy ending was light and airy, leaving us satisfied yet not stuffed.
We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of food and the flavors brought out in each dish. When we arrived, we were the only patrons, and our host/server was extremely conscientious. As the restaurant filled with diners, his congeniality and diligence in fulfilling our needs never wavered, leaving us with a feeling of being well-cared for. That attention to service alone is reason to return.
boilandroux.com
11777 Coursey Blvd.
778-7700
Open every day at 11 a.m.