Mardigras

Cajun spice the way we like it -- hot and cheap!

by Margaret LeRoux

Mardigras 413A Park Avenue Worcester 752-7376 Hours Sun.-Thurs. noon-9 p.m. Fri.-Sat. noon-11 p.m. Sun. noon-10 p.m. Cash only Full bar (service through Mahoney's) Handicap accessible

Mardi Gras is weeks away, but you can get in the mood early by sampling authentic Louisiana cooking at a new Cajun restaurant named after the holiday.

Mardigras occupies the quarters of the original Tortilla Sam's on Park Avenue, right next to Mahoney's Pub. Like the former occupants, Mardigras focuses on takeout, although there are a couple of tables if you want to eat in.

Decor is minimal -- the emphasis is on the food not on the ambiance -- but the service couldn't be friendlier. It's likely one of the three Thomas brothers, co-owners Patrick, Damon, or Leroy, will be behind the counter serving up Mamma's recipes. Patrick, the manager, was the first of the family to migrate north; he settled in Worcester, graduated from Worcester State College, and persuaded his brothers to follow.

"I was homesick for Cajun cooking" was his explanation of how the idea of a restaurant first came to him.

Adapting the home cooking for the restaurant wasn't that big a challenge: the Thomas clan includes 14 brothers and sisters who grew up in Alexandria, Louisiana. Today, the fragrant pots of gumbo, jambalaya, and dirty rice -- staples of the Cajun kitchen -- are the big attraction.

I ate my first jambalaya several years ago in San Francisco, where I also was introduced to Cajun music as played by Queen Ida and her Bontemps Zydeco band. I fell in love with the liveliness of both the food and the music, so when I heard of Mardigras's opening, I gathered a group of bold eaters who would appreciate the seasonings.

Cajun cooking was a popular trend in the '80s, after New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme introduced blackened redfish. Soon blackened chicken, steak, and all manner of seafood cropped up on menus throughout the country. Unfortunately in many chefs' hands, blackened meant overly spiced and cooked till dry. In reality, Cajun cooking is both simpler -- a few fresh ingredients -- and more complex, with depth from slow cooking over a low flame, and with a mixture of spices including liberal amounts of red pepper.

Cajun cooking draws on Creole, French, Spanish, and African influences. It's hearty, one-pot, peasant food, with rice usually serving as the basis.

After sampling Mardigras's offerings, our group of northerners was ready to pack our bags and head for the bayou, or else camp out at the restaurant. It's been a long time since Worcester has had a truly different cuisine, and one that's so affordable.

Let's start with Cajun fried chicken, "the best I've ever eaten," says the chicken fan in our party. It's served as a combo meal ($6.75 for three generous pieces, plus two side dishes, and your choice of roll or corn bread -- go with the corn bread), or by the piece ($2.25 for a breast). Crisp but not greasy, with a peppery batter that makes you want that second glass of soda (or a beer -- you can order from Mahoney's next door), Mardigras's chicken is a winner. So too is the fried catfish ($6.75 combo; $1.50 a piece): a sweet, boneless fillet battered and fried till the coating is crisp and the fish inside still juicy.

Jambalaya ($3.25 a small; $4.75 a large; and $6.75 combo meal) was chunks of sausage and chicken mixed with onions and peppers in rice. It sounds simple, but the flavor, enhanced with more red pepper, is so much more complex.

Shrimp étouffée ($3.25 a small; $4.75 a large; and $6.75 combo meal) reminded me of bouillabaisse: it's a rich stew of shellfish, onions, garlic, and plenty of red pepper. The Cajun version is based on a roux -- Mardigras's is peanut oil and flour -- that's cooked till brown, giving richness and thickening to the dish.

Roux is also the base for chicken gumbo ($3.25 a small; $4.75 a large; and $6.75 combo meal), a peppery stew of chicken, sausage, peppers, and celery. Mardigras's gumbo doesn't have okra; instead it's seasoned with filé powder -- ground leaves of the sassafras tree -- which gives it a distinctive, earthy flavor.

Side dishes include fried corn, dirty rice -- a mixture of ground beef, peppers, onions, and tomatoes -- mashed potatoes, and very tasty Cajun-spiced baked beans. Soft drinks and fruit juices are available in a cooler.

Desserts, including rich, sweet, pecan pie, and a wonderfully dense sweet-potato pie, are baked by Patrick's wife, Diane, who's co-owner of A Piece of Cake Bakery in Upton.

Four of us feasted on practically the entire menu for $31; you can sample Mardigras's Cajun cooking for a lot less; I urge you to give it a try, and, as the Cajuns say, "Let the good times roll!"