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Dining St. Louis: Special Spotlight
The French Quarter Café in Ellisville offers an authentic Louisiana-style cooking featuring po-boys with seasoned beef that is slowly roasted 12 hours to perfection and bread pudding with hot rum sauce that is 'as good as Mama's.
French Quarter Café In Ellisville Is C'est Bon
by Betty Moore, SLFP.com
ELLISVILLE, MO, (SLFP.com), May 7, 2007 - The New Orleans Jazz Festival attracts thousands of visitors for an opportunity to hear the music and to savor authentic Louisiana slowly smoked Andouille sausage jambalaya, crawfish étoufeé sloppy roast beef po-boys smothered in homemade gravy and bread pudding with hot rum sauce.
Nearly 700 miles to the north, food and jazz lovers can satisfy their cravings at the new French Quarter Café, located at 15622 Manchester Road in Ellisville. Bright yellow paint, colorful Louisiana icons handpainted on the walls and the smell of homemade food welcomes guests. Jazz music fills the air along with friendly conversations among the diners seated at tables covered with red and white checkered cloth.
On a recent visit, a young mother was sharing memories of growing up in Louisiana with her daughter and friend as they waited for their order. "It's the way they do their food. Typically when you come into Missouri and get cajun cooking or Louisiana food, it's overly spicy and people think that's what you are looking for - the hottest thing you can get," said Julie Willis.
"The difference with authentic New Orleans cooking is that it's an abundance of seasoning that's mixed very well together. It's not necessarily fire hot. People up north think that cajun means it's blackened, with lots of cayenne and covered with tabasco sauce," laughed Julie.
She emphasized that with po-boys, fresh bread is the main thing. "It's the French bread that makes the po-boys. When the roast beef is 'sloppy', that means it's covered in homemade gravy and it's real Louisiana cooking," she said.
"Now when you talk with someone who knows about cajun food, they know that when you ask for it 'dressed', that means lettuce, tomato, Mayo and pickle spears. When you want it plain, you ask for it 'undressed.' In New Orleans, that's the way it is," said Julie. "And if you ask where the oysters are from and they say 'the coast,' you know it's fresh."
Julie commented that the bright colors, jazz music playing in the background and crowded, small space was also similar to what you would find in Louisiana. She was told about the French Quarter Café and came to find out if it was real. "Oh, this good," said Julie as she sampled the bread pudding. "It's as good as mama's," she laughed.
Owner and chef Shawn Putman enjoys sharing the folklore about cajun cooking with guests. With a knowing smile, he said that since the café opened six months ago, customers have come in on a regular basis. "They'll start with the bread pudding dessert and then work up the menu to the po-boys."
Putman has worked on his recipes for many years until satisfied with the taste. And just like the roast beef that is slowly roasted 12 hours to perfection, he's not in a hurry to add items to the menu until he's happy with the results. "It has to grab you, it has to be real."
"I have a lot of people come in who just attended the jazz festival. They know what they want when it comes to New Orleans style food. We also have specials for the holidays like deboned stuffed chicken for Mother's Day and turduken for Thanksgiving and Christmas," said Putman.
Items on the menu can be ordered for carry out and catered events. Putman will introduce St. Louisans to authentic Louisiana cooking at many outdoor events including the Laumeier Sculpture Park's 20th Annual Art Fair. For hours and more information, call 636-52PO-BOY (636-527-6269).
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