It’s a momentous time for Devour Power, our 100th restaurant. So we had to pick a place that really said “New Orleans,” a place with great grub, a place with real character, a place that itself was celebrating a milestone this year. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Jacques Imo’s Cafe.
Chef Jacques Leonardi has been serving up funky variations of soul food, New Orleans fare, and great seafood dishes for twenty years. That’s right, twenty years. Leonardi tells us that in the beginning he would have felt a couple of years of business was a success. Twenty years later, the place with the colorful window panes and tables and chairs that don’t match is still chugging along. This unpretentious eatery has succeeded on dishes like Leonardi’s take on Austin Leslie’s fried chicken, great seafood dishes like potato crusted drum and stuffed catfish and paneed rabbit.
One dish that I especially love is Jacques Imo’s Alligator Cheesecake. It has an odd name, that night scare away some folks. That would be a giant mistake. This appetizer is not really a cheesecake. It is actually much closer to a savory Quiche. A wedge of this is easily one of my favorite things I’ve ever eaten. The Alligator Cheesecake has a rich, smooth texture that cradles the chunks of Alligator Sausage and bits of shrimp within. It is topped with a cream sauce that also has plump gulf shrimp in it. Chef Jacques offer it as an appetizer. I could easily order multiple pieces and make that my meal. Believe me, it is a “must-have” if you are entering this Oak Street establishment.
So, here’s to Jacques Imo’s on twenty great years. We couldn’t think of a better place to share a milestone with. One hundred great places and plates, and many more to come right here on Devour Power…