The True Cajun By: RJ
Anna Ree’s Andouille
1329 US 52 New Richmond, OH 45157
513-699-4102
Cincy only has a couple few Cajun restaurants. Which is best is a matter of opinion. Which one has the most true to heart Cajun vibe is another matter. Only Anna Ree’s Andouille has true Cajun ambience.
Walking in you might not understand why I say that. Walk out the back door and you’ll see what I mean.
Folks and families are sitting on picnic tables under giant shade tree’s riverside. The patio pavilion bar is surrounded with smiling faces engaging the bartenders and enjoying their drinks. Bands like Robin Lacy and Lagniappe have their fiddles, horns, guitars and drums filling the park like backyard with sounds of the bayou… “Goodbye Joe we gotta go me oh my oh..” Grandma & grandpa bounce toddlers on their knees in time with the tune. Mom & dad do the tipsy two shoe bayou shuffle on the green grass dance floor. Whole families sit with toes tapping as they dine on damn fine Creole creations hot out of the kitchen. Corks pop constantly. Big bowls of red beans & rice, jambalaya, and etouffee entice you with their aroma as they pass by. A few of the younger folks sit down near riverside in semi-seclusion at sunset. The seductive Cajun sounds & flavors in the air are being breathed in deep and savored into the soul. Don’t even think this is a “New Orleans” style joint, nope, this is “Nawlins” here people. You can’t copy a vibe, you have to create it, live it, eat it and drink it in.
The other Cajun restaurants are just that restaurants. A building with a bar, a kitchen and a dining room. You can hang all kinds of Louisiana décor on the walls, but outside it’s still Cincinnati (or NKY). Not at Andouille’s. Outside here it feels like you could be at a Lake Pontchartrain party, or a Baton Rouge family reunion. Other restaurants try to copy “The Quarter” city look but Andouille’s is country-fied Cajun. The down home real deal.
The other real deal is the food. Oooh oh! I guar-an-tee you’ll mmm and aah when the gumbo goes over the gums. The folks in the neon lit kitchen are not into tweaking or twisting Cajun food into cloned Cajun fare. They cook the classics. They have a nice big garden to pick fresh veggies from and they even use Chef Paul Prudhomme’s sausage and andouille.
Crawfish, frog legs and Nawlins gator get fried for your starters. They blacken Gulf Coast grouper and beer batter wild cod. They fresh bread spicy Louisiana catfish too. The Cajun crazy chefs can easily create your eggplant Napoleon, crawfish etouffee or salmon croquettes. They turn big fresh French rolls into Po’ Boy’s and mammoth muffulettas that go great with ice cold beer.
There is no better table in the city than the ones under the shade trees to sit back and enjoy the hand crafted Cajun culinary delights. The food, the view, the music, the vibe and the flavors all come together to create true Cajun. It’s a one of kind experience around here. And one well worth writing about if for no other reason than to remind folks “Cajun” is more than a menu. It’s a way of life.
