Jubilee Joe's

Hoover, AL
$9-$14 Entrees

My father was raised in Lafayette, LA like his mother before him and her whole family going way back. As a child, I would go with him to visit my grandfather and grandmother in Abbeville, a small town outside of Lafayette. Instead of turkey on Thanksgiving, my Paw Paw would make crawfish etouffee. The kitchen smelled of spices. Although little about the restaurant's atmosphere resembled southern Louisiana, when I walked into Jubilee Joe's, I was back in my Paw Paw's kitchen. The same spices and the promise of good, Cajun cooking were in the air.

Jubilee Joe's looks like a great place for a crowd to watch a Saints game on a Saturday night, but on a Wednesday at lunch, my friend and I were the only two people dining. As he had been there before, he ordered for both of us. The words "gator bites" did not register until he had ordered the appetizer and the waiter had walked away. Now, I am an adventurous eater. I will try almost anything. However, I have shied away from alligator on my numerous trips to New Orleans, because, well ... it's alligator. A reptile! Suddenly, this reptile (or its tail anyway) was set before me, cut up into bite-sized pieces, breaded, and deep fried. It was surprising. It was succulent. It was served with homemade remoulade and horseradish mayonnaise.

And speaking of sauces, I don't know anyone who goes to a restaurant for their sauce. Sure, for their chicken wings or their pizza, but not their sauce. Well, let me tell you, the fried shrimp platter was served with made-from-scratch cocktail sauce, and the grouper with homemade tartar sauce. Although the seafood was perfectly cooked, I could have just stayed there and eaten all four aforementioned sauces with a spoon.

My platter came with a cup of spicy seafood gumbo my Latiolais cousins would approve of, and my friend's platter came with shrimp bisque. The bisque had a hint of cheese in the cream base. This could be either a pro or a con, depending on the customer. It was also unusual, because, as my friend astutely pointed out, it was made without the customary tomatoes. Both platters came with Joe's signature potato chips. The bread pudding had a perfect consistency, and the whiskey sauce was delicious. The chocolate syrup drizzled over the top augmented the presentation. However, I would have held the chocolate syrup and doubled the whiskey sauce. Or just served the whiskey sauce alone in a large mixing bowl with a spoon with whiskey sauce on the side.

The thoughtful waiter gave me a Diet Coke to go, without me even having to ask. (And he didn't even know I'm a restaurant critic.)

3 Kudzu