Mojo Cajun Bar & Grill in Orlando, FL

When Mojo opened on Church Street in the space once occupied by Rosie O'Gradys, some of the reviews I read about the restaurant mentioned Mojo was more about the drinks than the food. Because of this, I was expecting one of those awkward restaurant situations where I'm one of the very few people eating while everyone else is drunk at the bar.

Maybe something has changed at Mojo since these initial reviews were written. When I visited Mojo, the restaurant was filled with diners and the bars were almost completely empty. Even more, everyone I ate here with was impressed with their Cajun food.

I ordered the Jambalaya with a side salad. The salad came out first, consisting of mixed greens, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes. The salad served it's purpose. Nothing great, but not bad either...

My jambalaya was served soon after. This rice dish was filled with lots of chicken and andoullie sausage, then topped with several large shrimp. This jambalaya actually had a nice kick to it, unlike the bland Cajun food I've had at other restaurants. A large piece of delicious cornbread was also served on the plate, with it's sweetness contrasting the spicy rice.

Overall, I was very pleased with the food at Mojo. I enjoyed the food, prices weren't bad given the location, and the dining environment was nicer than I was expecting. I'll definitely be back...

House of Blues in Orlando, FL

A few months ago, I was invited to attend the House of Blues Gospel Brunch in Downtown Disney. That was an awesome food experience, and since then I've attended a few concerts at the House of Blues. I've definitely gone to the House of Blues enough in the past year, but I never actually ate at the House of Blues restaurant on all those visits. Last time I ate at the restaurant was at least three or four years ago, so when I met up with some relatives visiting Disney and found a good deal on restaurants.com, I figured it was about time I return to the HOB...

I ordered the Jambalaya, consisting of rice, chicken, shrimp, and ham, topped with andouille sausage and green onions. I liked it, although I personally thought I could have used a little more spice. Otherwise the portion was large and very filling. House of Blues was kind of overpriced at $18 and it would have been nice if some sort of bread was included, but it is on Disney property. You have to expect it to be overpriced...

While House of Blues isn't my favorite restaurant in Downtown Disney, I personally think it's one of the better ones. I seem to like most anywhere that serves Cajun food, and this is no exception. I would definitely visit again!

Cajun Food at the Crooked Bayou

I was going to go to the Food Festival that was happening in Downtown Orlando, but that turned out to be a rip off. Instead, I gave Crooked Bayou a try. With Jockamos out of business, Crooked Bayou is the only restaurant in the Central Florida area that specifically specializes in Cajun food. Crooked Bayou was a tiny little place on Central Blvd that seemed to be more bar than restaurant. They had some cool stuff in the tiny space like a big tree made out of bent rebar in the center of the restaurant and a window to an old painted advertisement on the neighboring brick building.

I started by ordering a cup of Jambalaya. It was really good, with plenty of chicken, andouille sausage, and shrimp along with the rice. According to Wikipedia, this was Creole Jambalaya since it was tomato based rather than Cajun Jambalaya that is tomato free. It was definitely some of the best Jambalaya that I've eaten.

I ordered a Cajun Crawfish Po'boy to follow the Jambalaya. The crawfish were tiny, but the sandwich was still really tasty. There was plenty of seasoning on the crawfish, which were placed on pressed french bread with lettuce, tomato, and tarter sauce. A pickle and potato chips were served with the sandwich.