Baby Kay’s Cajun Kitchen

Baby Kay’s Cajun Kitchen
2051 S Dobson Rd
Mesa, AZ 85202

I had not eaten at Baby Kay’s since it was located at Town and Country Shopping Center a long time ago. It was time for a new review.

Companion and I arrived at lunch time and were seated immediately. Our waitress took our orders for drinks and provided the requisite menu’s for us to peruse. Most of the food on the menu appeared to be authentic Nola, at least if the taste held up to the descriptions.

Companion wasn’t up on Cajun food, and asked if she could sample one or two things she was considering. Because heat from spice was not something companion enjoyed, she wanted to make sure she would be able to eat what she ordered. Our waitress promptly brought out 3 small cups with etouffee, jambalaya, and swamp water (gumbo for you northerners). Companion tasted all 3 and decided on the etouffee. I couldn’t resist tasting them also. The jambalaya had some nice heat but no tomato in it, and the gumbo was true to tradition.

We each started with a cup of etouffee. We were brought plates with some excellent garlic bread on it along with a small bowl of the etouffee. Adding a bit of hot sauce to it and I was in New Orleans! A wonderful broth loaded with crawfish tails with a nice ball of white rice in the center. Companion ate her bowl without hot sauce and fell in love with it. This was the start of a wonderful lunch.

I got the combination basket which had fried shrimp and fried oysters in it along with the most unusual cole slaw I have ever eaten. There is no doubt in my mind that the chef who prepared this basket really knew what he was doing, as the shrimp and oysters were cooked to perfection. Companion had never eaten fried oysters before, and after one taste pronounced them delicious and decided to help me eat mine! The word thief comes to mind. The breading was perfect, and the oysters were a nice size and perfectly creamy. The shrimp, which most places overcook until they resemble something made from butyl rubber, were beautifully prepared, and were delicately tender. As for the cole slaw, what made it so unique is that it is prepared using green olives as one of the seasonings. It was highly unusual, and I still haven’t made up my mind whether I like it or not. I’ll probably have to go back a few more times to sample it some more.

We finished off lunch with their bread pudding in a puddle of whisky sauce. The bread pudding was dense, covered in pecans, and had coconut in it. I was so full that I could only eat a small amount of it, and companion asked for a box to take it in.

There was only one downer for the lunch, and that was a Sazerac that was ordered from the bar. Unfortunately, it just didn’t make the grade and had to be sent back. My understanding is that they used to have a bartender that made a terrific one, and when she left they stopped making the drink. I’m hoping in the future they get a bartender that can make a proper Sazerac cocktail.

The place was clean, airy, with excellent service. Those who wish to can eat outside. Each table had a selection of hot sauces, mostly from Tabasco. I would suggest that they have some Louisiana Hot Sauce available also, as it has a totally different flavor than Tabasco.

For those who might be inclined to say that this is an expensive place to eat, may I remind them that this is the desert and sea food has to be brought in and is also costly. It all adds up in the end.

4 Stars