Cooking With Jazz (Reported Closed)

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Accomplished Cajun cooking and live music in a festive, welcoming neighborhood setting.. The Scene
In an unprepossessing, freestanding brick building on a corner in Queens, this restaurant throbs with life. The smallish interior is filled with exuberant couples and groups of diners who are thrilled with the labor of love that the chef/owner, a Prudhomme protege, has brought to their neighborhood. Warm, dedicated service sets the mood, and Mardi Gras posters adorn the walls.

The Food
Carefully honed flavors complement each other artfully in the restaurant's classic and should-be-classic Cajun dishes. The chicken jambalaya is deeply flavored, spicy and smoky, with blackened chicken and meaty andouille sausage; a dark and complex seafood gumbo teems with shrimp and scallops. An appetizer of gator sausage is tender, juicy and reminiscent of pork. Blackened chicken breast, topped with shrimp Creole, is soulful and delightful as well. Bananas Foster, served unflaming here, makes a great dessert for those who haven't filled up on the splendid housemade breads.

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mcchanoghue

Joined 9 years ago

Interminable waits on weekends. The cramped dining room was brightly lit with yellow-hued lighting with no space between the tiny, adjoining tables. Zydeco music plays continuously in the background, and carnival beads hang from the overhead lighting. I can't comment on the quality of the food (which by most accounts is excellent), because we left in frustration after waiting in a crowded little corral by the door for almost half an hour, despite having reservations and arriving on time. The chef/owner's response was, "it's always like this on weekends...come back on Tuesday if you don't like to wait". The food might be great...but be prepared to cool your heels for it.

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ukscots

Joined 11 years ago

New Orleans in New York. Small, intimate place (less than 100 people fit in the restaurant) with some of the best Cajun food outside of New Orleans. The staff can tell you igredient by ingredient what is in the food and Chef Steve even has cooking classes!

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Manessa

Joined 11 years ago

Best spot from San Francisco to NY!!!. This restaurant is our absolute favorite, we make sure to visit every time we are in town. This is the only place where the blackened chicken is almost too spicy to finish....finally, someone who doesn't skimp on spice! The bananas foster are to die for!!!!

Doesn't Recommend

find1234

Joined 11 years ago

overpriced. This place is definitely overrated. On a Saturday night, I was surprised that there was no live jass music. Does not worth your money. Crowded atmosphere. Not what I expected.

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flotation123

Joined 11 years ago

Blazin...Hot like Cajun!. The Best. Worth the trip! I would recoment the aligator sausage, the ostrage steak, and anything else that is exotic on the menu. The shell fish is unbelievable.

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dcd915

Joined 11 years ago

the food cooks!!!. anyone who knows Cajun/Creole will now how well the food is prepared. the appetizers are wonderful and the entrees whether a 'special' or not are truly well prepared and delicious. the music is icing on a delicious cake!