Best Cajun/Creole food in SA?

[ogun]

the beauty of gumbo is you can toss just about anything in a pot and call it gumbo!

as for bernards. ive stopped by twice this past week in the middle of the day and the place was locked up tight both times. guess ill hunt down a number tomorrow and see if the guy is still in business.

[Dreadlockd]

I had lunch at Ma Harper's on Wednesday. The staff, including "Ma Harper" was very polite and attentive. I had the fried shrimp, which were plentiful, sweet, and had a nice light batter. It resembled fried chicken batter, but not as heavy. I had this along with the red beans and rice. It was a very basic recipe; the red beans were very tender but could've had more flavor. I was hoping for something a bit more complex, but with a little hot sauce it worked out. They served a small salad on the side, pretty basic...a little lettuce and spinach, a tomato slice and dressing of choice. The cornbread was dense and sweet...but cold. If it were warm and served with a few pats of butter it would've been a lot better.

Definitely not the BEST creole/cajun, but a very solid New Orleans meal. I'll be going back to try the gumbo. This place seems promising.

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by ogun

im planning on giving bernard a shot this week. went by there this saturday around 10am and the place was closed.

heard good things about the place. ill let ya know.

i aint from louisiana, much less new orleans so my opinion may be suspect, but my mama was a budro(beaudreaux) from liberty texas. they come there in 1856 from lousiana.

So, did ya ever try Bernard's?!?

[majormadmax]

So, a group of us went to Bernard's Creole Kitchen for lunch today, but first let me back this story up a day...

Yesterday we were deciding on where to have a working lunch near to Lackland, so I suggested Bernard's since a couple of us have been wanting to try it. Since its location is a bit confusing (they've moved), I decided to give them a quick call to confirm we were heading toward the right place. The gentleman I spoke with was extremely friendly and helpful, but the funny bit is that about an hour after I called, they called me back to ask how many people were coming so they could be prepared if there was a large number of us! Unfortunately, the size of our group was only a half-dozen; but I thought it was nice of them to make sure we could be accommodated.

Jump back to today, we leave work and head south on Military Drive. I am looking for Palo Alto as I memorized the directions on how to get there, but I miss it (turns out I needed to take Somerset Rd and then get on Palo Alto) and end up taking Barlite which works better as it's actually the road the restaurant is on. Well, it should, but there is a bit of construction on the upper portion of Barlite so be careful even though it still is the better way to get there.

Oh, one more navigation tip, Barlite ends at Navajo and begins again a little to the west of that road (about 20 feet). There is actually a sign for Bernard's on the fence, so we knew it was close, but the place ends up being actually on the Baptist University of the Americas campus on your left when you drive south on Barlite! This map shows the actual location, although the street view gives no clue that the restaurant is there! Plus, their web site (linked above) has directions if the map doesn't help.

Anyhow, we park and head in, where we meet the really nice gentleman who I spoke with yesterday. He does make you feel really welcome, which was pleasant. I was bit surprised as the place was empty and it was lunchtime (11:00), but that soon changed.

While we were waiting for one more person to arrive (our boss, who's always late!), several folks ordered some seafood gumbo as a starter. It was brought out quickly and while I didn't get any, those that did said it was really good.

Maybe this is good point for me to caveat my comments, I am no expert on Cajun/Creole fare but I do like to think I know good food! However, our group did include a gentleman from Louisiana who knows Cajun cooking pretty well.

Anyhow, I ordered the Big Momma Deep Fried Pork Chop with Collard Greens and Dirty Rice as sides, and my coworkers tried the Cajun Stuffed Chicken Breast, Red Beans & Rice w/Sausage and today's "Bernard's Choice" which was Pasta w/Huge Meatballs. Sides included Sweet Potatoes and Mac & Cheese.

My pork chop was very good, cooked as expected and much like how things were cooked at Mama Lee's Soul Food restaurant. The interesting thing was that the Collard Greens were sweet, which caught me off-guard. I actually wasn't paying attention when I took the first bite, and was thrown off as I have never had sweetened Collard Greens (but I liked it!). The Dirty Rice was pretty good as well, and I was happy with my meal.

My Louisiana friend had the Red Beans & Rice w/Sausage and thought it was OK, but he wasn't overly impressed. He did not like the Sweet Potatoes as he said they were overly spiced and he never tasted them that way. The two people that had the Mac & Cheese said the same thing, they felt it had too much spice.

The gentleman that got the Pasta w/Huge Meatballs said it was very good, and it looked it but it was a lot of food. He only got through about half of the serving. He also liked the sweetened Collard Greens as did the gentleman from Louisiana. All admitted they were unusual, but good.

My coworker that got the Cajun Stuffed Chicken Breast said it was pretty good, and not much more (he doesn't talk much), but he also mentioned how spicy the Mac & Cheese was; as did our other coworker who had the same pork chop as I did. She was probably the one who didn't like the spices more than anyone, but none of my food seemed overly-spiced.

If I had any complaints, it would have to be the ice tea. It has to be made from powder, and in a town where sweet tea is a standard by which some restaurants are measured, they really should make it the old fashion way using real tea bags. Honestly, I thought they brought me the wrong drink, as it almost tasted like powdered lemonade!

Other than that, and the odd location, I felt the meal was very good. If I had to decide between Bernard's Creole Kitchen and Mama Lee's Soul Food restaurant, I would still have to go with the latter mainly because of the more diverse menu but it would be a close call.

My Louisiana buddy wasn't as impressed, he said he would be "generous" and give it a 7 our of 10. I would probably give it an 8-8.5 myself, and I think the others would probably do the same based on our post-lunch discussions.

The restaurant itself is like a very small college cafeteria, but at least there are enough tables and room to get around (unlike Mama Lee's!). The staff was very friendly and they do get the food out fairly quickly. Overall I would say I most definitely go back again, but I am in no huge rush to do so.

Still, I would go back and in this competitive dining market with many choices of places to eat, that is saying a lot!

Cheers! M2

[ogun]

no i never went, cause every time i drove up it was locked up. no indication the place had MOVED!!! when i had pulled up the address it shows the old location. i figgered he was outta business and planned on calling the listed number but life intruded and ive been outta town this past week but im back now and reading your post encourages me.