Global seafood kitchen

Pappadeux, a chain with locations throughout the South, claims to be a seafood kitchen that draws on many cultures. Cajun dishes (etouffee, gumbo, alligator) are prominent on the menu. There are also interesting dishes from around the globe, from Southern America to Asia. Of course, there is a fried food section. So when I friend of mine suggested that we meet up for dinner there, I was up for it.

I'm fortunate to have been to New Orleans several times, so I stayed away from any of the dishes typically associated with the city. Maybe the etouffe or the gumbo at Pappadeux are amazing, but it will be really hard to make them the same as in New Orleans itself. I didn't feel like having something heavy, either, and butter seemed to be a prominent ingredient on many of the dishes. Instead, I decided to try how good the fresh seafood at Pappadeux was.  To do that, I simply ordered the half a dozen oysters and half a dozen chilled shrimp. They turned out to be even better than expected! The oysters were HUGE, but more importantly, FRESH. The chilled shrimp was perfectly cooked, and not rubbery at all. I enjoyed both very very much. My friend only got the dozen oysters, so nothing new to describe here.

And because I couldn't be completely healthy, I also got a pina colada :) I think I've had pina colada once or twice in my life before, but I was really craving it. Just like the food, the drink was excellent. It wasn't overly sweet, did taste like real fruit, and I could taste the alcohol, but it wasn't too strong. Overall, very satisfying. Pappadeux is making me re-think my conviction that chain restaurants are evil ;)