Fire on the Bayou Orange City — Restaurant in Orange City

Follow us on a fun day trip for this one. Brooksville to points unknown.

Cool wintry breeze ruffling the trees, standing in pasture, boots up to our knees, blossoming sunrise we see. The horses gallop to come gobble hay, we bid them farewell then get underway.

With no destination in mind, Fab One & I coin-tossed a compass heading. Northeast won. Driving miles of meandering back roads eventually brought us to the I-4 corridor, just north of Or-land-oh.. It was then I conjured up a vision of a formal 'where to go'.

Cassadaga. We stopped. We walked. We talked. We opted out of a reading meet, so no psychic did we greet. Thoughts now on lunch and food, I guess we were in a 'medium rare' mood?

Asphalt cantering again, we scanned the virtual horizon for a fork favorable find. Spotting the beckoning glow of Fire on the Bayou..we followed the flickering digital embers to ground zero.

Our foodie Ayee! usually is at the end of an I-10 sortie, our many trips to NOLA, New Orleans bébé. Stepping through the 'Fire' threshold put us on the brush tip at a painter's palette. Vivid colors coaxed. Perspective evoked. Sheetrock stroked. Symbiosis.

Sarah B, was our server to be. She took us in and granted our culinary wishes from A-Z. This kind of food AND service? Evokes loyalty. It was a 'Fusion' of new friends and food.

FOOD? FOOD! Get to the FOOD! Here we go!

Po Boy....French bread crispy crust, fluffy center sandwich. Topped with your choice of fillings.

Andouilee..Sausage with the funny name but big on taste (ann-DOO-ee). Andouilee Po Boy is what Fab One ordered. I tried a bite and it was right. Whatever Fire on the Bayou hides within that casing? Geez! Wow! While she was daintily devouring this devilishly delicious delight, I saw that familiar look of contentment on her face. I know that look... DEE-licious!

This boy also got a Po Boy. I got mine toppling over with batter fry protected pretty pink shrimp. Swiped with a slather of Remoulade sauce. I lip smacked my way through that sandwich and loved every crusty crumb, every crustaceous crunch. I was satisfied!

We both got Red Beans and Rice as our sides. Naturally.

In closing, we wined, we dined, we laughed with Sarah so sweet. I swear I felt the beat of Bourbon Street at our feet.

I tried to capture the life within those lively walls. But I know it will require more time. More, more, more.

...til we return....to the bayou....keep...

My last visit was several years ago and thought it’d give it another go. I’ve gone a handful of times and haven’t been very impressed. Unfortunately I think I’m done trying.

Credit where credit’s due, it’s a neat space and the staff are nice. But the food is just not worth a return trip.

We had the boudin ball appetizer which were fried hard outside but a bit mushy inside and quite salty. The pepper jelly it was served with definitely helped temper the salt but it just didn’t really spark any excitement as a whole. I’ve eaten boudin alone and much prefer it that way.

The crawfish étouffée was delicious and had perfectly cooked crawfish tails which were plentiful.

The Taste of NOLA is a great option to try three iconic Cajun dishes - but only one was worth eating. The jambalaya was still a bit salty but nicely seasoned and everything was cooked well from tender shrimp to andouille sausage coins with crispy edges. The red beans and rice had a bitter taste not quite vinegary but similar and no smoky, unctuous flavor that I’m used to. It might be because the andouille is served on top and not cooked in with it? Finally, the gumbo was inedible due to an off flavor, almost acrid? I’ve made roux before and it’s almost like the oil was off or a spice was added too early and burned.

When the waiter asked how things were I pointed out my concerns and he said he’d see what he could do. The bill came and nothing was done. We paid, tipped him well (food wasn’t his fault) and left.

It’s disappointing because we don’t have a lot of unique cuisines in our area. Plenty of people have high praise for this place so maybe it’s just my personal tastes in play here. I’d say do give it a shot and make your own opinion. Maybe their burgers and po boys...

Lucky that the other place we were going to go to to grab a quick bite was closed, because then we decided on this place.

Managed to get pictures of it all, but not before we ate about half the fried mushrooms! They were crispy, not too much breading, totally let the taste of the mushrooms shine through. The sriracha mayo that they were served with was spot on for flavor and consistency.

Hubby ordered the taste of NOLA. It came with seafood jambalaya, chicken and andoullie sausage gumbo, and red beans and rice with andoullie sausage, plus bread. The servings were huge! More than enough for at least another meal. He said they were excellent (and I tasted all but the seafood jambalaya, shellfish allergies) and I have to agree. Seasoned correctly and cooked just right as well. Rice was not mushy, not sticky, was so yum!

I had the chicken envie. It was a butterflied chicken breast, lightly battered. It was served with dirty rice, fresh asparagus and a lemon sauce over all. Again, breading was seasoned well, not too thick, and chicken was cooked to perfection. Juicy and tender. The dirty rice was fantastic and the asparagus was also cooked just right (al dente). The sauce complimented the dish, creamy and light.

We did not have cocktails, but they did serve alcohol there. We each had a soft drink. All told our meal was right at $50 (without tip) and was well worth every penny!

Service was great even though the place was busy. Drinks filled, appetizer came out before meal, meal served shortly after.

All in...