I heard only bad things about Louie's since it opened but I was curious today, and... OMG, ew!!!! Godawful experience for dinner. A single and female diner, I was ignored for quite some time before seated, and further ignored for some time before the waiter took my order. I ordered a pricey mixed drink (admittedly the drinks are as good as I remember from when this restaurant was still Clouds) and a fried chicken dinner. The dinner came out within seconds of the drink. Fresh food? I think NOT! No seafood in the gumbo, which tasted canned and was seasoned with a ton of rosemary - blecch. The half fried chicken (actually not a half chicken but in pieces) was like Shake 'n' Bake coated in salt - inedible. I was told Cajun cooking is spicy and salty. Uh, no, I've been to Louisiana several times and have never tasted that much salt in anything. The waiter offered to have them redo the chicken the way it is done at brunch, with panko. He brought out chicken fingers. You bet I sent it back, and I will forever laisser le bons temps router elsewhere.
Yet another crappy tourist trap in a city where no one seems to know the meaning of good food or good service.
Terrible experience, stopped and bought dinner to take home to my family in Ben Lomond. $80.00 when I got home it took 20 minutes, the food was not good at all not fresh, didn't even smell fresh, I tried to call, no one answers. I drove back to town. The hostess was very understanding and kind, however when the Owner/ manager came to talk to me he was very agressive and rude, laughed at me and said no refund no credit no apology. then turned to some one else and started talking and laughing. We had to throw the food away. I would never go back.
Review Source:I ordered The Basic. Â It was all good, including the biscuit and whipped butter! My friend ordered the chicken and waffles, surprisingly it was NOT chicken on the bone. Â They were chicken strips, but with a unique batter that was tasty. I also had the endless mimosa and they were OK. Â I've had better mimosas, probably the oj and champagne they use. Â Lastly, the ambiance with the music was awesome. It is a bit loud, where you have to lean in to talk with friend across the table but I enjoyed it.
Review Source:I came here to eat once before I decided to go vegan. I had their pulled pork sandwich and it was really delicious! What I remember most from that meal was the Beignets that we had for dessert. They were to die for! Chocolate, raspberry sauce, powdered sugar awesomeness. Authentic recipe from the left bank too. Sooo good. I came here again recently, now being vegan, and could only order stuff from their sides menu. I got the sautéed kale, which was unbelievably flavorful and a hint of spicy. I also had a baked sweet potato with no butter, and it was equally delicious. My boyfriend had the Jambalaya with chicken, which he said was way too fishy. Indeed I could smell the dirty clam sauce smell from across the table. He did however give great marks for the cornbread, saying it was the best he has ever tasted!
Service is good, pleasant, and fast. I've not had a bad experience the 2 times I've been there. Unfortunately, by building design, the place gets SUPER loud. All the flat walls just causes the sound to bounce around. Plus, we ate on a Friday night, they turned the lights down really low at around 9:45, and turned the music up SUPER loud, that I couldn't have a coherent conversation, let alone see my food. That wasn't a real win for me.
I ordered the poor excuse for  shrimp and crawfish gumbo,  want a shrimp or crawfish in sight and it was more bland than some canned gumbo I've tasted.  the hot wings tasted previously frozen and left an aftertaste,  although the skin was crispy and good and the sauce was pretty good also.  was my first time trying fried green tomatoes and they were pretty good as was the bacon and chard deviled eggs.  Strong drinks, pretty bar, ok service, ok to wick wick wack food
overall...disappointed
note to chef/staff: Â I'm gonna make gumbo soon and bring a bowl by so you all can see what real gumbo taste and looks like... that was the worst $8 I ever spent, I woke up the next morning upset that I didn't send it back to the kitchen
My boyfriend and I were walking around downtown Santa Cruz and happened upon this place. We reviewed the menu from outside and it appeared interesting and decided why not. We were greeted and seated by a nice woman who handed us beads as we sat down. Being that this was Cajun food apparently they wanted to really exploit the mardi gras feeling. Cute, but unnecessary. Our waiter arrived and we ordered two simple drinks, a grey goose martini and a lemon drop martini. When our waiter returned with our drinks the grey goose martini tasted like the house label(we asked specifically for grey goose) and didn't have any olives. The lemon drop was suspiciously pink and tasted like a Cosmo. Unfortunately we had to send both of our drinks back because they simply weren't what we ordered. Also, based on the amount of alcohol we both tasted in our drinks Id say they bartender is over pouring. Now that's great if you are trying to get drunk, however we just wanted to enjoy a drink with our meal. Our waiter returns very apologetic and polite with our drinks. Unfortunately my lemon drop was so strong that I couldn't drink more than a few sips. There was also a giant lemon wedge in my glass. The drink was not the classic sweet drink I'm used to. The grey goose martini was also not better and we felt bad for our waiter who was very accommodating. Our waiter then mentions that the drinks there do seem to be on the "strong side". After our waiter leaves I over hear a waitress say "the bartender is very hard to work with". Which gave me the impression he probably doesn't like being told he isn't making drinks correctly. For an appetizer we ordered the hushpuppies. Now I've never had this appetizer before so I don't have anything to compare it to other than what it tasted like. The flavor reminded me of tiny fried corn dogs. Even the dipping sauce was this odd mustard like taste. For dinner my boyfriend ordered the pot roast. Sadly they covered the entire dish in gravy which overpowered the dish and was the only flavor for the meal. He did not enjoy it. I ordered the salmon (blackened) and the sweet potato fries. My meal was delicious. We did not order dessert and I don't believe we will return. Our waiter gave excellent service, however he couldn't control the cook nor the bartender making inadequate food/drinks.
Review Source:Came here for dinner after a whole day of not really eating anything. We started off with some deviled eggs topped with smoked jalapenos. It was too salty for my taste that I only took two bites. Our entree was the jambalaya and grilled salmon with sides of grits and blacken beans. The grilled salmon was delicious and so was the jambalaya. As for both of the sides, it was bland. Wish the grits was more cheesy.
Overall, it was a decent place to have dinner. The service was on point and attentive. They refilled our water many times and quick to check up on us every few minutes. I am surprised their dress code for staffs was too lenient. The girls would be wearing the most skimpiest clothes and the guys would be wearing shirts without tucking them in. I guess that is the way they roll...
Went on a Saturday and had heard the piano music was really loud, but I didn't think it was overbearing whatsoever and added to the overall ambience of the place. Got the chicken fried steak with jalapeno mashed potatoes and both of them were phenomenal. For $10.95 I felt it was a hell of a deal. Also got a Zombie cocktail and it was stiff and delicious. My girlfriend got the pulled pork sandwich for $8.95 and it was HUGE. Definitely gonna come back again in the future.
Review Source:I was so happy to be able to finally try Louie's. Â We went on a Saturday night joined by 2 other couples - so a total of 6 of us. Â Our reservation was at 6:00pm and our table was waiting for us.
Overall service was good, food was good, value of the meal was great (pricing is very reasonable) and the ambiance was fun. Â We brought in several bottles of our own wine and champagne and they happily corked it for us for a $15 corkage fee per btl. Â The restaurant and bar were busy so the building got pretty loud - we all found ourselves raising our voices quite a bit to carry on our conversations. Â Not a problem for us, but not sure it'd be the day/time if you were looking for a more quiet/romantic dinner.
Our apps:
Fried okra & raw oysters - both were great
Hushpuppies - were tasty but for me a bit dry (but I'm not a huge hushpuppy fan)
Main entrees:
Fried chicken - good, but not great - very crisp but a bit too salty/bland
Fried oyster poboy - tasty
Pulled pork sandwich - tasty
Sides
Mac & cheese - delicious!!
As I mentioned, overall service was good but could of been better. Â One of our entrees didn't come with the rest - waiter confirmed we ordered it but didn't know why it wasn't cooked. Â We had to ask a couple times for additional salad dressing and wine glasses. Â Two of us ordered the fried chicken - I rec'd his portion (white meat) and he rec'd mine (dark meat). Â Again, not a huge deal.
Overall, the experience was good and we'll definitely be back as their menu is pretty extensive.
We went here to enjoy a bourbon drink. We sat at the bar and ordered a Manhattan and a Sazerac. The Manhattan was watery and the bartender used Maker's Mark instead of Bulleit (as we expected from the description.) The Sazerac was disappointing and my glass wasn't chilled. Â Both drinks were one dimensional and not great examples of these lovely cocktails.
Review Source:Love this place! Â Went Friday night and had a blast! Â I miss "clouds" but glad that the menu and facelift is done. Best drinks! I am doing the 4 star because I am not sure about the live music. The food/drink is incredible but also the wait staff. We all know that typically Santa Cruz restaurants have questionable service. Not here! Â Gotta give a shout out to our waiter George. Â He was great! Very accommodating and loved that we capped the evening off with a shot. We were there celebrating a friends business success and George helped make our celebration a success. Hope he sticks around.
Review Source:I think the majority of bad reviews are just people who think the restaurant is too loud on weekends, but I think that's part of the upbeat vibe of the whole place.
Everyone here was very friendly. Unlike the many places in Santa Cruz that do not seem to understand customer service, everyone at Louie's was attentive and friendly. The appetizers were bomb- definitely going to have to try more deviled egg flavors. The hushpuppies were great, maybe a little hardened but I think that was the cornmeal they used.
The peach-bourbon glazed brisket my husband got was perfect- the meat could be pulled apart with a fork, just like brisket should be, and the sauce was perfect. The sauce definitely made the meal. The sweet potato side was generously large and crisped perfectly as well.
I ordered the full order of fried chicken, with cornbread. Unfortunately, the chicken they gave me was so large that there was a large vein/artery in it that was bleeding a lot., even though they double checked that the chicken had been cooked to the proper temperature. I was going to just eat the other pieces and not worry so much about the blood since the meat itself was fine, but all of a sudden our waiter came out and said they were going to make me an entirely new meal with new side and everything.
Our receipt says our waiter's name was Rich, so a big thank you to him!!! He was extremely nice and an awesome waiter. I will come back just because of how great the service was.
I would have expected the fried chicken to be a bit spicy, but the food was more Americanized than Cajun. The portions were actually pretty worth their price. All in all, a good experience.
For two appetizers, two large orders with sides, and two extra sides, $43 before tip is not bad in Santa Cruz.
We will definitely come here again.
Nice ambiance. Â Loud nights. Â
Recommendations:
Fried Green Tomatoes, Jalepeno deviled eggs, corn bread, pulled pork sandwich without BBQ so you can taste the fullness of the sweet coleslaw and the only coleslaw I've ever liked. Â
Wish they opened before 2pm. Â A big pitfall if you ask me. Â So many times I would have eaten there with people if it had only been open= Pretty much a dinner only place.
It's been awhile since I've lived in Santa Cruz, but I try to get back to visit when I can. We all like to get together for Mimosa Sunday Funday when at all possible. My friends suggested we meet here.
This is probably my new favorite brunch spot in Santa Cruz. The decor is great and there's a jazz band playing during brunch. How awesome is that? The endless Mimosas were quite endless, although sometimes seemed a bit slow in coming, but we were properly drunk by the time we left (and we definitely didn't stay as long as we could have).
The food is pretty amazing as well. The table was pretty split between orders of the crab cake Eggs Benedict (which the other half ordered, and I tried and they were fantastic) and the biscuits and gravy (which I ordered and they were also fantastic). The biscuits come with either bacon or sausage, and while i love bacon, there's something about sausage with biscuits and gravy which seems natural to me. And the sausage was fantastic.
The best part is we got there at 10:30 and there was no problem getting a table for nine. It filled up later, but it was never super packed. Which is good because the food is better than both Zachary's and Walnut Ave AND there's not the obnoxious wait.
Loved the ambiance and decor. Very vibrant colors, and loved the paintings on the wall & in the bathroom esp. My friends & I were visiting the area & found this on yelp. We came at a weird hour, I think it was around 4ish...when they didn't have an actual dinner menu. Kinda disappointed because my friend & I saw a bunch of delicious yelp pictures ..which convinced us to try it..but half of what we saw wasn't available. We went with the Seafood Gumbo & Fried Oysters PoBoy Sandwich. The gumbo was pretty good, had a good amount of scrimp & crawfish, but was a tad bit bland. That's where their lil rack of hot sauzes came in handy! Threw a bunch of hot sauce in our gumbo & it was really good. The sandwich was also pretty good. The only thing is that I wish it had more fillers. It was pretty simple, but good. I'd love to come here again to try their full dinner menu.
Review Source:One of my favorite places ever. Fantastic food with spice and character, an unusually wide selection of Bourbon and imaginative cocktails, and an always-friendly staff who will make you feel like this is your second home.
It really does feel like New Orleans here. And I have been to New Orleans several times - fell in love with it. Which is why the BBQ shrimp and grits, the pulled pork sandwich, the seafood gumbo, the fried green tomatoes and the mashed potatoes with jalapeno make me feel so happy here. As if I could be at two cities at the same time. As if Louisiana wasn't more than a minute away from San Francisco.
Louie, the owner of this restaurant/bar -  I like to think of him the "patriarch", as he's been in the  business for decades -  really loves what he does. You should drop by during Happy Hour (Tue - Fri from 3-6pm) and have a chat with him. One of the most entertaining people you'll meet.
And talking about Cajun food - don't forget to order some beignets or their delicious, moist, flavorful bread puddin' with a fresh caramel sauce.
And I almost forgot to talk about the music. Some of the best jazz musicians show up at Louise's every night. I'm a pianist myself, and I can say that you will be entertained for sure. The soul you want to find - in food, music and conversations - will find you at this place.
Closed on Mondays. On any other day - a good chance you'll meet me there.
Bon appetite!
Don't miss this place. You must try it.
i was really looking forward to trying this place.....and boy was i disappointed.
the waiter referred to the jambolaya as "a veggie stir fry kinda thing"....not a very accurate description. Â in general he was not familiar with the menu.
we ordered the jambolaya, fried oysters, black eyed peas and bacon, shrimp and grits.
well....i want to say that the jambolaya was ok, not good and the rest of the food was not too good.
the kitchen does not have the skill or knowledge to prepare "cajun" food. Â pretty much all the dishes were not seasoned properly and all were very bland or over cooked.
get a "chef" that knows about Cajun/creole food
anyway......so much for the food.
the worst thing was that the music was really loud.  it was impossible to have/hear the conversation with my friend  and we were at a 2 top.  and the style of music did not make sense for this restaurant.........how about some jazz!!!!!!!!!!!!!  not some beatles cover.
i asked both the hostess and the waiter if the music could be "turned down"...but the piano player probably couldn't hear them asking "cause the music was too loud. Â it never got better. Â in general the place was loud and noisy. Â not the place top go to have a conversation with a dinner guest.
in conclusion,,,,,,,,,,,,,don't waste your time or money!!!!!!!
ps....what about serving whole mud-bugs [crayfish]
PPS..AND WHY DOES THE RECIEPT STILL SAY CLOUDS..TACKY!!!!!!!!!
I want to like this place, because the food is decent.
But Sunday at dinner the food was drowned out by the mediocre music. We were towards the back and still the piano was so loud we had to yell or not talk. So irritating. When I mentioned it to the server, thinking he might be able to get them to turn it down a bit, he said, "it's louder usually on weekends."
Well, for a bar crowd, that would be ok, but for a dinner where you'd like to talk, forget about it.
The music was not New Orleans by a long shot. It was like a Nordstrom's piano player doing Doors tunes way way way way too loud. But it would have been classier at Nordstrom's. This guy confused playing music with smashing it in your face. Â Dr. John he wasn't.
The waiter was a total loser too. He seemed gay, but kept flirting with the woman at my table and ignoring the men. Santa Cruz is known for bad service, but this was among the worst.
Meanwhile, on the flip side..the food was authentic and tasty: brisket and gumbo were fine. But until they do something about the service and music, doubt we'll be back.
Sunday Brunch was a blast!!! Bottomless mimosas are truly bottomless! Great for a group outing, there were 9 of us, and everyone was satisfied. Â They have live music on Sunday Mornings which made the experience that much more fun!
The bloody marry with bacon in it was great too!
I will be coming back for sure!!!
We have been here a few times now. Â Every visit has been great. Â Food/Service/Ambiance always excellent! Â As I'm sure you can tell from previous reviews, I love a great Martini. Â They have the most amazing Jolly Rancher Martini!! Â Fun appetizers, great food, fun drinks. Â The filet mignon was melt in your mouth fantastic! Â The slow roasted chicken is delish. Â Start with some clams and deviled eggs.
Review Source:Absolutely love this place!
My husband and I have been here many times now for both Dinner, late lunch, and tomorrow we try the Sunday brunch for the first time. Haven't had EVERY cocktail on the menu, but can tell you, the Sazarac, Hurricane, Zombie are all fabulous! Be careful...they never skimp on the alcohol.
Our favorite foods are:
Fried Oysters..a nice large portion for under $10
Deviled Eggs with Chard and Bacon
BBQ Shrimp and Cheesy grits (the best!)
Sweet Potato Fries (always love to see them on a menu)
Brisket with Bourbon Peach Glaze
Blackened Salmon (cooked to perfection, I always ask for it a little rare)
And the salads are really good too. Dressings and sauces are fantastic!
We have always had good service and the staff remembers us.
This is a great place for celebrations of all kinds.
Bar only: my party stopped in for a round of cocktails at Louie's. Â
Much of the group ordered wells, but no, I had to be difficult. Since I was pleased to see the Negroni on the featured menu beside the increasingly complicated arms race of fruity/chocolate/sweet martinis, I took it as a good sign and ordered what's become one of my go-to cocktails to evaluate a new bar.
A few minutes later I was presented with an glossy, opaque-red drink; it looked several shades brighter than the usual Campari-tinged red. Â One of my companions astutely noted that it looked more like a cosmo. Â The reason for this was apparent shortly, as my first taste was rewarded with an unmistakeable anise finish. Not wanting to be That Guy, I confirmed the anise with my astute companion. Â Thus reinforced, I asked the bartender why my Negroni had this unsettling anise finish.
Some bartender impatience greeted the arrival of That Guy: The reason was obvious; it finished with anise because she was careful to put the absinthe in it, duh! Â So the absinthe had begun to louche, and so the glossy cosmo look. Â And the unsettling finish. Â
For one sickening moment I was fearful I had accidentally ordered some New Orleans-themed Negroni variant and let That Guy out needlessly; luckily we confirmed on the menu that it was just a classic, three-ingredient version. Â It made the misfire all the more troubling; I'm happy we stopped at one round of drinks.
Same food as last time (omelet and French toast), but the service sucked. Several employees were scurrying around, but after we ordered, no one stopped at our table to offer coffee or water refills. Ours was perhaps the only table without hot sauce (a sin, I would think, at a New Orleans-style restaurant), so we had to ask for that. My first cup of coffee was lukewarm, and I was given no spoon with which to stir it. (Oh, the humanity!) Staff seemed more concerned with schmoozing with customers at the bar and lunch prep than with making our experience a good one.
The band was very good again--but maybe a touch too mellow.
This restaurant is all over the place. We have been here 5 times and each one has provided a totally different experience. I am only going to write about the experiences that illustrate the good and bad of this restaurant.
First time we went for dinner and ordered fried chicken and mac & cheese and it was awesome. The waiter was a tall, thin guy who was really wonderful and made thoughtful suggestion when asked.
Another time we went was for lunch. We brought friends with us and had told them how great everything was. The waitress was drunk. Not a little tipsy. She was straight up DRUNK. She could hardly stand up and was slurring her words. Then when she got several parts of our order wrong and we asked her where our food was, she became very angry stating that we had not ordered those items. She argued with us for a while. When we reminded her of the conversation and she finally remembered, she apologized and started saying how great we were. It was an emotional roller coaster. Â The fried chicken wings (when it finally came) had zero salt on it. When we were done, we asked multiple times for the bill and waited for nearly 20 minutes for it. We could have dined and dashed in that time, but did not. When we finally got the bill, it was wrong. Our happy hour drinks were charged at full price. When we asked her to correct the bill she told us, no joke, that she did not know how to work the cash register. Then she just stood there. I asked her if maybe she could ask someone to help her. She said okay and left for 15 minutes. The service was terrible, the food was not good, and we were embarrassed we had brought our friends here.
The last time we went was because family from out of town said they wanted Cajun food. We reluctantly took them here. I ordered the vegetarian gumbo and it was delicious. The waiter was slightly creepy and assumed that the older gentleman with us was paying the bill, so he fawned on him the whole time we were there. It was uncomfortable to watch.
Five trips to this place has been enough for us.
I called in an order for take out on my break. Upon arriving at Louie's for my first time, I walked in and was a bit confused. The girl slouched at the hostess counter looked like she was miserable, at first I wasn't even sure if she worked there. I walked up to her and politely said that I was there to pick up an order to go. She sullenly looked at me without saying a word, and put a bill holder in front of me. I opened it and gave her my money. She grabbed it and again, without saying anything got up and walked to the back of the restaurant. A few minutes later she comes back and handed me my food that had been sitting at the hostess booth. And the only words she rudely said to me during my whole time there were "Do you need your change?" I couldn't believe it! The change was a little less than a dollar. But really, who even asks that in the first place?!
As for the food, it was done when they said it would be. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich and fries. The meat was a little bland but the BBQ sauce that came on the side was pretty good. I recommend ordering an extra side because I definitely could've used some to add flavor to the sandwich. The french fries were salted perfectly.
This place is soooo good. Â The food was bomb! Â Excellent service. The drinks are creative and tasty. Must go again. The pulled pork sandwhich mmmmm. Â We enjoyed the Voo Doo Oysters and the Bacon -chard deviled eggs. My husband enjoyed his chicken sandwhich he did add cheese. And dessert was the icing on the cake. Â Definately going back!
Soups and sides all a must try.
I went to Louie's for a night out with the friends Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The place was packed so we only stayed for a little bit. Unfortunately I left my really nice expensive pea -coat at one of the tables. I called the next day, on Thanksgiving, and the hostess assured me that my coat was there and that I could pick it up whenever was convenient for me. The next day I called again to double check it was still there and again was told they had it and I could come grab it whenever I was able to make it back down there. Less than a week later I made it down to the restaurant and asked about the coat. I was told there was no coat to be found. The manager who was nice enough to come help with the search told me that the coat was not there. After explaining to her that I had called on several occasion and had been told my coat by description of color and brand was there kindly took my name and number and told me they would call if they found it.
Seems a little strange that on 2 separate occasions I was told the coat was there, but a week later it had mysteriously disappeared. Being that it was an extremely nice pea-coat (close to $200) I wouldn't be surprised if one of the workers (or hostess) just happened to swoop that coat for their own.
I think Karma will hopefully get whoever took my coat, but since I won't know for sure 1 star is in order for the dishonest employees at Louie's.
I went with a party, so we got a specialized price fixed menu.
Can't really speak on anything else, and I didn't get a chance to see the full menu.
Ordered the chicken gumbo and fried chicken with macaroni and cheese, and the Zombie cocktail.
All were delicious. I tried another friend's jamablaya and it was also delicious.
If they take smaller reservations I recommend booking one, since for a wednesday night they seemed pretty full.
Recommend giving it a try!
I was very excited to try out the replacement to Cloud's. I never liked their food, I only went in for cocktails.
I took my daughter here recently and the first thing was the atmosphere is so much better! The décor is stunning and it just felt more open somehow.  I just always felt a little claustrophobic in Cloud's even when it wasn't crowded. Â
A nice addition was someone was playing the piano. Â It made the atmosphere even more fun and my daughter made sure we gave him a tip on the way out, he was really nice too!
Our server was very helpful since we were so overwhelmed by the menu, I seriously wanted to try at least 5 things on there. Â She told us that the fried chicken was cooked in 3 different seasoned iron skillets and people really enjoyed it so that's what I ordered along with cheesy grits. Â My daughter ordered a burger and we got an order of hush puppies for an appetizer. Â The hush puppies were a little bland but ended up being a vessel for the amazing remoulade sauce. Â I also ordered an old fashioned and it was perfect, strong and I could taste the bitters. Â I asked the server if they did bourbon tastings, and she said they were working on that part.
My fried chicken was amazing. Â Well seasoned, crispy and hot. The cheesy grits were great too. Â My daughter loved her burger, it was big and juicy and came with a ton of hot fries. We were too full to try a dessert!
My only complaint would be we didn't get checked on much and it took a while to get the bill and settle it. Â
I would like to come back when they do bourbon tastings and also come with a big group so I can try more of the sides!
I was excited to try this place out. Went on a Friday night and although they were busy there were no other names on the list and we were told 10 min wait.
We ordered drinks from the bar and sat near the door waiting to be seated. They sat 2-3 other couples who walked up to the hostess while we waited and waited. Finally  I decided to leave...no need to be treated like that! Not a word from the hostess and owner/manager at the front for seating others in front of us.
The ambiance was not my style anyways but would have liked to try the food.
This place is officially one of my new favorites in Santa Cruz. The atmosphere is fun and inviting, with great artwork and good music (though they could turn it up a bit). Â Service was prompt and friendly.
The crawfish hush puppies were SO good, we could have ate several more :) I agree with some other reviewers that the gumbo wasn't what you would get from Louisiana (where my family is originally from), I thought it was just okay (the everyone else loved it). Apparently they don't use a roux, which would really help it out.
Our party ordered the Blackened Pork Loin (delicious, good quality), Catfish (great southern flavor), Brisket with Peach or Apricot (can't remember which) glaze (recommended for sure), Mac and Cheese side (yummy), sautéed Kale (perfectly cooked) and chicken fingers with fries for the little one (not on the menu, really tasty). Â
I had a Hurricane (okay, two) to drink and they were almost too good...tasted like juice, but had plenty of rum for sure. Â Will return again and again, and try to save room for dessert next time :)
Nice to see something interesting replace Clouds. Â I was never a fan. Â
We stopped in for a little light late lunch and tried the fried green tomatoes, crab cake, gumbo and shrimp & grits. Â Â Service was fast (especially for Santa Cruz) and super friendly/funny. Â Nice bourbon selection, though we didn't' have a chance to try any this time around.
The crab cake was a hit with me. Â Lots of crab, hardly any filler. Â Â The shrimp & grits was also terrific with a delicious smokey, sweet, tangy tomato based sauce that would make even an old shoe taste good. Â Definitely going back for that and will update when we try other items. Â Fried green tomatoes were not greasy but I've had more interesting variations elsewhere. Â Gumbo could have used a bit of hot sauce to brighten things up. Â
Looking forward to trying more items in order to get a better idea, reserving a couple stars til then....but for now I'd say give it a shot.
The waitstaff was great, they were very helpful. It took longer to get appetizers than it did our meal (from order time to delivery). The drinks were good and strong. I love their selection of Whiskey and Bourbon.
I had the pork something or other and I enjoyed it. My wife had the catfish, which was pretty damn good actually. However, the cornbread was from a mix and the gumbo needed work. The bread pudding was ok, but really, you can get as good or better almost anywhere it is served. Bread pudding is not difficult: one must really work hard to make a bad bread pudding, so if it is going to be offered on a short-list desert menu, it should rock. Seriously, chocolate sauce is just laziness.
The fried green tomatoes gave this review its 3rd star, I will be back from some bourbon and FGTs. The other reviewers are totally right about needing to brush up on their Cajun cooking.
The atmosphere was great apart from how loud it was (tapestries anyone?) and I believe the guy on the piano had a series of seizures during our visit.
That said, I am glad someone is bringing Creole to the Cruz and I hope they get their act together and succeed, because I love the effort and I want to go back and be excited about it!
After living in Naw Orlans for several years, had eat at this "Cajun style restaurant ."
Drink menu is great with a great selection of liquors.
Dessert was good but not memorable.
As for the food...Popeye's Chicken has better "authentic Cajun food" than this place.
Gumbo-very bland with no effort in seasoning. The shrimp that was in the dish seemed to be added after the dish was prepared because the shrimp felt like it was cooked in the microwave. My wife said it felt like they rushed when they cooked the gumbo because of the dull flavor.
Hush puppies- hard and thick. Maybe over cooked.
Mac&cheese- not cheesy with a heavy cream based. Maybe to substitute for the lack of cheese. My wife liked it but I didn't care for it.
Pecan pie- as I said before, good but not memorable.
Cajun inspired Drinks and Food a plenty, Louie's is a great new spot to check out!
This place has a nicely decorated interior. It was pretty quiet & calm inside, except for a loud Steeler fan over-reacting to the pre-season football being aired on the Flat-Screens at the bar.
Crunchy, full of corn flavor and totally devoid of grease ... The Hush Puppies with Craw fish were an excellent starter.
For dinner I went with the Corn-Meal Crusted Catfish w/ Jalapeno cream sauce. The fish was cooked to perfection and the sauce was the perfect  accompanying accouterment!
Love them Spicy Spuds! The Jalapeno Mashed Potatoes were epic!
Lastly my Seafood Gumbo was superb.
I enjoyed and devoured every aspect of my dinner ... And the side-car I ordered from the bar packed a punch, giving me a little buzzzz to start the night... Â
Can't wait to return and Try an oyster PoBoy!
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