Reviews of Zydeco Po-Boys, Cafe 6 and Annie's Gourmet Italian Bistro

Al Mancini heads to Zydeco Po-Boys, and says the sandwiches are “made on beautiful, thick bread from New Orleans’ famed Leidenheimer Baking Company, and semi-traditionally dressed with lettuce, tomato, Swiss, Provolone and your choice of mayo, jalapeño mayo or Cajun mustard.” He recommends the catfish, but notes that many of the dishes lacked that Cajun kick. “…I found little flavor in the jalapeño mayo” and “The thin gumbo is packed with flavor, but is much milder then you’d expect in Cajun cuisine” are two common themes. A collection of hot sauces helps kick it up a notch. [DTLV]

He also tries the new Cafe 6, the restaurant that replaced Kerry Simon’s restaurant at Palms Place. “Unfortunately, the new concept comes off as little more than a placeholder, a restaurant designed to feed the boutique hotel’s guests until management comes up with a more serious plan for such prime real estate.” Dry seems to be a theme here, with a dry crab dynamite, in all caps on the menu and allegedly the same that Simon used and “dry beef sliders served on semi-stale buns.” As Mancini says, “change is not always good.” [VS]

Brock Radke checks out the relocated Annie’s Gourmet Italian Bistro. He says everyone should start with stuffed mushrooms with sweet sausage, and recommends the shrimp scampi. Owner Annie Payton suggests trying her mother’s eggplant parmigiana, and the customer favorite is the veal Marsala. [LVW]