Dinner at e2 Emeril's Eatery in Charlotte

Crawfish at the Crawfish Boil! Each Friday in May e2 offered a traditional crawfish boil for $5 per person. They served 400 pounds of crawfish the night we were there - let's hope they bring this back soon!

I was recently invited back to e2, this time for dinner with my husband and with fellow blogger Malika Bowling from Atlanta Restaurant Blog. Malika and her husband, Glen, came up from Atlanta to check out some restaurants while they stayed with us for the weekend in Charlotte. Friday night started off with a "Bam" - truly - as we dined in style at e2 with fabulous food and service. 

My favorites included the oyster shooter (not pictured but I blogged about the oyster shooter here previously when I had lunch at e2), the gumbo, the gulf coast drum stew, the special fish dish with stuffed kale and the blue corn brioche bread pudding. We also really enjoyed the cocktails, particularly the famous Grasshopper and the wonderful wine selection. e2 is a really good choice for lunch or dinner. Brunch is also offered with specials for Father's Day, coming up this Sunday.

 

Special of crispy Duck Wings - different and tasty.

Housemade Boudin + Andouille Sausage.

 

Special gumbo of the day - delicious!

  

Emeril's signature BBQ shrimp with rosemary biscuit.

  

We enjoyed some delicious cocktails and wine!

 

The famous Grasshopper - everyone really liked this special cocktail.

 

Special seafood dish with fish and mussel-stuffed kale and fried oysters. The stuffed kale was awesome!

 

Gulf Coast Drum Portuguese stew - this was really tasty, love the broth and all the seafood.

 

Trout "Meuniere" - trout is sometimes used in place of the usual founder.

 

Giant and delicious double cut pork chop - it was after this pork chop that I officially made up the Pork Chop Song / Dance for my son, who at age 7 months, ate some of the leftover pork chop! If you ask me I might sing it for you sometime :D

 

Desserts: from top left, clockwise, blue corn brioche bread pudding with coconut-pineapple ice cream, banana cream pie, apple crepes with bacon and ice cream, sweet potato cheesecake. The bread pudding was different from any other bread pudding I have ever tried - and SO good! 

 
 Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

Zuffy's Place

Zuffy's Salad and Shrimp & Grits.

I've driven past Zuffy's Place dozens of times on my way out Buford Highway, but never gave it much attention. Could it possibly compete with the Korean BBQ, green tea bubble tea or nasi lemok I was headed for? Finally, after hearing from someone that they have Creole food, I gave it a try on a rainy Saturday for lunch. The result was a pleasant surprise. The menu is a mix of Creole and traditional American fare. The shrimp and grits were creamy and delicious. I want to go back to try the etouffe and gumbo. Calvin enjoyed the fish po'boy. One of my co-workers who is from New Orleans has even given it his stamp of approval, although he wasn't too pleased with the jambalaya. Zuffy's holds all kinds of events also, such as Texas Hold 'Em and comedy night. There is a full bar and the ambience is bar-like. Still, with such good food - I'll be back!

Fish Po'Boy with mac & cheese.

Isabella's Cafe in Decatur

Swahili Shrimp Curry with Mango and Spicy Asian Orange Beef.

Isabella's Cafe is a strong, unique addition to the Decatur dining scene. Located on West College Avenue, it's a bit off the beaten track of downtown, yet fully accessible and certainly worth seeking out. A couple of weeks ago owner/manager Wambui Maina invited me to sample much of Isabella's extensive, diverse menu. The menu's international focus comes from Wambui's own life experiences: born in Kenya, then lived in New Orleans, and traveled extensively around the US and the world. Photographs from around the world adorn the walls here, making for a full international experience for the eyes as well as the taste buds. The restaurant is named for Wambui's mother, Isabella.

The moist, savory corn muffins provided to each table started things off right. The trio of samosas - ground turkey was my favorite - also impressed, although I would like to taste a little more spicy heat in the mixtures. We also enjoyed two types of wings: tangy tamarind and sweet and hot Thai. Both were satisfying, but I enjoyed the sweet and hot Thai the most as the hot flavor really came through. Sounds like I'm on the lookout for spice these days... not sure what that means! The spinach salad was amazing. One of the best parts of the meal, and we were provided with all three homemade dressings: passion fruit vinaigrette is my top pick. I also loved the Swahili shrimp with Mango - a definite must-try. The spicy Asian beef was a bit too salty for my taste and a little too mainstream to stand out among all the other offerings not commonly found in Atlanta.

Corn muffins delivered to each table.



Samosa sampler platter and Spinach and Gorgonzola salad with mango, strawberries and spiced pecans.



Rich and Tangy Tamarind Wings - we also tried the Thai Sweet and Hot Wings.



Jerk Chicken Panini.



Pepper-Jack Macaroni and Cheese and Chipotle-Maple Black Beans.

The jerk chicken sandwich was another hit - spicy and large, this would make a wonderful lunch. We also thoroughly enjoyed the mac and cheese and the black beans. The beans had a really unique flavor and I'm not usually one to like black beans. I would probably choose them over the other side choices next time they are so good!

Cajun Shrimp and Andouille Sausage Alfredo over Pasta - also very tasty with just the right creaminess and spice.



Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Balls with Blue Cheese. Another good appetizer choice, although I think I prefer the real wings. Still, for those who prefer boneless, this is a great choice.



Banana Pudding and Sweet Potato Pie with Crunchy Pecan Topping. Both were great - loved the sweet potato pie.



All that was left of our Warm Chocolate Molten Cake! Do you think we liked it??



Inside Isabella's. The dining room is actually much larger than this view of the kitchen area.

Crawfish Shack Seafood

Boiled Shack-tastic Platter for One!

One of my new favorite places on Buford Highway is Crawfish Shack Seafood, a Vietnamese owned restaurant serving Cajun classics at great prices. The restaurant was featured in this NY Times article about the prevalence of Vietnamese-owned Creole/Cajun restaurants. Everything we've tried here pleased us, especially the boiled seafood - crayfish, shrimp, wonderful crab, and mussels too - the hush puppies and the beignets. There is nice, nautical themed seating inside, but luckily both times we've ventured here we've managed to secure one of the two outdoor tables in the front. The restaurant is in a brand new strip that is a bit difficult to see from the road. Raw seafood is also available to buy and cook at home. But why do that when it's so great here?

Tilapia, shrimp combo with hush puppies and slaw.

Gumbeaux's in Douglasville

The sign on Broad St. in historic Douglasville.

Finally, after Calvin had mentioned several times that I needed to try Gumbeaux's, we finally had the opportunity when we went with our friend John on my birthday back in December. I knew it was a good sign when there was a line starting to form on a Wednesday before 5 PM. We were seated promptly and overall received good service at this casual Cajun joint. We tried several Cajun specialties and the only disappointment were the fried items which were much too salty for my taste. My favorite dish is the shrimp with cheese grits - so delicious. I'd definitely recommend Gumbeaux's if you're in the Douglasville area.

Bourbon St. Crawfish Dip. Not as good as the stuffed mushrooms.



Bloody Mary and a fruity drink.



Salad with wonderful homemade blue cheese dressing.



Crabmeat stuffed mushrooms.



Cajun seafood gumbo - very good!



Blackened shrimp and three cheese grits - my favorite!



Fried gator and oyster platter - way too salty. The hush puppies were decent.



GIANT bananas foster and delicious bread pudding. They sang to me too!