Nola Voodoo Tavern — Restaurant in Denver

I've heard about this place for a while, all good things, and so I finally made time to go. I had always heard how crowded it usually is, but this was a Tuesday afternoon, and there was only one other customer. It's a small place. I could see how it could get filled up quickly.

The owner, Henry Batiste, was in the back, working on his laptop mostly. A young guy manned the bar and put in my take-out order. They were both friendly and welcoming. Variously described as a "hole in the wall" and a "hidden treasure," I found the tavern cozy and fun. Bare brick, open rafters, one long room, not very wide. It's filled with Big Easy memorabilia. There are framed posters of the Jazz Festival, year by year, and masks and colorful beads hanging everywhere.

I ordered catfish dinners, and also hot wings, red beans and rice, jambalaya with shrimp, fried okra, extra hush puppies. That was a good decision; the hush puppies were lightly fried and slightly sweet, and they were all eaten up quickly. My wife pronounced the catfish very good (but not quite excellent), with breading that was just right - that is, it had a pleasing crunchiness that did not overwhelm the meat inside. The jambalaya was thick and rich, the definition of "hearty." The red beans and rice had lots of andouille sausage and a rue with a nice kick.

The menu features family recipes, handed down from Batiste's mother (the gumbo) to grandmother (the étouffée). Many dishes are made from scratch. Here's a great quote from 303 Magazine: "The humble hole in the wall from restaurateur and former New Orleans resident Henry Batiste looks like a sports bar, feels like a clubhouse, and tastes like the well lived-in kitchen of a Southern grandmother."

As I prepared to leave with my take-out order, more customers began coming in. They were obviously regulars and knew what they liked... which was mostly everything. With a variety of appealing recipes and a casual, friendly environment, this establishment offers a sense of the French Quarter that is rare in the Mile-High City. Rare, but very enjoyable.

A word about the name. The full name is "NOLA Voodoo Tavern and Perks." 5289 Magazine explains it well. "The name alone is a charming mouthful. NOLA, obviously, is a reference to New Orleans, where owner Henry Batiste grew up; Voodoo, he says, 'means the opposite of hoodoo. Hoodoo’s bad, voodoo’s good.' And as for Perks, 'In New Orleans, we say lagniappe—something extra. But people here don’t understand that word, so I used Perks. It’s your birthday, let us know, we buy a shot for the bar and we toast you.' " Perks, then, are that special addition, the je ne sais quoi that is quite reminiscent of the best of...

There is a small shopping district at Bruce Randolph Avenue and York Street. This hole-in-the-wall New Orleans bar is unexpectedly tucked into one of the small rows of storefronts, next to a barber shop and a liquor store. Not what one might expect to find in the Cole neighborhood.

The menu looked promising with a number of Cajun/Creole favorites. We started with hush puppies. These were fantastic, hot and crispy with a good texture and a bit of spice. We received a basket with half a dozen pieces and a ramekin of dipping sauce.

We then both tried the NOLA Sampler Trio which contained a cup of gumbo, a cup of red beans and rice, and a cup of crawfish etouffee. Something seemed off when the platter arrived as, without picking through the individual ingredients, all three dishes looked identical.

All three dishes were also way underseasoned. The ingredients were good, but nothing had the depth of flavor that comes from simmering for a long time. The red beans and rice was the best item, but Popeyes, the fast food place, makes a nicer version. The gumbo was very bland.

The etouffee was awful. It was pretty much tasteless rice in the same base as the gumbo with four actual crawfish and a few crawfish bits. The crawfish had the only flavor in the dish. I have no idea what happened to the onion, garlic, or tomato sauce, but they were not there.

The place was deserted when we came by for lunch at 11:40. A couple of customers came by for takeout while we were eating. The bartender served us. He was pleasant and efficient. The decor is New Orleans dive bar. There are lots of televisions. We were hoping for great Cajun/Creole home cooking, but we left...

If you are from Louisiana you can tell whoever cooked this is not. Very disappointed. There is no such taste of Louisiana nor recipe of Louisiana in this. I ordered the sampler. Gumbo, red beans and rice, and the jambalaya. That’s how I’d know if it’s good. The gumbo has no flavor and is very clumpy and light in tone. Not soupy or stew even. It’s clumpy. There isn’t a spec of a sign of the way we cook this at home. It has for some odd reason a sweet smell. The texture is very thick and sweet. No spices or herbs. A fly got in through the window and he doesn’t even want to touch it. I’m tasting as I write. The beans now. Whatever this gumbo was these beans are the exact same thing but with beans. I just tasted a bell pepper. But very lightly . Still, the clumpy texture of this sweet gravy stuff. The sausage are cut pepperoni thin also. Lol I don’t understand. I just tasted a pinch of paprika on the sausage also. But where is the spice ? The jambalaya has all of the grease in the rice from the sausage being sautéed. They just added the cut sausage and grease to the rice for flavor mixed with rice and dice tomatoes and chicken. And a pinch of tomato paste. Somebody has to go to Louisiana and experience the food of that culture and then remap this experience. We would absolutely love it if they would so . Same time, Take these samples to Louisiana and compare what this is to what you are actually missing and this will open your mind, experience and tastebuds and cause you to sell out the experience rather than the New Orleans tag line in the name . Write me back for a recipe....