Bayou Banner Elk — Restaurant in Banner Elk

I don't know if my little family and I got lucky or what since when we decided to dine in on a chilly Sunday during the day, but every single thing we ordered was absolutely delicious! Could our food have been a little hotter? Sure, but it is okay. I ordered the Housecut Ribeye with green beans and mashed potatoes atop sawmill gravy. My husband ordered the Crawfish Etouffee. My little boy ordered the chicken tenders and fries. Every single thing (including dipping sauces) was delicious, as previously stated. I have to say that the Crawfish Etouffee was by far my favorite (even though I love a soft, juicy steak) because I've tried many CE and not one have even come close to how good that dish was. My steak was so juicy and soft and by far one of the best I've had in a good while. There weren't even any leftovers!

My only 2 complaints would be this; The menu and our waitress. We ate here for the very first time not long ago. I went online, viewed their menu, and was immediately sold when I read there was an appetizer on there named Grilled Brie & French Bread. Upon viewing over the menu at the restaurant, I didn't see that appetizer on there. I asked the waitress, and she said they changed their menu. I am not certain when this took place, but it is a little frustrating when you read the menu and something isn't on it. I've been to a few restaurants where my heart was set on a particular dish, and they didn't have it due to the sudden change in menu with no update. Please make this known on your website. Also, they didn't have horseradish sauce. I love that with a steak, and it is very rare when most restaurants carry it. The second thing is.... there were only 3 tables (including us) and a few people at the bar, so I don't understand why the waitress kept disappearing. She left us without drinks (in which I absolutely despise). Once she finally made her way back, we were ready for the check and had to ask for to-go-to drinks. We don't mind going without drinks (in a sense), but it's a no-no for a child to. Other than that, the service was great, and the waitresses attitude was beautiful and kind.

We were definitely impressed. We will be returning...

Zach was our server and he was absolutely fantastic! Ask for him to wait your table! He was excellent on all fronts! He asked what questions we had about the menu and spent time answering all of them. Normally, you'd say "that's a server's job", but Zach went above and beyond. My daughter (12) was nervous about ordering a flavor for her wings. Zach promptly followed up as we talked about flavors she liked. From what she shared, he suggested the Voodoo flavor. My daughter told us they were the best wings she ever had!

As Zach took our drink orders, he was up front and honest also. He shared that the kitchen was running behind so it may be a while before we get our food (it was a Saturday night with some great live music as well - we only waited about 20 minutes to get seated and only another 20 minutes to get our food! Very good i thought for a Saturday night!). We had nothing going on, so it would have been no big deal anyway as we enjoyed the live music and chatted as a family. During the whole evening, Zach was very attentive, checking in on us even though he had plenty of other tables to work. He NEVER let any of our drinks get low and always had refills for us at the perfect time. A perfect "10" on service!

We ordered a variety of food for our family of 6 (kids 12, 17, 20, and 20) and the food was awesome! For service and food quality, I'd love to give 10 stars! The live music was a really nice touch as well. We were in town for vacation and found this place for something unique (Texas and Cajun food). Every food item we ordered was excellent, to the point that after only being in town one day of vacation, our kids informed us they want to go back regardless of what the rest of the week's dinner plans are!

We ordered the catfish, red beans and rice, brisket nachos, voodoo wings, chicken tenders, fried green tomatoes, mashed potatoes, fried okra, Evangeline po boy sandwich, and their fries (and cajun fries)were awesome!

Thank you, Zach, for your service to me and my family! Keep up...

It may be because it's in the mountains, but that was some of the best ice water I've had in a while. As for the food? Not so great.

After checking the reviews, the rating, and looking at the menu, we had solid expectations. Alas, it was not meant to be. The BBQ offerings at a Cajun restaurant were a yellow flag.

Let's see - we ordered the stuffed portobello (decent), chargrilled oysters (decent), shrimp and grits, jambalaya, fried shrimp, pecan trout, and gumbo.

Where to begin.

The shrimp and grits lacked flavor and grits tasted like the box they came in. There didn't seem to be a lick of seasoning and the texture was that of a microwave.

The gumbo. Another victim of lack of seasoning. Just not anything like we've had in New Orleans or any other flavorful version of the dish.

The pecan trout was OK, but I had to add salt to give it something. The bed of collards was underwhelming as well and that's one of my personal favorites to make at home. Not a pig was sacrificed in the making of these here collards...

The fried shrimp tasted like they were dipped in naked cornmeal. I didn't taste a flake of salt, a grind of pepper, or much of anything at all.

Which brings us to the worst dish of the night. The jambalaya. It tastes like tomato sauce from a can, the rice was mixed in the with the dish, and the sausage, obviously not andouille, was tough and bland.

We intended to get dessert, but after all that, we just wanted to get going.

To their credit, the chef did come out and discuss with us and we gave an honest review. He also took some off the bill (how to handle dissatisfied customers). I just think this is a case of catering to your clientele instead of focusing on the elevated execution we've become used to.

It feels like a bar that serves food, and that's fine, but we were sober and the food just...