J. Gumbo's
I don't normally like chain restaurants, let alone reviewing them. I leave that to the people of this town (seriously check out how many reviews are on the fast food restaurants on Yelp for Delaware, Ohio). But for J. Gumbo's I'll make an exception.
Anyone who knows me, knows my heart lives in New Orleans. It has for some time, even before I ever visited (which reminds me, I need to plan my next trip down). Yes I like the fact that alcohol is a part of the culture, but I love the culture. I have never felt more welcome in such a large city. The warm inviting feeling that you feel as soon as you step onto that delta is incredible. Plus the food is outstanding. (Eventually I will get around to doing an entire series on the food options available in New Orleans.) So when I found out J. Gumbo's was opening in my town, I got excited.
Now I will say this, the menu is not extensive and is dominated by a variety of gumbo (think stew type foods). And to my disappointment it is mostly chicken based at that. But for a regional (by regional I mean Midwest) chain, it's understandable since the area is mostly landlocked (no awesome seafood caught fresh daily here).
Yesterday was a soft open for this particular restaurant. A soft open is one without a lot of fanfare to feel out how well the menu and operations go over with the citizens of the location. My friend and I happened upon the open sign in the window and checked it out.
Now my friend got confused and didn't meet up with me right away, so I took that time to sample the offerings. For a town where bland food is preferred, and mild is better, J. Gumbo's is a nice kick in the pants. The heat is just the right level without destroying your palate. And the flavors are great and at times complex. I tried a few before settling on a combo of the Drunken Chicken and the Bumblebee, or as the combo is called the Drunken Bumblebee. The two together was a perfect balance of heat and sweet. The Bumblebee is a mix of corn, black beans, tomatoes, and onions with some heat from a few different peppers. On its own it's not too spicy. It starts with a little sweet and finishes with a bit of heat. The Drunken Chicken is mostly chicken with some tomatoes, onions, and peppers. It's a bit hotter than the Bumblebee but not as hot as their hottest--Voodoo Chicken (I did not try it). Both were served over white rice with a huge slice of French bread. I will be honest I haven't had bread that good since the last time I was in New Orleans trying to keep as much goodness on my po'boy as possible. My friend went with the crawfish etouffee. He said the flavor was good but the one thing it lacked was the Gulf Coast crawfish. It also was not made with a fish stock; most likely it was chicken stock.
As someone who normally cannot eat chicken, the way this food was fixed did not cause too many problems for my digestion. The only thing that was seriously lacking was options non-chicken based food. Almost everything on the menu was chicken. My friend and I both wished there was a wider variety of protein options. Other than that, the atmosphere and the food was perfect for this town. Time will tell though how long it will last.
Anyone who knows me, knows my heart lives in New Orleans. It has for some time, even before I ever visited (which reminds me, I need to plan my next trip down). Yes I like the fact that alcohol is a part of the culture, but I love the culture. I have never felt more welcome in such a large city. The warm inviting feeling that you feel as soon as you step onto that delta is incredible. Plus the food is outstanding. (Eventually I will get around to doing an entire series on the food options available in New Orleans.) So when I found out J. Gumbo's was opening in my town, I got excited.
Now I will say this, the menu is not extensive and is dominated by a variety of gumbo (think stew type foods). And to my disappointment it is mostly chicken based at that. But for a regional (by regional I mean Midwest) chain, it's understandable since the area is mostly landlocked (no awesome seafood caught fresh daily here).
Yesterday was a soft open for this particular restaurant. A soft open is one without a lot of fanfare to feel out how well the menu and operations go over with the citizens of the location. My friend and I happened upon the open sign in the window and checked it out.
Now my friend got confused and didn't meet up with me right away, so I took that time to sample the offerings. For a town where bland food is preferred, and mild is better, J. Gumbo's is a nice kick in the pants. The heat is just the right level without destroying your palate. And the flavors are great and at times complex. I tried a few before settling on a combo of the Drunken Chicken and the Bumblebee, or as the combo is called the Drunken Bumblebee. The two together was a perfect balance of heat and sweet. The Bumblebee is a mix of corn, black beans, tomatoes, and onions with some heat from a few different peppers. On its own it's not too spicy. It starts with a little sweet and finishes with a bit of heat. The Drunken Chicken is mostly chicken with some tomatoes, onions, and peppers. It's a bit hotter than the Bumblebee but not as hot as their hottest--Voodoo Chicken (I did not try it). Both were served over white rice with a huge slice of French bread. I will be honest I haven't had bread that good since the last time I was in New Orleans trying to keep as much goodness on my po'boy as possible. My friend went with the crawfish etouffee. He said the flavor was good but the one thing it lacked was the Gulf Coast crawfish. It also was not made with a fish stock; most likely it was chicken stock.
As someone who normally cannot eat chicken, the way this food was fixed did not cause too many problems for my digestion. The only thing that was seriously lacking was options non-chicken based food. Almost everything on the menu was chicken. My friend and I both wished there was a wider variety of protein options. Other than that, the atmosphere and the food was perfect for this town. Time will tell though how long it will last.
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