I was asked by the special person in my life, not to plan anything the evening of November 8th while driving to Biloxi. I looked at him and said, “That’s election night!” This may not be alarming to you, but you have to understand our special situation. He is a Republican and I am a Democrat. So it makes for some interesting conversations. I had no idea what I was in for that evening, but we began our night with dinner at Mulate’s Cajun Restaurant on Julia Street in New Orleans.
Let me give you a little background about this family-owned restaurant. It was really interesting to read about, because I had never eaten there. I love learning the story behind the places I visit. Kerry Boutte is the founder of Mulate’s Original Cajun Restaurant. Using Cajun recipes from his mother (Ida Boutte), he wanted to open a restaurant where authentic Cajun music was played, while serving Cajun food. I found the restaurant to be warm, family-oriented and friendly.
The walls of the restaurant contain a lot of local Louisiana charm. There’s artwork of popular local musicians, such as Kermit Ruffins. There’s also a series of artwork selections from the late George Rodrigue and his famous Blue Dog. Do you know the story behind the Blue Dog? (read about it here -> source) You’ll find Blue Dog art everywhere in Louisiana.
George Rodrigue (1944-2013) in his paintings (artwork), often depicted Cajun life. He painted landscapes of Louisiana’s Cajun Country (landscapes) and overall the history of Cajun people. He was commissioned to do illustrations (for a book called ‘Bayou’, that contained a series of 40 stories) for the 1984 World’s Fair held in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Rodrigue needed inspiration to paint the loup-garou (a cursed human who transforms into a werewolf under the full moon or bogeyman). “Rodrigue began looking through his pictures to find an image he could use as inspiration for this loup-garou painting. What he found was a photograph of his deceased studio dog, Tiffany, from which he used her shape and characteristic stance as a rough outline for his interpretation of the loup-garou.”
“As the threat of the werewolf beast occurs at night, Rodrigue painted his dog under a bluish moon which gave it a blue-gray color. Rodrigue spent the next four years making several paintings of the loup-garou. However, it was not until a selection of these paintings were included in a 1988 Los Angeles exhibition and Rodrigue overheard visitors referring to them as “blue dog” paintings that there was a shift in how he thought about his interpretation of the loup-garou.” (source)
When dining here, be sure to take a stroll around and look at the perimeter walls. There are so many beautiful pictures and artwork. I pay attention to details. I was enamored with the lovely pelican statue, which is the State Bird of Louisiana.
Well enough of my jib jabbing. You probably want to know about that food, right? The food definitely doesn’t disappoint.
We started off with a bowl of gumbo. My boyfriend always teases me about ordering gumbo every time we dine out. I explained to him, everyone makes gumbo differently and everyone’s gumbo tastes differently. It’s so true. I’ve been to a lot of restaurants and the gumbo is different at each one. I think I now have him hooked on ordering gumbo as an appetizer. Mulate’s makes really good gumbo. Other restaurants with exceptional gumbo is Saffron NOLA and Landry’s.
For our entree’s I ordered the Catfish Mulate’s (grilled catfish topped with shrimp etouffee) and my boyfriend had the Grilled Seafood Platter (shrimp, catfish and traditional chargrilled oysters). Absolutely delicious.
I love Mulate’s! The atmosphere is friendly and laid back. The food is delicioso! I’m so glad he took me here. It was an enjoyable and lovely evening. There wasn’t a live band or dancing when we went, but the Zydeco music they played was fun and lively. The restaurant is near both the Convention Center and River Walk, so be sure to stop by.
So (at this point) you may be asking yourself, what was my boyfriend’s SURPRISE for me? Stay tuned for my next post…
