Two thumbs up for Cajun Boilers

It has taken Lee and I six years to discover Cajun Boilers in Hot Springs but well worth the sense of wonder. How did this little epicurean delight travel under our radar for so long?

As you know by now, I am a New Orleans girl. Lee and I met there. He is originally from New Jersey but played with the Louisiana Philharmonic and New Orleans Symphony for almost 40 years when he retired in the fall of 2007. We both love seafood, home cooked seafood and New Orleans seafood from friends, family and restaurants at home.

For Christmas this year a good friend from Hot Springs gave me a gift card for Cajun Boilers. I was sick for all of January and a good portion of February so I didn't get to take the card for a spin until this past weekend. It was love at first smell. The spicy smell of Zataran's seafood boil greeted us at the door.

The only glaring difference between a down home New Orleans celebration of all you can eat crayfish and the one happening at Cajun Boilers was the tablecloth. Newspaper tablecloths accompanied boiled seafood in deep south homes.

We admired the outdoor dining. It was too cold to partake at this time of year but I will go back in the summer to take in the whole experience.

Lee ordered the crayfish etoufee. He said it was scrumptious. He did not share, not even a morsel. The dish came with a delightful salad and green beans.

I ordered the half and half, half fried shrimp and half fried oysters. It was February so the oysters were plump and buttery tasting. If the month has an r in it oysters are good. Do not eat oysters in the summer. They are not at their best. The shrimp were a good size and very tasty. The cocktail sauce had good horseradish. The tartar sauce had a delicate flavor. Very yummy. My dinner came with the same delightful salad Lee had and french fries. Both dishes came with hush puppies, very good.

The food was very good but for a gal used to crabbing with a string and a chicken neck, I did find the prices a little steep. There again I grew up near the source and didn't have to pay dearly for shipping in seafood.

Cajun Boilers is at 2806 Albert Pike in Hot Springs. For more information about the restaurant, call (501) 767-5695.

Cajun Boilers food was good enough for me to save my pennies to visit as often as possible. Happy eating.