N’awlins Creole Café
1118 N State Road
Avon, IN 46123
http://www.nawlinscreolecafe.com

I enjoy Cajun/Creole food quite a bit and am always looking for a new place to go.  I stopped by N’awlins Creole Café based on the recommendation of a trusted friend and I was really looking forward to this.  It was all-you-can-eat catfish night for $13.99 and I was tempted to give that a try, but I decided to stick to one of the standard menu items.

What I Ate:  Crawfish Etouffee; $9.99.  It is served with a side (I choose mac and cheese) and a salad.

The salad was straight iceberg with cheese and a slice of tomato.  I tried their ranch dressing and to be honest, I could make this at home and I really didn’t see how this fit into the meal.  Nothing special here, so let’s move on.

When I ordered the etoufee, they asked me on a scale of one to ten how spicy I would like it and I said six.  The crawfish etouffee was a sneaky heat on the back end of the bite.  There wasn’t a lot of flavor going on here and the consistency was thinner than I like it.  The etouffee was served over a bed of rice that was under cooked.  A few pieces stuck in my molars.

The Mac and Cheese was better, but still off.  It needed salt and was cooked too long and the noodles did not hold their shape.  My dining partner got the Jambalaya and I found that to be bland as well.  Service was also hit and miss.  It was slow enough to cash out that after about ten minutes, I asked the server to bring my check.  My water was empty most of the time as well.

Would I Buy It Again?  No and it pains me to say it.  This could be a cool place, but between the inattentive service and lackluster meal, the only reason that I would go back is that they are an independent in a city of chains.

-wibia

Yats
Indianapolis, IN

http://www.yatscajuncreole.com/

It is difficult to imagine that this blog has been in existence for about eleven months and we have yet to say one word about Yats!  Most people in Indy will breeze past this review because they know that it rocks, but let’s follow normal protocol here.  Long story short on the history:  Joe owns the place, it has four locations and does quickserve, cheap, tasty cajun/creole food.

I was in the neighborhood and stopped in at the 96th Street location.  First time to Yats?  Get the full flavor and head to the original store in Broad Ripple.  The menu changes daily, but it does have a few standards. You can check online beforehand to see what is up with the menu for that day.

Chili Cheese Etouffe

What I Got:  Chili Cheese Etouffe with Crawfish/White Chicken Chili and extra bread.  About $7.00

IMO, the Chile Cheese Etouffe with Crawfish is their flagship dish.  Creamy and just well balanced with a proper amount of crawfish sprinkled in.  If you bought the Channel 13 Cookbook last year, this recipe was in there.  Really tasty and a must have.  As with most of the items on the menu, this was served over rice.

The white chicken chili was nice as well.  There was a ton of shredded chicken.  I would really like to highlight some of the flavors, but I can’t because I scarfed it down so quickly that it waved at my tongue on the way down.  Yats bread is ridiculously good as well.  Buttered with some cajun seasoning that I would really like to know the mix of spices that they use.  If you know what makes up the mix, hit me up on e-mail or Twitter.  If I have been fooled by Tony Chachere’s, please kill me.

Look, I have never been to New Orleans, though I will probably go in 2010.  I am not sure how authentic it is, but frankly I don’t give a shit because I love their food.  If you are in Indy for a few days, you have to give Yats a try.  It is truly one of my favorite places in Indianapolis to eat.

Would I Buy It Again? Yes and Hall of Fame.

Fun Yats Story:

About four years ago I was in Yats in Broad Ripple at about 2:00.  Joe, the owner, was walking around busing tables and this conversation followed:

Joe:  How was lunch?

wibia:  Great, when are you going to put the white chicken chili on the menu?  It is my girlfriend’s favorite item.

Joe:  Do you have about 10 minutes to spare?

wibia:  Yup

Joe (10 minutes later arriving at my table with a to go order of white chicken chili):  Here you go man, this one is on the house and I hope she enjoys it.

I mean, who has this customer service model anymore?   Not only is the food excellent, every person there seems to be cut from the same cloth, loves the food and loves what this represents.

-WIBIA