Dave’s Cajun Kitchen lights it up

Dave’s Cajun Kitchen, located at 6720 W. Main St. (between Southland Mall and Barker GMC) in Houma, presented an early Christmas present over the past few months as I visited this restaurant in anticipation of this review. This restaurant scored better each time we dined and is simply a worthwhile dining experience, good for the family, an evening with someone special or just a gathering with friends.

I have driven by this establishment for years but never managed to stop. I asked several acquaintances what their experience had been and received generally good reviews – most saying they enjoyed it but had not dined there in too long.

After finally succumbing to temptation, I discovered that Dave’s is one of the best-kept secrets in town. There simply are so many choices that it is difficult to decide what to order.

After four visits, the only question is when I will return to try more good food and selections.

True to its name, Dave’s has a smorgasbord of Cajun fare. For appetizers, you can choose from among Popcorn shrimp ($4.99), catfish chips ($4.99), fried mushrooms ($4.25), mozzarella cheese sticks ($4.25), onion rings ($3.75), catfish rib-eyes ($4.99), chicken & cheese ($4.99), french fries ($1.99), crabmeat stuffed jalapenos ($6.99), spinach and artichoke dip ($5.99), fried duck tenderloins ($7.99), Cajun crab fingers ($5.99) and bacon wrapped shrimp ($6.99).

The crabmeat stuffed jalapenos, fried mushrooms, fried duck tenderloins and bacon wrapped shrimp were excellent. My kids loved the Mozzarella cheese sticks with marinara sauce and onion rings.

Then there is GUMBO!

I had heard that Dave’s gumbo is good … and its reputation is absolutely true. It offers seafood gumbo along with angel-hair pasta with crab sauce or a light Italian sauce. We chose Dave’s own sauce and were pleased.

Other entrees include grilled shrimp [$10.99] over angel hair pasta with grilled vegetables and a garlic butter sauce, shrimp and crab fettucine [$8.99], and a Cajun stuffed potato [$8.99] with either grilled chicken or boiled shrimp.

Dave’s has shrimp (large butterfly shrimp or bite-size popcorn shrimp), catfish (fried or marinated with a lemon and pepper sauce) and oyster platters, each of which is fried very well, i.e., lightly and with as little hint of grease as possible.

Alternatively, you can order a deep fried or broiled flounder platter.

Each platter comes with fries, a baked potato, chicken/andouille gumbo and shrimp, crab and corn soup by the cup or a bowl. You simply can’t go wrong here.

I generally steer clear of gumbos at restaurants, as I have developed the snooty position that gumbo is best made at home. Dave’s challenges that notion.

The entrée assortment is extensive as well. The restaurant offers a grilled chicken breast [$9.99] with fettuccini pasta (add shrimp for $1 extra) or steamed vegetables.

The steamed vegetable selection is a new addition at Dave’s and is what I appreciate about this restaurant. It appears that Jerome Leboeuf, the owner and son of “Dave,” listens to his customers. He added the steamed vegetables in response to customer demand.

Crawfish pies have also been added to the menu.

It is refreshing to see a restaurant try to improve on its already impressive menu. In fact, on our last visit Jerome was toying with a new creation: sautéed Portobello mushrooms in a delectable mushroom sauce. It is that type of creativity that keeps the customer base expanding and the regulars returning for more.

The menu continues: platters with fried crawfish [$10.99 or a half-order for $7.99], crawfish etouffee [$9.99], stuffed crab [$9.99 or $6.99 for a half-order], frog legs [$12.99], fried crab fingers [$10.99], shrimp and crab au gratin [$10.99] and soft shell crabs [$12.99 or $14.99 if you have it with shrimp and crab cream sauce].

And, yes, Dave’s serves steaks. There’s steak and shrimp [$16.99], rib-eyes [$14.99], or hamburger steak [$7.99]. We didn’t have the opportunity to try any of these but we did sample Dave’s on its famous steak night – $11.99 for an 8-ounce rib-eye steak, baked potato and salad.

The atmosphere is friendly. What sets Dave’s apart is that its menu is so extensive and so developed that it certainly has something to please even the most finicky, unique taste. What also sets it apart is its service, which is the best I have seen since I began publishing reviews.

One of the waitpersons remembered exactly what my children and I had ordered two weeks prior, which was quite impressive.

The staff knew the menu and offered real suggestions.

Dave’s has a good thing going and this is a gig you should get in on the next time you travel down Main Street in Houma.

Dave’s Cajun Kitchen lights it up