Li'l Dizzy's Expands

[TAPrice]

I got word that Wayne Baquet's Li'l Dizzy's Café will add a second location in the CBD. It opens next week and will be in the Whitney Hotel on Poydras.

In case you don't know, the Baquet family has been running restaurants in New Orleans for decades. I think Li'l Dizzy's is the family's 13th restaurant. Guess this makes fourteen.

The gumbo is killer. The fried chicken can be amazing. The sides are, well, often not as good. Too many canned items, although mac and cheese is great.

There is something about this place that just makes me happy. Do other people have that reaction? There might be better food elsewhere, but rarely do you find a better atmosphere. I hope they can recreate that part on Poydras.

[HungryC]

I agree wholeheartedly about the gumbo at Lil Dizzy's; it's an excellent example of a real, homestyle gumbo (not overly reduced, not made from "gumbo base" or a separate stock). I loved Zachary's on Oak St., never got to go to Eddie's, so I'm happy that the Baquets are expanding to another location.

[Harry]

I agree wholeheartedly about the gumbo at Lil Dizzy's; it's an excellent example of a real, homestyle gumbo (not overly reduced, not made from "gumbo base" or a separate stock). 

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What is a separate stock?

[HungryC]

I'm from the gumbo school of thought that says you should put the raw ingredients into the pot to cook, all together, rather than making a shrimp stock or chicken stock to enrich the gumbo. It's a subtle difference, I know, some would say I'm splittng hairs. For example, if you're making seafood gumbo, put raw shrimp & crabs into the pot with the roux & wilted/browned veggies & aromatics....don't make a seafood stock on the side and add cooked seafood & seafood stock to the pot.

[TAPrice]

Let me see if I've got this straight. You mean starting with roux, add the aromatics, and then add shrimp, chicken, etc. along with the water? That way you made a stock as you cook, right?

[HungryC]

Yes, that's what I meant...sorry if I was unclear. You can taste the difference between thinner, homestyle gumbos made all in one pot, as opposed to restaurant-style gumbos enriched with a stock. Exhibit A is the Lil Dizzy's gumbo--thin, delicious, full flavored but not intense or sauce-like. Exhbit B is Prejean's pheasant, quail, & andouille gumbo (served at Jazzfest)--thick, intensely flavored, with a reduced, dark quality...both delicious, but different (a similar stock-based duck gumbo is served at Herbsaint). I'm partial to the thinner style 'cause that's what I grew up with...gumbo as Sunday dinner or as a way to use up lots of 39-cent chicken quarters rather than as a restaurant dish or special occasion meal.

[Harry]

I'm also partial to the thinner style but don't think whether you add stock instead of plain water has anything to do with the consistency of the gumbo. My seafood gumbo is very thin, but I always make a stock of shrimp shells and frozen crabs before adding water to the pot. I don't add the shrimp until I think the gumbo has cooked long enough (at least three hours) and I only cook the shrimp a couple minutes. I add the crabmeat after I turn off the heat and let it soak in the gumbo for half an hour or so with the pot covered. This way seafood isn't overcooked and the gumbo still has a strong, cooked-in seafood taste.

I do agree with you, however, that gumbo is best cooked at home.

[davebr]

I enjoy the thinner gumbos as well. I just always assumed they were file gumbos not roux gumbos.

[TAPrice]

I feel like the gumbo is darker now than it was before the storm. Am I just imagining things?