[ez]

Menu: http://www.flickr.co...N00/2844092050/

9014 NE St. Johns Rd, Suite 102 - In a little strip mall, on the west side of St Johns.
Vancouver, WA 98665
(360) 571-2355

Wow..opened in June...cheap, awesome food. Husband and wife run the place, both from Louisiana.

I have had the shrimp, and pot roast po boys, along with the coleslaw and gumbo, everything has been fresh and tasty. What more can I say, if this place doesn't change, they will have my business forever.

They have fresh crawfish by the pound on Friday nights. I have not been yet, but might try this Friday.

How can you go wrong with items like "Big Mommy Head Cheese" - Spicy (Sold as 1lb blocks) on the menu?

Thank goodness for good food finally in Vancouver.

Eric

PS. Menu image attached.

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[ExtraMSG]

Thanks for the info. Not the best neighborhood, but damn those prices almost make the driver worthwhile.

[ez]

ExtraMSG, on Sep 9 2008, 01:33 PM, said:

Thanks for the info. Not the best neighborhood, but damn those prices almost make the driver worthwhile.

Neighborhood isn't bad...went back tonight with wife and kid in tow...had fresh boiled peanuts, catfish poboy and etouffee. Wife and kid had simple ham/turkey poboys with red beans and rice. They thought the sandwiches were good and loved the beans and rice.

Man, I cannot get enough of that food! This guy knows how to cook.

Eric

[Angelhair]

I would be interested to hear how the crawfish compare to other places in town. Report back if you order them, ez!

[StMaximo]

First off this the place is called Cajun Creole, not Canjun Creole - perhaps a moderator would be kind enough to fix that?

Second to call the location a strip mall is overstatement. I'm not sure it would qualify as a strip mall in Halfway. It's a building with a mini market and this restaurant. There are a couple of other buildings in proximity. I headed west after dining and saw a bit of vintage Vancouver......interesting.

The restaurant itself is self service, order at the counter and try and find a seat. The place seats 20. Folks were lined up out the door at 6pm, most of them clutching coupons from a local advertiser type paper. Husband cooking, wife and another woman taking orders, kids occassionally peeking out of the door marked employees only. It took about 10 minutes to make it through the line. I sat at the counter and watched the guy cook through a slit of a pass through and he was hustling. Nice folks and definitely not from around here. In spite of the number of folks there ahead of me I got my food in about 15 or 20 minutes.

I ordered an Oyster Poor Boy, coleslaw and red beans and rice. Bill came to $12.12.

There were plenty of well cooked crispy on the outside, nicely juicy oysters on the large hero roll with shredded lettuce and some slices of tomato with mayo. The roll it was served on was a bit of a downer - gluey wonderbread texture that might have been saved if it had been warmed or toasted. Overall I enjoyed the sandwich just because the oysters were perfect.

The red beans and rice were delivered without beans or an explanation. I asked if they were out of beans and was told that "yes they were and that was a good thing". The rice was seasoned and had some chunks of chicken breast and a few bits of pretty good andouille in it. Frankly it was a disappointment. The Cajun coleslaw is a creamy style and it was pretty good.

I did see three or four orders of to go crawfish set out while I was waiting and dining.

They have a lunch special half poboy and side for $6.95 which would be about right and probably a good place to start.

Humorous note: The assortment of chips was limited to three or four kinds of pork rinds.

Overall I think that the place has potential. They appeared to be a bit overwhelmed on a Friday night, but they handled it pretty well over all with smiles and a bit of humor.

I live near Rocky Butte and was headed to Vancouver on an errand so this was relatively easy to get to even on Friday night. I'd like to try some other items before I pass final judgment, but I'd say it's better to get there early before they run out of things. I think a late lunch would be the time to check it out. I don't typically go to Vancouver, but If I can combine it with another errand or two I'd be inclined to make this place part of the trip.

I did ask for a chunk of headcheese when I ordered but they were out it. There's supposed to be a fresh batch ready tomorrow.

[Jill-O]

StMaximo, on Sep 12 2008, 10:15 PM, said:

First off this the place is called Cajun Creole, not Canjun Creole - perhaps a moderator would be kind enough to fix that?

No problem...done! ;o)

...and thanks for the report on this place.

[StMaximo]

Jill-O, on Sep 13 2008, 08:09 PM, said:

StMaximo, on Sep 12 2008, 10:15 PM, said:

First off this the place is called Cajun Creole, not Canjun Creole - perhaps a moderator would be kind enough to fix that?

No problem...done! ;o)

...and thanks for the report on this place.

Thanks Jill-O.

[ExtraMSG]

Was up in the 'couv at Moxies the other day so I decided to try this place. Got several items that I shared with the staff:

1/2 catfish po'boy w/ red beans & rice - $6.95
1/2 shrimp po'boy w/ jambalaya - $6.95
seafood gumbo - $4.75

It looked a little questionable when it came out, just mediocre dinerish. But it tasted really good. Bread is meh, but the catfish with a cornmeal crust was juicy without any off flavor. The shrimp was tender and moist, also very clean tasting. Red beans and rice didn't have much in the way of rice, but they were enjoyable beans. Lots of flavor. Jambalaya was cooked nicely with a pleasant flavor as well. Gumbo was a little thin, but not in flavor. Has chicken, sausage, and shrimp. Probably my favorite thing.

Everything seemed like a great value. It's definitely out of the way, but it seemed like the food was at least as good as Lagniappe's was. The people were very nice, too.

[wanchi]

Everything was pretty good. I really loved soups. But I don't think I will order the head cheese anymore...

[Knobcreeky]

wanchi, on Oct 2 2008, 01:16 PM, said:

But I don't think I will order the head cheese anymore...

I shall be happy to take your leftovers. Tried the Oyster Po' Boy yesterday and had to include a pound of the spicy head cheese.
First the sammich- Nothing to add that hasn't been said here... crappy bread, good, plump oysters that were not overly breaded or over cooked and a favorable meat to other topping ratio (for me that's lotsa meat, not a lot of other stuff).

The head cheese is just what it should be- a bunch of leftover meat thrown in with some spices (I think I even found some of their cajun pot roast in there) and jellied up. The spicy is not very spicy but you can taste it. Good flavor and consistancy with lots of little bits of stuff but not the kind of thing you need to add mayo to when making a sandwich. If you like head cheese I think you'll enjoy this stuff but it's not something to go out of your way for.

[MomCat]

We made it over there today and boy, did it hit the spot! I had the Cajun Special, a half po' boy (catfish) and choice of side (jambalaya). The breading on the catfish was fresh and crunchy, and the fish moist and flavorful. The meats in the jambalaya were a bit cry, but spicy and delicious. John had the hot links, which were killer good. I'd still add a pinch more salt to the rice (but that's a perpetual beef of mine: rice and noodles absolutely MUST be cooked in salted water to bring out the flavor). The peach cobbler was okay, but a bit too sweet and a too much cinnamon. Still, the peaches came through. Staff were warm and personable, and the music - old school soul - was great. Still can't figure out why, on a mid-50's day, it was cooler inside the cafe than outside. Just another of life's mysteries.

[ExtraMSG]

Put up photos of Cajun Creole Deli:


Catfish Po'Boy with Red Beans & Rice


Gumbo

[Rollin]

Just wanted to thank ya'll for this one. I just got back from down south and
I crave Boudin. Damn I'm going to be burning some gas going back to this place.

[Rollin]

Sign in the window says "Closed due to economic reasons, thank you for your support".
I just went there a week ago for the oyster/shrimp Poboy. Loved it so much I had to have
another. With the closures on 405 I didn't get there till late and was pretty hungry. Two PM
and I'm staring at the closed sign. That's enough to put a damper on the day.
Anyone have suggestions for Poboys and other Louisiana fare ? Boudin ?

[wanchi]

OH no! I was thinking to go on Monday. I had been there for 5 or 6 times but I saw many customers in and out.
Too bad they couldn't survived.
I loved their oyster poboy so much.

[wanchi]

Rollin, are you sure you read the sign? You might need new glasses. Because I checked the place out today and the sign said:


Thank you for your support. Come see us at our new location.
Moving to 801 Washington St.
Down Town Vancouver.
For opening date info call Chef Godfrey 360-980-5450.

Well, Rollin might be right because this is a "good" economic reason that they move to a possibly bigger and better place in Vancouver. :P

[BigDaddy]

I hope they moved to downtown, as we got to the old location once and loved it, but it was so out of the way we never had the urge to drive back over. We're pretty good at rationalizing, but there wasn't anything else enticing in their old area. Hell, it was a pain in the ass to get to Sheridan Custard from there. We go all the way from SW Portland to do a Cneopia/Philly Bilmo's/Sheridan run.

[WAfoodie]

Rollin, on Aug 16 2009, 02:02 PM, said:

Sign in the window says "Closed due to economic reasons, thank you for your support".
I just went there a week ago for the oyster/shrimp Poboy. Loved it so much I had to have
another. With the closures on 405 I didn't get there till late and was pretty hungry. Two PM
and I'm staring at the closed sign. That's enough to put a damper on the day.
Anyone have suggestions for Poboys and other Louisiana fare ? Boudin ?

Read positive things on this site about My Brother's Crawfish in SE Portland. Would anyone who has tried both care to make a comparison between Cajun Creole Deli and My Brother's Crawfish?
Have also attempted to try Cajun Creole a few months back and was frustrated to find them closed early on Friday nite with the sign that said they were moving.

[BigDaddy]

My Brother's Crawfish was excellent, although the atmosphere screams of a dive bar. We had a mixec boil and jambalya, very tasty. I don't recall if they had sandwiches. Total for two of us with no beer/wine/booze was about $40, a good value. We havent' been back since it's kinda far for us, and if we're over that way, I've usually got Asian foor or taco trucks inhabiting my fevered brain.

Cajun was very low budget, a counter, used ktichen tables and chairs, and great sandwiches way too cheap. My Cajun meatloaf sandwich was bland, but fresh; the catfish po'boy was great, and the sides were well done if a bit salty. If two people spent more than $20 on food there, they'd be in serious trouble.

The staff at both places are nice people who know the menu and ingredients well.

[Rollin]

Yea I read the sign right as I was sitting there thinking of a nice juicy Poboy
at 2 PM and thinking where am I gonna go now.
I hope the new sign is right and that they were just saying goodbye to their
local customers. They really need a better location.
I'm just trying to get warmed up for my trip to New Orleans and south Mississippi
next month.