Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!
It's been a while since I had Cajun and creole food, the only restaurant I knew in Manhattan being closed unfortunately, as I wanted to explore more of this cuisine after a wonderful trip in New Orleans few years ago (yes, I still rave about the beignets at Café du Monde). I did find a couple of food trucks but was never thrilled by the experience. Until I got invited at The Gumbos Bros, a small and charming place in Brooklyn that opened in December 2016, meeting with my friend Malini, The Restaurant Fairy. There, I got to try quite a lot of specialties and made up my recommended meal: fried green tomatoes (perfectly non ripe tomatoes deep fried), a po'boy (I cannot decide between the catfish and their best seller made with shrimp), and the banana pudding (I had to go and missed the beignets). I might even order a side of crawfish mac and cheese that was great, slightly spicy and not heavy, an American classic that they reinterpreted and that has been also a best seller.
Here are the food I sampled:
Crawfish mac and cheese:
Seafood gumbo, a family recipe from one of the owners, handmade the old fashioned way with a 2 hour roux, shrimp, blue crab, rice and green onions.
Crawfish étouffée:
Boudin ball that is a Cajun French recipe you would rarely see on a menu, that is not the classic French blood sausage. No, it is a deep fried rice and sausage ball.
Rice and debris gravy (not sure what the debris were):
Catfish po'boy (made with Leidenheimer French bread shipped fresh from New Orleans, Duke's mayo, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce and pickles).
Shrimp po'boy:
Fried green tomatoes (I should mention that Jodi said:"these are the best I had in the city"):
Banana pudding:
Bourbon pecan pie:
I also got one of their beers on tap (they have a nice selection of beers from Louisiana):
I was impressed by The Gumbo Bros: owners Clay Boulware and Adam Lathan (who are not brothers but best friends, i.e. Bros) created a nice casual place with a relaxed atmosphere, serving dishes from their cherished native South. I should mention that they have couple of vegetarian dishes besides the fried green tomatoes, like a vegan po'boy. I just wish I got to try the beignets...Well, I will have to go back!
Enjoy (I did)!
If you like this post, the photos or the blog, please feel free to share it or post a comment. Merci!
The Gumbo Bros - 224 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201