Gumbo Shop

630 Saint Peter Street
New Orleans, LA 70113
Phone: (504) 525-1486

We hopped over to the Gumbo Shop for lunch, having heard some good things about it online. Since we got there before noon, there was no wait for a table and we were able to relax. Our waitress was great. We were again indecisive about what to order, and she suggested the perfect idea: we each got a cup of gumbo, split a modified creole combination platter, and still had room left over to share an order of bread pudding at the end.

Aaron tried the chicken and andouille gumbo, while I opted for the seafood okra gumbo. His was nearly perfect for a non-seafood gumbo - juicy pieces of chicken and sausage were in every bite. My gumbo was laden was okra and a few shrimp and even a little crabmeat - very tasty as well. Our entree was a combination platter with jambalaya, shrimp creole, and crawfish etouffee. The jambalaya was quite spicy, but really good - you could tell it had been simmered for a long time as every bite was filled with seasoning. The shrimp creole was also good - a thick spicy tomato sauce covered a lot of shrimp that were tender and tasty. The crawfish etouffee was the least favorite - but I think it's because we were still comparing everything to Petunia's (which was unfortunately closed for the holidays or we would've been there!). It was a bit too... I'm not sure what exactly. Maybe too many veggies and such and not enough flavor into the sauce? Nonetheless, it was nice to try a variety of things there and we enjoyed it overall. The bread pudding was quite good - not as good as Commander's, but it was also a cheaper meal. ;) Their sauce was much more sugary and less whiskey-y, but it worked well with the pudding. Two cups of gumbo, the combination platter, and bread pudding for around $25 before tip wasn't a bad deal at all.

Food:	5 - decent gumbo, variety of cajun classics, inexpensive!
Ambience:	4 - clean tables, big open main dining room (we did see some outdoor seating but it was too cold)
Service:	5 - our waitress was friendly and offered the perfect suggestion for our indecision :)
Overall:	5 - good gumbo and other options, but not the top dining destination in the Quarter

review written 12/2000 by stjarna - restaurant visit 12/2000 for lunch
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