SAZERAC ALLEY: A TASTE OF THE BIG EASY

There is one commodity in the South that there is no shortage of and that is hospitality. It is syrupy sweet and just oozes out of people with sincerity and grace. Pair that up with some soulful food and you’ve got a taste of how they roll in the Big Easy or anywhere else in the south.

The jewel of the Third Coast, New Orleans, is a cultural melting pot with one common element- food. It’s not all about the food, there is the music but it is the passion for food that fuels not only the city but the whole region. People come from parts far and wide to eat, take in the history and just to absorb the vibe. There is no other city quite like it. This is a city that rallied after taking the brunt of the nation’s worst natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina, and it came back stronger and better than ever.

Paul Prudhomme brought Cajun cooking to the forefront and before you knew it everyone was blackening everything. It swept the national restaurant scene and chains like TGI Fridays featured it all over their menus. But Cajun / Creole is much deeper than blackening and in a town like New Orleans great food is not hard to find. Step outside the city core and you can even find it at counters in corner grocery stores and drugstores alike. Great tasting food is everywhere.

Sazerac Alley is the newest venture of The Great Plains Hospitality under the direction of General Manager Lucas Gosser and Chef de Cuisine Mike Thorson. The group has renovated the old Montes in an effort to bring some of that New Orleans flavor to Fargo. The new layout feels more like a bar than a restaurant with an expanded bar area with half shell booths which can accommodate two people and a large community table up front by the window. The booths continue to the back of the restaurant where there are two for six people and two tables for four. With extra chairs the booths can accommodate four.

Judging by the look of the back bar and the amount of bartenders, they seem ready to pour some whiskey and they have a good list of specialty cocktails one of which is the Sazerac. This historic concoction initially started out as a medicinal remedy and then apparently started the whole cocktail craze. It is a New Orleans classic and mainstay much like the coveted Hurricane.

The restaurant is open for lunch Monday through Friday with a brunch on Saturday and dinner Monday through Saturday and is closed Sunday. They also have happy hour and after dinner bar menus serving until midnight. The brunette and I dropped in at happy hour for a quick bite on their second night open. They have a special happy hour menu but you can also order small plates off the dinner menu. But as they open for dinner at four you can order from the dinner menu as well.

The food is “inspired” by that of New Orleans and they have several straight up Cajun dishes on the extensive menu(s). The brunette went with the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake from the Happy Hour menu to start off and I ordered the Duck & Andouille Sausage Gumbo. The crab cake was good, lots of crab but it lacked seasoning and the texture normally provided by celery, peppers and green onions. A tasty avocado salad topped the crab cake. Gumbo is a tough one to please everyone with as some like it thin, others thick. This was thick and heavy with tender duck and sausage and the roux flavor was there. I prefer my gumbo thinner and with a side of plain boiled rice and some chopped green onion.

I ordered the Crawfish & Shrimp Etouffee along with a couple of Grilled Oysters, the brunette got the Corn, Shrimp and Jalapeno Hush Puppies. The Etouffee was presented nicely in a small metal casserole and was loaded with whole shell-off shrimp and chunks of crawfish. I didn’t like the dirty rice with it as I prefer a traditional simple plain white rice, the shrimp were nicely cooked and the sauce just needed a bit more seasoning. The hush puppies were a hit, generous and full of chunks of shrimp and corn.

This is soulful food, cooking it requires embracing that and understanding the layering of flavors and celebrating the tastes. Recipes in the Deep South are renowned and passed down over generations as are the pots and pans used to cook it. The brunette still uses her mama’s cast iron skillet for frying chicken. Speaking of which Fried Chicken shows up in a couple of different dishes, one of which is classic Chicken & Waffles. Other New Orleans standards like Shrimp Creole, a Muffaletta sandwich, Po-Boy’s and Fried Frogs legs fill out the menu along with several other dishes. There is something for everyone.

We will go back in a week or two after everyone has settled into their groove and try some of the other menu offerings. Sarah, our server for the evening, had her southern groove on and gets the friendly hospitality thing and Lucas dropped in with a little lagniappe at the end to make the evening seem a little more like being in the Big Easy.

IF YOU GO

Sazerac Alley

220 Broadway, Downtown Fargo

(701) 526-0149

Lunch: M-F 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Sat 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Dinner: Mon-Sat 4-10 p.m.

Late night specials: Sat 10 p.m. - midnight