For the Love of...: ...Po'Boys Diner (Calgary)

As I am writing this, I found out that Po'Boys Diner is now closed.  We are saddened to see a restaurant that just opened, close so quickly.  We hope to see a form of it again in the future.  Since Po'Boys is now closed, we would just like to highlight the positive points of our experience.

We were invited last week to try out Po'Boys Diner.  There are not a lot of options when it comes to Creole and Cajun food in town so we were intrigued.  When we called to make reservations, Po'Boys seemed family friendly so we thought we would bring S along.  Upon walking into Po'Boys, the dim lighting and long bar on one side of the room makes Po'Boys feel like more of a pub/bar than a diner.  However we saw another family with children and we were told by our server there was another baby in earlier that evening.  S was also thoroughly entertained by the staff and were kind about the mess she made.

The complimentary appetizer platter had a selection of their most popular items including crab cakes, boudin balls and pork belly stuffed jalapeno peppers. Each item was perfectly deep fried and not at all greasy. Our favourite was the stuffed jalapenos which had just the right amount of spice and filled with a generous portion of melt in your mouth pork belly and cream cheese.

Our main course included the 'Peacemaker' po'boy and the house special jambalaya. The 'Peacemaker' was the star of the show and makes our mouth water to this day at its very thought. To start, the roll was nice and soft while still retaining a thin crusty exterior. The fillings included cornmeal fried oysters and large sauteed shrimp. The veggies were simple, but fresh helpings of  iceburg lettuce and tomato. A creamy and tangy mayonnaise based creole sauce called remoulade, rounded out all the fresh seafood flavours. 

                           

Jambalaya is a classice creole dish of seafood, sausage and rice tied together with spices and a tomato based sauce. It isn't a dish we have seen done in Calgary in an authentic way until now (our only comparison thus far has been the 'Jambalaya rice' at Bourbon Street grill). As with all the dishes we sampled that night, the balance of spice was perfect with just the right amount to leave a slight sheen of sweat on your brow without overpowering your tastebuds. 

Cornbread