Highway 61 Roadhouse - Visited August 2016

It was my lunch pick today, and the last one before we get to ship my son back to college, so I decided to pick something closer to home this week (so I can pick ones closer to midtown while he is at school.) I decided to go with the Highway 61 Roadhouse which I had thought of selecting a few times in the past, but never had picked. It is another eatery that also serves as a music venue (like Blueberry Hill) but it has a much more interesting Cajun inspired menu.

We parked in the roomy lot next door to the building and we were seated at a comfortable padded booth in the corner by the stage. The decor was actually similar to Blueberry Hill with assorted odds and ends plastered all over the walls, but with more of a gaudy New Orleans theme. When our server brought our drinks they were in giant drink glasses, so refills would probably not be needed. We also admired the large collection of hot sauces on the table, but nobody actually ended up using any of them.

I had already read through their menu beforehand and knew what I was getting: the DDD (Diners, Drive-In's and Dives) Sampler as sampled by Guy Fieri.  It includes the Cajasian potstickers, the BBQ spaghetti and red beans and rice. My son ordered the Cajun Gorgonzola burger with loaded gorgonzola fries, and my wife and mother-in-law both ordered custom burgers with fries.

Cajun Gorgonzola burger with loaded Roadhouse fries

We noticed the service was a little slow despite not being too full, and it took a while to get our food. Once it arrived the servings were pretty generous and the burgers were properly cooked. My son liked his spicy Cajun burger, but said it was so hot he could barely taste his fries. I tried his loaded fries and they were pretty good, with a good flavor on their own, and with the cheese, scallions and bacon adding a nice touch. My wife thought her burger with gorgonzola was okay but actually thought the one at Blueberry Hill was better.

DDD Sampler

I was lucky enough to have three things to try! The Cajasian potstickers were very tasty, with a crispy and flavorful outer skin and a more meaty filling with a little zip to them. The soy dipping sauce had a slight Cajun tang to it as well, and they made a nice little appetizer to my other two items. I just wished they were a little bigger! The beans and rice was very flavorful with the ham bits and rich gravy combining together well. My favorite of all was probably the BBQ Spaghetti which was very tangy and contained plenty of chunks of tender, meaty pulled pork. I was able to acquire some of my wife's fries which I dipped in the sauce and meat after the spaghetti noodles were all eaten. That was very good too.

We had to wait a while for our bill and then for our server to process our payment and return with our receipt. The server was not bad otherwise, though, so I would say their service was average. They do offer a nice rewards plan to try to entice you to come back again. (I already have about a $10 credit to use there.) Overall it seems they are pretty good at their more flavorful, Cajun inspired items, and perhaps not as good on a simple staple like a plain burger.

Food Quality / Service