Cajun food is a down-home cuisine from southern Louisiana and Mississippi. It's typically seasoned with cayenne pepper and garlic, and derives a unique flavor from bell pepper, onions and celery--referred to by the Ethnic Spicy Food and More website as the "Holy Trinity" of Cajun cooking. Cajun cooking comes from the ingenuity of poor farmers and immigrants, and is filling and humble. Hawaii isn't known for its abundance of Cajun eateries, but there are a few restaurants dispersed throughout the islands that draw both locals and tourists who enjoy the flavors of this hearty cuisine.
Located in the residential neighborhood of Kapahulu in Honolulu, A Taste of the Bayou offers home-style Cajun-Creole meals served in a small space decorated with alligator wood carvings and folk art. Using the recipes of his childhood, chef David Faulk treats visitors to a variety of dishes such as shrimp etouffe with maque choux, jambalayas, po' boys and unusual treats such as alligator tenderloins with alligator meat andouille sausages. Chef recommendations include the fried catfish with sweet and savory hushpuppies, seafood file gumbo, and the Taste of the Bayou, a sampler meal of andouille sausage, gumbo and tasso jambalaya. Wash your meal down with the complimentary chicory coffee and save room for their signature sweet potato coconut pie with Chantilly cream. Dinner entrees range from $10.95 to $16.95 as of 2010.
A Taste of the Bayou
740 Kapahulu Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96816
808-732-2229
tasteofthebayou.com
Although not exclusively Cajun, Trees Lounge is a lively venue that offers a mixture of Hawaiian, Cajun-Creole and Cuban small plates meant to be nibbled with drinks. Located in Kapaa, Kauai, Trees Lounge is primarily known for its nightly live music that features local jazz, blues, reggae and Hawaiian bands. Cajun menu options include the Louisiana Sliders, or mini beef burgers seasoned with Cajun spices, as well as shrimp po' boys. Equally popular is the jerk chicken and shrimp skewers in rum ginger sauce. Larger appetizer prices range from $10 to $16 and small appetizer prices range from $6 to $9 as of 2010.
Trees Lounge
440 Aleka Place
Kapaa, HI 96746
808-823-0600
treesloungekauai.com
Located in Kaimuki, a few miles southeast of Honolulu, Soul Cafe dishes up hearty southern fare, including a few Cajun dishes in a space with vintage R&B and soul music album covers decorating its walls. Sean Priester, a self-taught chef with southern roots, adds a creative twist to his signature Soul's Chicken Gumbo with the addition of local Hawaiian ingredients such as sweet potatoes and Kukui brand Portuguese sausages. Other notable Cajun dishes include the seafood gumbo and jambalaya. Order a side dish of home baked corn bread and local organic collard greens with ham hocks to accompany your entree, and wash everything down with his Southern Sweet Iced Tea. Entree cost from $9 to $16 as of 2010.
Soul Cafe
3040 Waialae Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96816
808-735-7685
pacificsoulhawaii.com
