2008 Woodie Awards
Jazz - A Louisiana Kitchen 1823 W. 39th St.
Food Review
Ashley Lindemann
Issue date: 2/27/06 Section: Culture
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Most vegetarians have no beef with seafood and fish, but for years I've avoided it simply because I didn't like it.
After a trip to Florida a few weeks ago where my dad convinced me that fresh fish from the Florida coast would change me forever, I succumbed to peer pressure and found myself eyeing fish entrees at every restaurant.
After perusing the menu at Jazz: A Louisiana Kitchen (1823 W. 39th St.) last week, I realized my choices were a single truly vegetarian item (Veggie Creole) or an infinite offering of every sort of seafood and fish Creole concoction imaginable.
My friend ordered the shrimp Creole ($10.99), a concoction of shrimp and veggies in a spicy sauce. I opted for the half order of blackened catfish with "dirty rice," vegetables and new potato ($7.49).
After we were greeted by a server bearing a basket of bread and seasoned butter, we perused the bountiful appetizer selection. Jazz offers almost a dozen happy hour appetizers for $2.99 from 3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. From choices like jambalaya, rice and beans, "alligator bites" (I'm not sure about that one either), and beer battered onion rings, we chose the fried pickles.
Most of Jazz's entrees cost $7-10 or more, so the cut-rate happy hour prices offer an easy way to sample a few items without going broke. If you have never tried fried pickles before, you may give them a go. It is not as bizarre as it sounds, and Jazz's pickle spears didn't disappoint.
Jazz's laid-back atmosphere includes servers sporting suspenders (apparently a key characteristic of old-timey French quarter fashion), live entertainment in the evenings and a full-service bar.
Though I have been warned that you can't get good seafood or fish when you're in a landlocked place like Kansas City, neither my friend nor I were disappointed with our meals.
The portions were beyond large - even my half-order was enough to fill me up and leave quite a bit left over. The tasty blackened catfish worked well with the steamed zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, carrot and cauliflower vegetable medley.
