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Dining review: Mudbugs Cajun Cafe
Posted: Mar 27, 2008 in Dining
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VENUE INFO
Carmel's Mudbugs Cajun Cafe serves comfort food with a warm Southern flair, ideal for spicing up a dreary day or celebrating a sunny one.
On Main Street in the Arts & Design District, this is a friendly counter-service place where a chalkboard behind the counter succinctly sums up the simple menu.
The Food
Admirably, Mudbugs knows its focus and sticks to it, refusing to water down the Cajun offerings with more traditional Midwest ingredients or allowing everyday items such as burgers and fries to invade its space. What you'll find instead: etouffee, gumbo, jambalaya, po'boys and crawfish casserole.
Most of the folks here are seasoned veterans who know what they're going to order when they walk in the door. The chicken-and-sausage jambalaya had already sold out when we arrived, much to the dismay of the regular who walked in just before us.
I went straight for the Pick 3 Combo ($8.95), perfect for an experimenting first-timer. This option enables you to choose any three menu items, sides or half of any po'boy (except for the catfish version). My trio consisted of chicken and sausage gumbo, dirty rice casserole and one of the day's two specials, chicken court bouillon.
Both the gumbo and court bouillon, served in cup sizes, arrived toasty warm. The thick, roux-based gumbo contained generous hunks of chicken and smoked sausage along with veggies and white rice. The savory seasonings provided a subtle kick, just enough to let you know you're eating Cajun, but not so overbearing that your taste buds beg for mercy.
The golden-hued court bouillon was equally satisfying, with a rich stock broth containing tender chicken bits -- a great, jazzed-up alternative to chicken-noodle soup.
Diners with hearty appetites would appreciate the dirty rice casserole, a thick-and-filling mixture of rice, ground beef, onions, celery and green peppers. I didn't taste much heat here, but the heavy texture did provide balance to the liquid-based portions of my combo.
My lunch date, John, showed far more self-discipline, ordering only a small portion of the day's second special, mushroom etouffee ($2.95). He said he expected something a bit heavier than the roux-based mix, which he found salty for his taste. The mushrooms had cooked down in the sauce, he added, and he missed actual bits of them.
A bigger hit with John was the small side of hush puppies ($1.95) we shared. The eight deep-fried tidbits of dough and corn were just bigger than bite size; they were served with a gently spicy mayonnaise-based dipping sauce and long slices of butter-soaked French-bread toast.
The Service
Staff members here are as cheerful as the decor. They delivered the food to us after our order and carted our empty soft drink glasses to the fountain for refills as often as we needed (nice table-service touches in a counter-based eatery).
The Atmosphere
John and I immediately felt cheered on a cloudy day by the cafe's bold-and-bright hues. Color blocks of purple, orange and green prove that strong shades don't always overwhelm a small space. Eat-in diners (they do a lot of carryout here) have a choice of sitting at high-top tables on one side and standard squares on the other.
The Price
$18.39 for two, including soft drinks (with unlimited refills) and tax, a reasonable tab that makes Mudbugs a nifty alternative to standard fast-food fare when your budget is bare-bones.
Next Time
I'm lining up early to make sure I get a taste of that in-demand jambalaya before it sells out again.
- By Julie Cope Saetre / Star correspondent
