Cajun Kitchen, State Street

One of my good friends who used to work at UCSB recommended several places to eat for us...

One of them was the locally owned Cajun Kitchen at the State Street location...

Little Jewel of New Orleans

Like the Pied Piper of Hamlin, the nattily dressed Carl Baldwin led us down the street to one of his favorite new eateries in Chinatown...

the newly opened (at the time) Little Jewel of New Orleans...

which he and his wife raved about. We couldn't pass up on their recommendation especially since po'boys were on the menu...

Mardis Gras Cafe & Marketplace

After our dismal coffee and baklava from Cafe Cabaret, we headed southeast to Spring Valley...

to a place I always pass by whenever I visit MFH in Jamul. The Mardis Cafe. It used to be located in Point Loma but relocated to Spring Valley in the mid 2000's...

As seen in Little Italy

After seeing those poor cats get chased down by children from hell, we left the Cat Cafe to headover to Little Italy...

Using our trusty passes. You tap your prepaid card on the sensor thing before boarding. We found that it helps to do it way ahead of time instead of right before you board.

This was at the stop near the Convention Center.

We would be Little Italy bound...

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen

A couple of nights ago, Bert went to Pappadeux Seafood Kitchen which was recommended by our friend, HotFudge. Now he take HF's word seriously since she is from New Orleans and knows her food well.

The hostess recommmeded the Big Bay Platter. Looks like a lot of food, right?

Hey, they've got GUMBOS! Just what I was looking for. (Of course, it is not as good as HotFudge's homemade gumbo with three kinds of crab, shrimp, fish, and sausage)

and look Pan Seared Frog Legs!

Crud. Didn't get any of the Cajun Specialties in this shot.

Aw, double-crud. Can't see the Cajun Specialties here either. Well, they do have a Crawfish Etouffee with dirty rice and shrimp Etouffee with white rice. I had one of these.

The Sampler Platter looked good to my classmate until we saw the Lunch at the top. Bummer.

Pasta? Salad? Nah...

Outdoor patio...


I could see myself enjoying a beer and appetizers out here.

Awww. Poor widdle lobsters. Gonna get in someone's belly.

My classmate's Jumbo Lump Crabcake. She said she really liked it.

Pan Seared Frog Legs! The waiter said these are better than the fried frog legs. I would have to agree. The frog legs were pretty meaty and the sauce was tasty. My classmate's first time eating frog legs. No real reaction one way or the other. I think she just said it was "ok".

Andouille sausage and seafood gumbo. Oh, it was goooood. Just what I wanted and it did not disappoint.

Look at that... and in each bite too! And yes, I did finish it all.

My classmate's Fried Seafood Platter. Quite a lot of food here. I think she took half (or more) back to her hotel.

My other classmate decided to go with the Big Bay Platter. Nice choice. Again, a lot of food, but it looked really good. She too, took a lot of it back to her hotel.

Ahhh, my Crawfish Etouffee with dirty rice. A little spicy, but not too much. Great flavor. Made me really think of the etouffee I had in New Orleans. Unfortunately, I was filling up and had to take some of it back to my hotel.

Night shot of the front. My classmates wanted to make sure I got the moon overhead.

Finally, the marquee. Not sure what it means, but it was a very good dinner. I wouldn't mind going back someday.

That looked like a pretty good place. Any French speakers out there know what "Deaux to Geaux" means? (To Go? A play on words, I'm sure)...