my first experience with cajun style food was my dad's jambalaya which he made a lot when i was a kid.  he told me that the whole purpose of jambalaya was to take whatever food you needed to get rid of, add some rice & spice the hell out of it.  and, of course it's the truth because my dad knew everything.  i've had my share of gumbo over the years (and loved every bite) but that's about the extent of my cajun/creole cuisine experience.  my dad taught us a love of spicy food & the desire to try new things so when i saw jazz: a louisiana kitchen at the legends, i knew i wanted to try it.  i finally got the chance last weekend.

when i first saw jazz, i thought the name was just "louisiana kitchen".  the store front isn't very big or fancy but when you walk in, it opens up into a large room with tons of new orleans, jazz & blues memorabilia on the walls.  the fixtures are designed to mirror french quarter lights & buildings.  there's probably 30 or more 4-person tables & a bar.  there's a neon sign in the back that read "bon temps room" which i'd assume is a game room but i didn't check it out.  it seems silly to keep repeating in every review that each place has a "casual atmosphere" since john & i don't go to fancy-schmancy, stuffy, snooty places.  we were there at about 3:30, i think, so there were only a few other people there.  i found out when i checked the website later that there's another jazz in kc and also in lubbock & austin in texas, columbia in missouri and omaha, nebraska. 

i ordered, as always, iced tea.  i was very surprised & disappointed that a place that serves southern food doesn't have sweet tea.  i love me some sweet tea but regular tea would have to do.  john had water with lemon & after he took my lemon & added some sugar he had himself a nice glass of light lemonade.  it was a hot, steamy day & we were just looking for something light (but i was starving) so we ordered an appetizer & a side.  we got the stuffed zucchini which comes covered in a la mer sauce & some hush puppies.


selection: we had an incredibly hard time deciding what we wanted even though we were narrowing it down to appetizers.  every thing just looked incredible (see the menu here).  when i was a kid, we went to several restaurants (the back porch in destin, florida and hemingway's at bass pro in springfield, missouri to name a few) that had alligator meat on the menu but were out of it when we tried to order it.  jazz has alligator bites as an appetizer.  but... i didn't order them.  maybe next time.  they, of course, have crawfish as well.  only a few of their appetizers are things you'd see on every other menu (like onion rings or chicken wings), the rest are quite different.  the entrees include grilled, blackened or fried meats of all kinds, pasta and po'boy sandwiches.  i was very intrigued with the "coonass" chicken (can someone tell me what that is?) but i think WHEN we go back, i'll try the blackened tuna or stuffed catfish.

taste: oh. my. god.  i want to have an affair with la mer sauce!  i don't think john would mind since he loved it too.  it was so light & creamy with an underlying buttery taste and a touch of sweetness.  it had shrimp & crabmeat in it, both perfectly cooked.  i could have made a meal out of just the sauce but there was zucchini there too!  they took a whole zucchini, breaded it with spiced (their own "bon ton" seafood spice, which sits on the table & you can purchase it too) breadcrumbs and fried it.  the zucchini was cooked perfectly all the way through & the breading was browned & crispy.  sometimes when you go to a place with a theme, they knock you over the head with it in every dish.  they could have been all "throw some cajun spice in the hushpuppies, and the water and the napkins" but they didn't.  the hushpuppies were just awesome: crispy on the outside, soft on the inside & just enough seasoning (but not cajun).  they weren't dry either, like some corn meal dishes can be.  my only complaint is that the tea was a bit watered down & they didn't have equal for me to sweeten it with (but i'll deal with sugar).

ranch: no ranch this time but the puppies came with some nice thousand island.

service: we weren't there at a busy time so it was very easy for the waiter to be attentive.  he was very informative & knew (edit: back grammar corrected thanks to brother dave) a lot about the food when we asked.  i forgot to check how long it took us to get our food but it wasn't long. 

value: jazz is a little on the pricey side, but not outrageous.  if two people had dinner with an appetizer, they could easily spend $35 but leave with to-go boxes full enough for another meal.  you can also get half orders on a lot of the entrees.  our bill came to $11.11 before tip & we were plenty full for a light meal on a hot day.

bathroom: it seems weird to say about a bathroom, but it was cool!  all the fixtures are brushed metal & the walls & floor are covered in big black & white tile.  it was very clean & you get to pee to some cool blues & jazz music.  there were 4 stalls so plenty big even if the place was hoppin'. 

reheatability: no news here because we ate it all.

i will definitely be back to jazz: a louisiana kitchen, if only to carry on embarrassingly with the a la mer sauce.  if just one appetizer & one side were this incredible, i have no doubt everything else will be equally impressive.  there are choices for any taste. 

grade: A (the only reason it's not A+ is the iced tea)

I am all of a sudden super hungry after reading your blog... I have to go eat but I will be back. ;)

Okay, glad to know someone else checks out the bathrooms. For me, for one, the cleanliness is usually on par with the kitchen so it's a big deal, and two, cool bathrooms are...well...cool!

ok Chicky, or should I say Sis, Here's my review on your review. Let's just do this by the numbers....

1. Firstly and foremostly, We your readers, have but one burning question as we consume your editorial:
where is this place? Yes indeed, where the heck is it? Ah, the epipheral-esqe agitation, how about an 'info' section with all this wonderful stuff data it? Short, sweet, But not enough to stop em from reading, put it all at the bottom. Name, Address, short directions, name of server, category of food style, cleanliness, etc....

2. You take very good pictures, how about one of the outside of the restaurant? How about 1 per section that you critique. people like to associate words with photography....at least folks like me who like pictures...

3. One word, SpellCheck. and i quote from 'service': 'he was very informative & new a lot about the food when we asked.' do i need to tell you?

Lastly, Good work, your future as a reviewess looks bright.

cya on the flipside.

-Dave

thanks, brother dave. but:

1. i include the website for each restaurant so folks can find it & the menu. but the address of the one we visited is a good idea (i have it in the other reviews).

2. i forgot to take one of the outside THIS time but have them on the other reviews.

3. hi, pot. my name is kettle. plus, spell check would not pick that up because "new" is a word. but i fixed it cuz i'm anal that way.

:) thanks for commenting! love ya!

WHAT??? No sweet tea? :-? That's just crazy. I was born in Mississippi and you always get sweet tea. Oh well, maybe it's some hidden trend that will sweep the South? (I doubt it.) Glad the food was great.