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French Quarter Cajun Seafood

MY REVIEW: My husband and I decided the give French Quarter a try since it is in our area. I looked at reviews and saw many great complements on the resturant. The waitress we had was very nice and attentive the food however was very disappointing. I am not from Louisia but I can't imagine that this resturant would stir any memories of home other than the decore. I asked if I could just have a baked potato with butter and I was told that they did not have any that "they came already pre made". That should have been the clue for us to have gotten up and left at that point. Everything seems to be premade. My twice baked potato was cold when I received it and the waitress told me she would gladly warm it right up. Does this place even have a kitchen or is it just a microwave to warm up the food they serve? Even my kids food looked premade and warmed up to serve. We will never visit this establishment again. I could have bought a frozen dinner and gotten the same satisfaction.

NAME: S. Rod
SUBMITTED: 8/20/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 08/2011
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: First Seafood/Cajun restaurant that I've found in 22 years of living in Houston that is worth it (I'm from Louisiana). VERY authentic, food is hot, fresh and tastes like I'm sitting in Louisiana somewhere eating it! Boudin balls, alligator, shrimp...ALL are divine! Previous reviewers mentioned the food was too salty, but we didn't notice that at all and we don't eat alot of salt at home, so would have noticed right away. Perfectly seasoned by all 4 of our tastes. Food is served fast, atmosphere is relaxing with Cajun music playing softly (no LOUD music here!) in the background. Very clean restaurant, tables not crowded up together, plenty of room to eat and enjoy your meal. Imana, our server is fabulous! Very friendly, knowledgeable, went out of her way to meet our needs and is an absolute delight to meet. (And no, we are not related! LOL). What we ordered...Shrimp Dinner with 10 HUGE fried shrimp and twice-baked potato...Shrimp Platter with 5 HUGE fried shrimp, Etoufee and Jambalya...Cajun Platter with fried shrimp, fried alligator, fried crawfish and crawfish bisque...Seafood platter with fried catfish (huge filet), fried boudin balls, fried alligator and red beans/rice. Appetizers were boudin balls, stuff jalapenos (bacon, shrimp) and fried alligator. We were also served really good, fresh garlic poboy bread. The iced tea we got is Community Tea which is the BEST! All the seafood is from Louisiana, not Texas, which means alot to me. Big difference in the taste. La's is better! All in all, well worth the visit, we were very impressed and we'll be back! (In light of the somewhat negative reviews below...I just want to say that from the dates, they mostly appear to be a couple of years ago...maybe things have changed there because we didn't notice ANY of the problems others reported. So judge for yourself, don't let OLD reviews dissuade you from trying this fantastic taste of Louisiana!).

NAME: Kathy A
SUBMITTED: 7/16/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/2011
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I'm from Louisiana, so I'm a bit picky about seafood places , but I LOVE French Quarter. The prices are very fair. The food is good. I've seen some complaints on this site about a waitress and I know exactly whom people are complaining about; she has an interesting personality that may offend some people but is consistent with the part of Louisiana where she is from. There are other waiters and waitresses. Generally, though, it's a great atmosphere. I LOVE the $4 hurricanes and the food is nice! They recently started serving breakfast on weekends; that is the only thing that I haven't tried.

NAME: Cajun girl
SUBMITTED: 2/27/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: Feb 2010
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: I've seen this restaurant driving by; we received coupons for a buy one entree get one free so that cajoled my wife and I to stop in. The hostess seemed as if we were bothering her by coming in, but this is where the bad time ended.

Our waiter was a nice guy; the food was fantastic. We had the stuffed jalepenos for an app, my wife had a poboy and gumbo, and I had the eggplant special. I tried her gumbo and it was spiced nicely; the eggplant dish was just great. This place is unexpectedly good and the prices are reasonable (bogo coupon is pretty awesome too). I wish we had stopped in sooner; we'll definitely be back.

NAME: Food Magician
SUBMITTED: 8/25/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 08/2009
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: My wife and I decided to go here based on the reviews on this web site. Thinking that it was the day before Fat Tuesday we thought it wouldn't be crowed ... we where right.

But that's where it turns for the bad ...
Our waitress was slow to greet us, give us menus and take drink orders, then she tried to hurry us to order.

My wife had the garlic seafood pasta ... tons of butter and mushrooms but very little seafood and taste. when she asked for more sauce because it was dry ... it took her close to 10 minutes to bring out some melted butter with seasonings in it. By that time her dish was cold too.

I ordered the crawfish platter ... it was bearly warmer than room temp. when it came to the table and like my wifes dish there was not much taste to any of it.

There was a "skin" over the etouffe like it had been sitting for a while. the jambalaya and dirty rice (substatuted for white rice) sat on the plate like 2 little lumps. the sasuage in the jambalaya was like "store bought", but I think the dirty rice would have been good had it been hot. I have to tell you that the fried crawfish was good, the cornmeal breading was well done, but it was cold too, which made the crawfish a little chewy. I think I tasted a couple of "sour" crawfish in the etouffe.

We spoke to another diner who said she had been there several times and mostly the food was good but she too had been here when the food was lacking in flavor, "like they ran out of spices" she said.

After advising our waitress of our thoughts ... all she said was "I wish I could do something for you but I don't know where the owner is" and handded us our bill.

I'm not one who complaines after we have eaten the meal ...for freebies. But something should have been done ... I dought we will give this place another shot at our buisness.

NAME: Disapointed First Timer
SUBMITTED: 2/24/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/2009
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I have been there many times and have never been disappointed. I have taken friends from New York and Colorado and they loved it We asked them to make us a sampler platter for appetizers and my out of town friends raved about it. Then we had some gumbo and bisque. Same results.

NAME: drf
SUBMITTED: 12/16/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: november 08
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: This place is our favorite! My suggestions: get a Texas Twist margarita and start with the crab and corn bisque. It comes out hot, creamy, and very tasty (the bisque that is)! Next, if you're in the mood for pasta, try the shrimp scampi pasta. It comes with plenty of shrimp and a wonderful creamy sauce. It is enough to share. If you like catfish, go for it! This is the REAL fried catfish with cornmeal breading. The fish are huge filets, not too thick (which are too "fishy") and not too thin (which tend to get overcooked). The fried shrimp are also excellent! They are medium to large and are butterflied. It's hard to fry butterflied shrimp as they can get tough, but this place does it right.

On our last visit, we got some type of platter with catfish, shrimp, and oysters, except they let us substitute the shrimp scampi pasta for the oysters and baked potato, at no extra charge. Three of us shared two of these and we couldn't finish it all! It was so good, we wanted to, but it was just too much food.

Oh and kids get a dessert with their meal.

The service has always been great. The staff are very attentive and friendly, and as I mentioned above, willing to work with you to create the meal you want. This place is better than P*ppadeaux and much cheaper. P*ppadeaux's bisque cannot compare.

NAME: ghvz1
SUBMITTED: 10/21/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: October/2008
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: We've been at this particular place several times since the other one on 1960 closed. Although the food is still pretty good, the service had gone from bad to worst. When we arrived, about 5 employees were by the hostess area. No one greeted until I said hello. We were seated and a server came to get our drink order. A couple minutes later, another server came to ask for our drink order again. We mentioned that someone else took our drink order but we were told that the 1st person was not our server.

For starters, my husband wanted a side garden salad with extra dressing and I wanted a "cup" of soup. When the salad came there was only 1 dressing and the soup was a "bowl". I asked the server if that was a cup, she responded: "no, you ordered a bowl". I didn't argue and just accepted the bowl since I liked that soup anyway. When the server brought our dinner, I asked for some lemons and when my server came back she brought us thin slices of lemons, the ones you put in your iced tea. Again, didn't make a big deal; I squeezed those thin lemons over my shrimp.

After dinner, she handed us our bill. There were additional charges for the dirty rice and vegetables. We called our server over to ask her about those extra charges and she told us that they were for the dirty rice and vegetables. So I was explaining to her that those sides came with the meal, so why should we be charged extra for them. She called another server. I was explaining to the other server what I ordered when our server gestures her hand in front of me and cuts me off while I was talking. Wow, bad service is one thing but that was another.

The other server apologized for the mistakes and apologized for our server; he said that she just got back, relearning everything and was a bit overhelmed. The manager came afterwards to apologize and she offered to take care of our dinner but that doesn't take away the bad experience we had. We can pay for our own meal; they need to fix the service.

NAME: Disappointed patron
SUBMITTED: 9/27/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 09/2008
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: If you are looking for a good family-owned restaurant here that is reasonably priced and has great quality seafood, this is it. My wife doesn't like spicy food, and this cajun place does not overdo it on the spices. Instead, the chefs let the richness of the flavor "do the talking" instead of overwhelming your taste buds with spices.

My wife and I love seafood. When it's done right, it can be a great dining experience. But when it's done wrong, nothing can be worse. We've eaten at this place many times and we have NEVER been disappointed (and I will state that I do not know the owner or chef).

We love a good seafood bisque. That is so hard to do that if a chef can get it right, then you know everthing else will be just fine. The crab and corn bisque here isn't just good, it is superb! Get a bowl and add the rice, and you've got a meal right there. The bisque is loaded with crab and has a rich, creamy flavor and always comes to the table hot.

We've gotten the seafood pasta several times as well as the fried catfish and fried shrimp. The pasta is rich and loaded with shrimp. The shrimp are usually large to jumbo size. The portion is plenty to share. We usually have to add a little salt to bring out the flavor, but we prefer doing that ourselves to suit our own tastes rather than having the chef do that for us.

The catfish and shrimp are corn-meal breaded (the only way to do it) and are fried to a light golden brown. Sometimes, the shrimp are large enough that they have to be butterflied. They have never been over cooked and always come out piping hot. They too have excellent flavor.

The bar has a Texas Twist Margarita that is one of the best (strawberry and lime mixed and can be served frozen). You get your money's worth even with that as it arrives filled to the brim. You can also get a white zinfandel from Barefoot winery that is hard to find anyplace else.

The decor is good - a little on the cheesy side with the fake crumbling plaster look. The music is appropriate New Orleans jazz and not too soft or too loud. The prices are very reasonable and the staff has always been very attentive and friendly. The only thing I wish they had was a non-smoking bar.

NAME: Jackalope
SUBMITTED: 8/18/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: July, 2008
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: My husband and I have dined at the old location on Cherry Park several times, and a few times at the new place on Hwy. 6. The food has always been really tasty and delicious, but unfortunately for me, very unhealthy! I would like to point out to restaurant managers and chefs everywhere: you DO NOT have to cook everything in tons of butter and grease to make it taste good! Likewise, you do not have to add loads of salt to a dish - leave that to the discretion and taste of the diner, who can use the salt shaker on the table.

I ordered a catch special which was a redfish topped with a lemon caper sauce - scrumptious. But I could barely eat the side orders of sauteed vegetables which were way too salty, and the seasoned potatoes which were swimming in grease.

Another comment - the specials and some items on the menu did not have prices. It's as if "if you have to ask, you can't afford it", and I don't like feeling that way in a restaurant. All items should show the price so customers don't have to ask.

Thanks for letting me rant & rave!

NAME: Annie
SUBMITTED: 3/27/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/08
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: Went there during lunchtime, the place was nearly empty - I can see why now! The waiter was unattentive and rude. When we asked for a split bill he smirked as if to say "yeah, right"...then had to get the manager to help him with the split. She acted as if it was an inconveniece (when we were among about 4 other tables in the whole place). We went there because I had been on a Friday night the week before for happy hour with friends. The food and drinks were good and the bartender split our bills before we even asked. I figured since I had such great service on that Friday during lunchtime would be the same. Most places say "Have a nice day" or "Please come back" when you walk out...we received the silent treatment. We were all very nice and even went to the trouble of splitting the amounts ourselves. Take my advice and go elsewhere if you want to be treated as a valued customer!!!

NAME: bkaye
SUBMITTED: 2/25/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/25/2008
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: I have been frequenting since their original location on Cherry Park Dr (which is no longer there. I am from Southwest Louisiana and this place is the closest it gets to tasting like home. Incredible food, excellent service! You never leave hungry - just happy!

Being at French Quarter is like being back at home (Lafayette or New Iberia)!!

NAME: aejashley
SUBMITTED: 2/12/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/2007
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: Went for lunch with some colleagues to the Hwy. 6 location. Dirty rice, gumbo, and gator tails were excellent. Friends said red beans and rice were very good. As mentioned previously we had Carl for our waiter and he was great. We are a tough table - substitutions and several to-go orders. They never missed a beat. Overall service was very good. The staff worked well together rather than just caring about only their tables and it made a big difference. I think I like this place better than P*appadeaux, will definitely be trying a few more times.

NAME: austin_native
SUBMITTED: 12/27/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/27/2007
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Fabulous food, nice waiter (Carl), attractive & relaxing atmosphere--great lunch specials! We used the Entertainment card and they were very gracious about it--portions were generous, presentation was EX. We were pleasantly surprised--we'll be back soon!

NAME: decodame
SUBMITTED: 11/7/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/07
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: My husband and I have been going to the 1960 store since we moved here 2-1/2 years ago. We recommended this place many times; took friends and out of town families there-spoke very highly of the place and Reagan was the best server. It was our favorite place to eat at however, to our disappointment, the store closed last month. Since we like French Quarter we decided to try the store on Hwy 6. It was not a pleasant experience. We walked in at around 9:20 and the hostess barely acknowledged us; she was wiping some boosters down. She looked very unhappy and not very friendly. I asked for a booth and the hostess told us that they didn't have any; she didn't bother to ask if we wanted to wait for one, she took a couple of menus and proceeded to walk towards a table. She flopped the menus and walked away. Most places you go to, the hostess would at least say "enjoy your meal", "can I get you a drink" or "your server will be right with you". We were so upset, we just walked out. I called and spoke with the manager Stacy, she apologized but it's too late. We are never going back.

NAME: Mil4boop2
SUBMITTED: 8/5/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 08/2007
FREQUENCY: Visited once

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