Leo's Cajun Corner

OK, I know most, if not all, of my posts on this blog are about food from Louisiana, specifically New Orleans, or the Cajun country of South Louisiana. I felt though this place really deserved my attention since I really LOVE this place.

Leo's Cajun Corner is located on the lovely island of Galveston, Texas. I met Leo Marcantel on my last visit there having lunch in the dining room of his brand new location on Broadway, (the one pictured is their old one, now torn down). Leo is, at first glance, a friendly fellow that seems to have a happy staff serving wonderful food. We spoke about his new restaurant, which he'd begun building before Hurricane Ike devastated the area.

Their speciality is their smoked foods. They have a butcher's display case full of many smoked meats that you can eat there or take home. My favorite are the rib blade tips, smoked to perfection giving them a reddish-brown hue and infusing them with a wonderful flavor. No sauce is slathered on them like some places do… they don't need anything, they are perfect! The same goes for their chicken and porkchops as well. My friend AJ ordered a chicken beast that looked more like a turkey breast. it was HUGE, as were the porkchops, some the size of a dinner plate.

I have had their gumbo and jambalaya as well, their gumbo is a chicken and andouille which is very simple but flavorful, the same with their gambalaya which was flavored with andouille as well. I am yet to try their crawfish or shrimp etouffée, but I am sure it is tasty.

One of my favorites is their smoked boudin. Now all y'all know I love boudin, and their's is really good. The rich mixture of pork, rice, and spices. The carry plain, smoked, and crawfish boudin. They also make their own andouille, tasso, bacon, ham hocks, beef jerky, and a few other smoked sausages.

Now the best part… their prices. They have the best prices anywhere. I cannot get over how inexpensive the food is. About half the cost of most New Orleans or even Galveston prices. Example: their boudin is $3.89 a lb., A small gumbo, (the size of most large in NOLA) is $1.99. A large etouffée is only $5.25. They can smoke any meat you bring by as well as making custom items like Deer sausage.

Amazingly they don't have a website yet, of course when you see the crowds eating there you wonder if they need one. They do have a mySpace page that is listed HERE. Please, if you are in Houston, run down to Galveston and leave some tourist dollars to help them recover, and also run by a get some great cajun and smoked foods with Leo's Cajun Corner. Tell Leo you read about them here!

RouxBDoo