The Blue Dog Café may be the best known restaurant in Lafayette—in part for its take on Cajun cuisine and in part for the artwork.
“The iconic Blue Dog image is the creation of world renowned artist, George Rodrigue. Born and raised in New Iberia, LA,
“Over the past twenty years Blue Dog has evolved along with its creator. Always different, but in ways, always the same. It is difficult to define the allure of Blue Dog, but the fact that it captures the imagination is undeniable. Through his art, the Blue Dog Man has made the acquaintance of three U.S. presidents, and his Blue Dog works are valued by art collectors and art lovers worldwide” (from the restaurant’s web site),
When we arrived, I could see a buffet line immediately adjacent to the hostess station and another line in the next dining room to the back.
We asked our server whether, instead of buffet, we could order from the menu. “No” while pointing with his head toward the next room, “All we have on Sunday is the brunch buffet.” All right. The buffet it would be. If I had done some research, I would have known that. Oh, and we could have a “free” mimosa. Free my foot. It may not appear as an additional charge on the final bill, but there is no such thing as a free mimosa.
The next room held the omelet station, the prime rib carving bar, and a basket of Belgian waffle quarters with assorted toppings.
We each returned to the table with a cup of soup. Chuck chose the crab and corn bisque and had to scrape the bottom of the tureen to get the cup three-quarters full. After having eaten the sublime crab and corn soup at Chef Roy’s Frog City Café, this was a real let down. The corn was starchy and the crab almost nonexistent.
I took the shrimp “Rockfeller” soup, which was quite good with all of the requisite components of oysters Rockefeller (spinach and Pernod) with the substitution of shrimp for oysters. In fact, I later returned for a second cup as a prelude to dessert.
My main plate contained a portion of the shrimp remoulade pasta salad, which was made with tri-color farfalle with infrequent bits of chopped shrimp in a spicy remoulade sauce.
But I was excited to see the salmon on the buffet. I haven’t enjoyed a bagel with salmon, cream cheese, and fixings in a long time. While they called this “smoked” salmon, it was more like cured salmon to me. And it had been sliced way too thick. Still, it had good flavor, and I managed to eat more than my share. The bagel, on the other hand, would have been better put to use by being dropped at center ice at a Flyers-Islanders game.
Our server wanted to remove plates, silver, and glasses from the table—even if we weren’t quite finished. As Chuck turned his back to the table in order to take a photo, the server whipped his plate from the table—with half of the fruit still in it.
We left, after paying an outrageously high price for brunch, feeling we had been “ripped off.”
When I got home, I did the research I should have done before going. Yes, the web site indicates that Sunday brunch is a buffet and includes a list of
And here is my major complaint. Have you ever been in a restaurant and realized that you aren’t that restaurant’s target market? Look. Chuck didn't wear his bib overalls. I left my “Kiss Me I’m Horny” t-shirt at home. Neither of us was wearing a backwards baseball cap. Neither of us picked our noses at the table. Neither of us erupted in loud belches.
It’s is hard to give a rating to Blue Dog Café. I guess they deserve a 2.5 Addies for the food. But if you are older, I advise you go to Original Don’s Seafood where they value their older customers.
As we reviewed our stop at the Blue Dog, we couldn't help but think that we'd seen Rodrigue's blue dog before. ...Maybe, someone like the blue dog.
...Somewhere.
3 comments:
Hard to make everyone happy, isn't it? I am sorry that you didn't have a better experience at the Blue Dog Cafe. Thank you for giving it a try-
Looks as if your Blue Dog Cafe review is "sticking in someone's craw!" Personally, I agree with all that you stated - having had similar experiences myself. Food establishments - in this present economy - should welcome "suggestions" to better their business as soon dining out will fall way behind the need to fill our gas tanks and our home pantry!
And oh yes - MR O.R.Deal, the prognosticating, doppler cat, looks very similar to but more appealing than A "Blue Dog."
Love your Blog!!! Mary from Wycombe
To the contrary, Mary. My comment was not meant to be sarcastic. I truly do regret this bad experience, and I forwarded the review to the restaurant accordingly. My apologies if I caused further ill will.
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