The Big Easy Oven + Tap — Restaurant in Cary

Stopped in for Fat Tuesday after work. I wasn’t expecting a Bourbon Street parade (it is a Cary strip mall after all) but I was expecting a warm welcome like you get in any NOLA bar on the last day of sin(s).

The staff was less than celebratory - given the fact that I was one of only 6 people in the entire restaurant/bar, I was less than impressed watching 6/6 staff members reconcile the cash register while the 2 regulars at the bar drew all the (limited) customer focused attention.

As I patiently waited I noticed that this place is just a bar with high price tags...drink specials aren’t all that special, save for a few craft beers and Jell-O shots.

Ordered a Sazerac (a NOLA original cocktail) - it was served warm. If only some of the chilly attitude could have been added to the glass! High quantity of rye and no discernible bitters or Pernod.

But hey! I’m at a NOLA place on Fat Tuesday so “laiseez le bon temps rouler” right? Just ask for a side of ice and suck it up.

On to the food: specials on Fat Tuesday? Nope.

Crab Poppers...on the every day menu - surely a sage bet? Yeah. They were fine. I didn’t get food poisoning and it absorbed my warm rye while waiting for my to-go order.

To go: A Taste of Louisiana (jambalaya, gumbo, red beans/rice and choice of fried gator or shrimp). I opted for fried gator. From worst to best:

Gator - this was 4-5 pieces of the crumbs in the bottom of the crouton bag

Jambalaya - it was ok...but more like dirty rice than jambalaya

Red Beans - I really liked the flavor - would have LOVED if the ratio of beans was higher

Gumbo - damn fine roux! They got it just to the tipping point of not being burned

All of the combo dishes would have been more satisfying if some discernible pieces of protein. Salt was on point but all could have used some acidity and heat.

For nostalgias sake (i.e. a holiday) it was worth a stop in but I’ll find a better place to celebrate my remaining Tuesday’s - Fat...

I ordered the She Crab Soup and a house salad with no mushrooms and balsamic vinegarette dressing. A server (not ours) brought a salad to a guest at our table and she informed him that she requested no onions. He then asked who ordered the She Crab Soup and said it went with that order. I was the only one at our table who ordered Soup so I took the salad. I quickly noticed the salad had mushrooms and the dressing was ranch. When our server came back to the table she said that wasn't supposed to be my salad and it was for the guest who it was initially presented to. We quickly let her know the salad really wasn't correct for either of our orders but I would keep it as I had already begun plucking mushrooms out. She informed me what I received was a side salad and she had put in for a full house salad for me. I told her I would keep the side salad and she could update my ticket and bring me some balsamic vinegarette. She agreed. Then came the bill. I was charged for a full house salad and then given a discount for that amount. The side salad was added to my bill. The problem is they charged the gratuity on the full house salad that I didn't even receive. I brought it to the attention of the waitress and she said she would tell the manager. She just came back out with a dollar bill. The gratuity was still incorrect. I didn't make a big deal because our party had evening plans. It's not about the amount, it's about them not rectifying the issue and charging me the correct amount.

The bathroom smelled horrible. There was a febreze air freshener near the restrooms but it was not helping at all.

The food was just ok. Nothing about it reminded me of the real big easy. The Soup and too much sherry. The balsamic vinegarette was not good. No one at our table was pleased with the service or too thrilled about the food. I will not be returning to...

Any place called The Big Easy, touting creole cuisine, should be BURSTING with flavor and seasoning: my experience was not.

Food: I ordered (based on the waitress' recommendation) the trio sampler: gumbo, jambalaya, and red beans and rice. At first taste, the gumbo was pretty good, but every time i returned to it, it got worse. The jambalaya tasted like it was prepared with ketchup or some other bland red sauce. The red beans and rice looked and tasted like it was made with some type of brown gravy. I tried my best to push through it, telling myself it wasn't TERRIBLE, but the more I ate, the worse it got. I was unable to finish.

Atmosphere: this place is cold. Everywhere, at least in the dining area: everyone around us had on their coats. Another party actually asked to be moved away from the door area, but once they were moved they didn't seem satisfied.

Service: seemed great on the front end. The waitress took our order promptly and brought us our drinks pretty quickly(the sweet tea is NOT sweet). But afterward, we never saw her again while dining. Once we were finished, she came over to check on us, at which time I mentioned how I was disappointed with the trio, her recommendation. Her reply: "Oh, I'm sorry" then took the placeware away, and walked off. It still took another 10 min or so to get our bill.

We came here because it was one of the few places open late (and had availability on Valentine's Day). They had quite a few patrons coming and going, so SOMEBODY likes it, but we never have to return for...