Stevie's Creole on Pico

My favorite place in Los Angeles for Creole / Cajun food is Stevie's Creole Cafe. I had not been back since before Covid 19, so I decided it was time to satisfy my craving for Creole food and revisit. I had forgotten how big their portions were, so I ordered a bit of everything; their jambalaya is made up of large shrimp, andouille sausage, peppers, onions, and tomato that is a perfect comfort food. One portion is also enough for at least 3-4 meals!

I love their greens, simply made and addictive with a few splashes of hot sauce.

Seafood gumbo for $21.50 was full of crab, shrimp, andouille sausage, and chicken in a filé gumbo that had so many layers of flavor that I wanted to slurp up the liquid like soup, but settled for using rice to soak up all the deliciousness.

I was very hungry when I ordered, so I also ordered the short ribs with red beans & rice, and some red pepper cabbage for $25. A portion big enough for 2 hearty appetites to share, but I found the short ribs a bit coring after the spicy jambalaya and seafood gumbo. The red pepper cabbage had some heat, and the red beans and rice were a contender for my favorite side dish.

I definitely need to becoming a regular customer again!

 

Willie Mae’s in West LA

I've never been to Willie Mae's in New Orleans, but I've seen and read about it for years, so I was thrilled to have them finally open up an outpost here in Los Angeles. There is a large public parking lot directly behind the multi kitchen co-op, with a back window for delivery drivers to pick up their order, and picnic tables with sun shade and televisions along the side, if you want to sit down and eat your take out.

I got the large tray with sides for $64.95 with 12 pieces of chicken, 4 sides, and cornbread. It was obviously way too much to eat at one sitting by myself, but I froze the leftover chicken so that I could have some extra food in case of an "emergency" :)

The chicken had a beautiful crunchy scald that was perfectly seasoned, and the chicken itself had been brined with love and heat. It was an absolutely awesome fried chicken. I ate a few pieces at the picnic table and took the rest home. I enjoyed the reheated pieces even more because excess oil dripped away onto my oven's drip tray and made every piece less greasy, but still very moist.

The side of sweet potato fries was a generous portion of plump, crisp, and lightly seasoned potatoes that also reheated perfectly in the oven.

The Mac & cheese was pretty basic, but my favorite side was the red beans and rice, which I ate so greedily, that I forgot to take a picture! I wanted to go back to get a quart! Complex and richly perfumed with the holy trinity of peppers, onions, and celery, their kidney beans may be my favorite rendition of beans and rice!

Last Meals in Detroit - Madcap Coffee and Besa

One of the first things I researched before arriving in Detroit was coffee. Specifically coffee found outside of my hotel and not one of the ubiquitous chains found nationwide. Thankfully Madcap coffee was literally less than 1 block away. They make an excellent cappuccino with oat milk and they sell their blends for those who love unique  flavors of their premium specialty coffee.

Unfortunately their spinach and feta "croissant" was neither a croissant nor remarkable. They were sold out of their regular croissants, so I can not confirm nor deny the taste of any other pastry they offer. Their staff is wonderful, and the space is perfect for people watching, reading, or working, with counter height seats facing a window and stand up tables in the middle with hooks for bags underneath the tables.

My last evening meal was at Besa, a gorgeous space in a beautiful building, with very nice service. The floating pool of olive oil and balsamic served with the focaccia was wasted as I barely tasted pre-dinner offering.

The calamari were perfect, served with a delightful marina for $16

I ordered the spinach to try to get some vegetables in my system before my flight, but they were smothered with parmigiano for $14 and lacked any other flavor.

I had read numerous suggestions to order the lamb shoulder with brown butter hummus for $18, but it was much too rich for me, especially paired with the rich spinach dish.

Hoping to find some solace at the end of my meal, I ordered the coconut milk malabi with lemonata granita, rose water rhubarb and basil for $12. It was a nice light and refreshing way to end the meal.

They offered a very nice 2016 French Merlot from Chateau Odilon for $17 a glass, and several other equally well curated wines, so I would go back to the bar for a drink and calamari.

 

Flowers of Vietnam Detroit

Flowers of Vietnam came highly recommended by a Michigan native. We started with the prawns, listed as menu item A-2 for $36. They were gigantic, crispy, and definitely enough to share if you enjoy the fried shrimp heads of ama ebi at sushi bars, you will enjoy this! If you prefer your prawns or shrimp without shells and head, do not order this unless you are eating without someone like me who enjoys separating the shell and head from the meat for others ;)

We ordered the Saigon fried rice menu item D 3 for $16 with bits of Chinese sausage and shrimp. This was a large portion of very sweet rice. We ended up leaving the rest after tasting 2 spoonfuls.

I was happy to see boy choy on the menu item C1 for $15, and again it was a generous portion and very sweet. The menu description said sweet soy, but it tasted as if that was the only seasoning they used.

We ordered the shaking beef that seemed to be everyone's favorite dish item E 2 on the menu for $26 and it was supposed to have been made with dry aged rib cap, but the meat was tough, again overly sweet, and although I took back the leftovers to my hotel, I only ate one piece of the meat at the restaurant and one of the leftover cubes the next day.

The highlight of the meal was actually their wine, which included some very nice and reasonably priced glasses (by Los Angeles standards) of French wine. The total bill for 2 including tax and tip with 2 glasses of wine was $148, so I was very glad that the company and the wine were both excellent and that I was going back to a city where Vietnamese people and Vietnamese cuisine have been successful in bringing the complex flavors and subtlety of their homeland to Americans who appreciate unsweetened dishes.