Rue

 

 

While I do live in Chicago and don't own a car, occasionally, I will get out to the suburbs where my friends live and try restaurants out there.  I recently out to the suburbs for a concert and we stopped at Rue, a Cajun Restaurant in Glen Ellyn, for dinner and drinks beforehand.  When we arrived it was very busy, but there were some seats at the bar, so that's where we sat.  I enjoy sitting at the bar in any case, because it gives me a chance to talk to and watch the bartenders who seem to have a good handle on both the drinks and food the place is serving, so sitting at the bar was fine.  I am not sure if my friends had been here before, but they mentioned that we wanted to try some of the cocktails.  This was a very good decision because the drinks, while New Orleans standards, were mixologist complex, and they were very cool to watch being constructed.  The first drink that was ordered and our bartender constructed was a Hurricane, which was made with a Rum Blend, Passion Fruit, and Citrus, served in a Skull Mug and finished by placing a slotted spoon on top of the glass, placing a Sugar Cube on the spoon, lighting it on fire, and letting the melted sugar drip into the cocktail.  While this was not my cocktail, I did try it.  The sugar added a sweetness which went well with the Rum and the Passion Fruit and Citrus gave it a tart finish.  My first cocktail was called a Hoodoo Smoke and it, also was very cool to watch it being constructed.  It started with a small fire on a saucer on the bar over which the glass in which the drink was to be served which put the fire out, and allowed smoke to build up and coat the inside of the glass.  The cocktail that went into the smoked glass contained Peppercorn Infused Bourbon, Honey, and Hickory.  I am generally not a bourbon drinker, but this was really good.  It was smoky, a little spicy, and very smooth and sweet from the honey.  My second cocktail came well into the meal, but it seemed to fit better with the other cocktails.  Called Easy Street, it contained House Melon Liqueur (similar to Midori, though not as sweet), Gin, and Citrus.  While I am a gin drinker, Hoodoo Smoke was my favorite cocktail.  Easy Street wasn't bad, but the melon liqueur did nothing for me.  It was better than Midori because it wasn't as sweet, but I guess that I can't really get with something that was so melon forward.

 

For our appetizers, we started with Fried Gator and Oysters.  I have had Alligator before (fried) and it reminds me of  cross between chicken and cod.  It has a light avian flavor similar to chicken, the flavor isn't as strong as duck or turkey, but the texture is similar to a well prepared whitefish, tender and flaky.  A Remoulade Sauce accompanied the Alligator Tail Bites.  It was creamy, spicy, and good, but I thought the alligator was good on its own.  The Oysters could have been ordered On the Half Shell, Char Grilled, Rockefeller, or Bienville (with Shrimp, Mushroom, bell Peppers, and Parmesan).  I like my oysters with as little done with them as possible (besides shucking), so we ordered them On the Half Shell.  They were served with Lemon, Cocktail Sauce, and Garlic Butter on the side.  While I will squeeze lemon on my oysters, that's all that I think that they need most of the time.  The oysters tasted fresh and briny, and I really enjoyed them.

 

Our entrees were all Cajun standards, Jambalaya, Crawfish Etoufee, and an Oyster Po'Boy.  I ordered the Jambalaya, but was able to try the others.  The jambalaya was served in a large bowl and featured Rice, Trinity (Onions, Bell Pepper, and Celery), Andouille Sausage, Smoked Chicken, Cherry Tomatoes, and was topped with a piece of Cornbread.  The Crawfish Etoufee was the most visually striking.  Etoufee is more liquid than is Jambalaya, although it also starts with a Rice base.  Made with Rice, Crawfish Tails, Creole Reduction (onions, bell pepper, and celery, in a butter sauce reduced), and White Wine, It was topped with a Crayfish, steamed red, with it's claws extended threateningly.  I did try to suck any remaining meat out of the crayfish shell, but while I did get some flavor, I didn't actually get much meat because they cleaned it out well.  What I did try was good, though.  The Oysters in the Oyster Po'Boy were breaded and friedand served with Lettuce, Tomatoes, and a Spicy Sauce on a Baguette.  The bread was crusty and the oysters were crunchy and plentiful to provide a crunchy and chewy bite.

There looked like there were some nice sweets for desserts including Beignets, Bread Pudding, and Bananas Foster, but after our large entrees, we were set and waved off on the desserts.  The food and drink here were really good and I would be happy to return.