Mrs. Livelys Cajun Konnection — Restaurant in Lake Dallas

My son and I tried out Mrs. Lively's yesterday evening and had a wonderful experience! Being a native from Louisiana and an active cook myself, I am very selective and critical of Cajun cuisine outside of Southern Louisiana. The menu served all of the typical fare you would expect, and we ordered a variety of dishes, all which exceeded expectations. I would suggest just ordering various starters and a main course to split to maximize the samplings. We started with the Lagniappe, which had perfectly fried green tomatoes topped with fried crawfish tails and shrimp. The "Cajun Glaze" that they used had a slight kick with Asian tones - the key is that the glaze did not compromise the crispiness of the fried food. The tomatoes and glaze were the stars of this dish. My son ordered some additional glaze on the side for our main course. We also ordered a bowl of gumbo - the roux was perfectly cooked and the sausage/chicken was sufficient. The Natchitoches meat pies were superb and tasted like I remember eating in Natchitoches as a kid - they were the smaller versions, but four to an order. For our main course, we went with the seafood basket and added the crawfish. The star of this dish was the fried catfish - the owner explained how they marinade it to enhance the flavor and the cornmeal breading was absolutely perfect - none of the seafood was greasy at all. I could just eat pounds of that catfish!! We also split a bread pudding for dessert and it was nuanced with apples, which I hadn't seen before. It was very moist and went down smooth. We are looking forward to going back tonight to meet the owner's mamma (it's her birthday and they're having a buffet!!). The owner was wonderful, honest and very proud of his cooking - max stars for ambience, atmosphere, and quality of food. Laissez les bon...

If you like amazing food, you HAVE to try this place! It is a small restaurant with HUGE flavors. I am including photos of most of what we ordered, but kept forgetting to take pictures until after we had dug in.

We started with the fried green tomatoes. Yum! Definitely get the jalepeño ranch with them. It's made in house (like all of their sauces) and really accents the flavor of the tomatoes.

I ordered the shrimp and grits. Legit the best I have had anywhere around here. Sooo good!!! It came with one side. I opted for the Cajun potato salad. It was different, but good. Definitely has a horseradish flavor so if that's not your thing, opt for something else.

My boyfriend had the fried catfish. Holy cow was it good! The best I've had quite possibly ever. My boyfriend is a huge catfish eater and he said the same thing.

For dessert we tried the pecan cobbler and the bread pudding. The pecan cobbler was good, but really sweet. The bread pudding was good. It's an apple bread pudding so make sure you like apples before ordering. It's drizzled with caramel and chocolate sauce. I could have done without the chocolate sauce.

Overall it was amazing and we will for sure be regulars! The owner came out and checked on us twice and he was so friendly!...

Everybody who grew up in Louisiana had that one uncle who lived on the edge of town and embodied what it meant to be from the Bayou state. For me, that was my "Uncle Danny". The smell of spices and boiling crawfish would greet you as you'd pile out of the car and run to the backyard for the family crawfish boil. It wasn't until tonight did I have a chance to relive that childhood memory. As me and my family, now grown, pulled into the parking lot and started making our way to Mrs. Lively's Cajun Konnection, I was once again greeted by that all too familiar smell. When I say this hidden gem takes you back to hot Louisiana evenings eating perfectly spiced crawfish (bayou certified, never frozen), potatoes, corn, sausage mushrooms...all the fixins. The owner, Kevin, is like that one uncle or cousin who everyone loves, knows how to throw a party, and makes sure everyone has a good time. There are a lot of crawfish places in the DFW, many claiming they bring in fresh mud bugs from across the border... But if you're looking for an experience that feels like family and takes you back home... This is your spot. We'll be...