Can a very good Cajun restaurant make it in Vero Beach?
That was the question we were asking last week after two visits to Cajun Cove, a smart casual restaurant featuring tasty renditions of the type of cuisine popular in New Orleans.
The eatery on Royal Palm Point – with colorful New Orleans street scenes on the red walls – is attractive and spacious. The host is gracious. The servers are excellent. But on both a weeknight and a Saturday night visit, the Cajun Cove was in serious need of more diners.
That’s too bad, because the food – from the first bite of the warm broccoli and cheese corn bread to the last bite of a luscious house-made dessert – was good. A bit spicy, but really good.
For starters on these most recent visits, we tried the oysters Rockefeller – a half-dozen beauties topped with spinach and cheese and perfectly grilled in the classic manner – and also sampled the split pea and tasso ham soup, as well as the white bean, kale and andouille sausage soup. Both soups were excellent, lighter than expected and extremely flavorful.
We also on both occasions had the side salads – including a side wedge – included with entrées.
Other Cajun Cove appetizers we have enjoyed included the fried green tomatoes served fresh and hot on a bed of creamy grits; the lightly dusted and perfectly fried Cajun calamari served with a marinara dip; and mushrooms stuffed with crab cake and topped with a pepper jack cheese. All very tasty.
For entrées on our midweek visit, I ordered the Cajun bayou bouillabaisse ($36), my husband decided to have the fish of the day, on this evening red fish ($32), and our companion went for the Cajun paella ($40).
The red fish, pan sautéed in a little lemon butter and garlic sauce, was very nice, served with asparagus spears. The paella was also a very interesting Cajun take on this dish. It was loaded with crawfish, shrimp, calamari and clams – as well as pieces of tasso ham and chicken.
The Cajun bouillabaisse, however, worked less well. While there were ample clams, mussels, shell-on shrimp and crawfish, the bouillabaisse was served in a bread bowl that absorbed all of the sauce, leaving an overload of potatoes and large chunks of tomato. It seemed more like a thick stew.
But on our return visit a couple of nights later, all three of our entrées won top marks. I had the shrimp and andouille sausage jambalaya ($22), our companion went for the chicken Louisiana ($33), and my husband again had the fish of the day – in this case dolphin ($32).
The chicken Louisiana was a lightly blackened chicken, blended with andouille sausage and tasso ham, and sautéed with fresh peppers and mushrooms in a slightly spicy cream sauce. It was then freshly tossed with pasta. Delicious.
My jambalaya was a perfectly prepared rendition of this New Orleans dish, and my husband said his blackened dolphin was prepared perfectly.
For dessert on our midweek visit, we shared an order of New Orleans bread pudding with bourbon sauce. Sinfully good. But on our Saturday night visit, there was to be no sharing. We each enjoyed a fresh beignet – hot and sugared – served with berries in a vanilla sauce. Oh, my!
With entrées ranging from the low $20s to the mid-$40s, dinner for two with a couple of glasses of beer or wine is likely to run $80 to $100 before tax and tip. It should be noted, however, that the portions are huge, and you can share one entrée for a split meal charge of $9. Cajun Cove also has begun offering a limited choice of summer dinner specials for $20 – though you need to dine before 6.
So where are the diners? Goodness knows, this is an area with a lot of fine Italian restaurants. But this is also a fine restaurant, and it’s nice having the tastes of New Orleans in Vero. Geaux for it, as they would say in the Louisiana. Give Cajun Cove a try.
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com.
The reviewer dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.
