Cajun Yard Dog
BBQ Shrimp and Grits
I knew nothing about Cajun Yard Dog when, spur of the moment, a friend texted me and asked me if I wanted to go to dinner. I didn’t even have time to look up reviews or the menu (which is unlike me!). I just got in the car with her and went.
What a great surprise!
Cajun Yard Dog is in Charlotte, about five minutes from my apartment. It’s a small hole in the wall style restaurant. With a no-frills atmosphere — wooden tables, Mardi Gras beads scattering the walls, and laminated menus — you might be turned off by the décor. But don’t let that deter you from trying it! The food is “classic Southern” with a Cajun/Creole influence. Dishes like jalapeño deviled eggs, red beans and rice with andouille sausage, fried catfish, blackened Mahi, and a whole variety of Po’ Boys are featured on the menu. They have a huge selection of housemade desserts like bread pudding, banana bread pudding, blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream, chocolate pecan pie, chocolate cake, and more.
Food from the South
Like always, we ordered a TON of food so we could try it all. Here’s the lowdown.
Starters
BBQ Shrimp. Flavorful, tender shrimp served over creamy, cheesy grits. Normally I’m not a grits guy, but these were fantastic!
Calamari “Okrachokie.” A mixture of fried calamari, fried okra, and fried artichokes. It was very good, but my least favorite thing we ordered.
Fried Green Tomatoes. AMAZING. Crispy outside, firm but tender interior. Perfect level of salt and spice.
Entrées
Shrimp creole. Spicy shrimp and sauce served over rice. It comes with one side, and we chose the mac n cheese. It was all good.
Crispy Fried Chicken. Classic southern fried chicken. The crispy breading and succulent meat was YUMMY. This one comes with two sides — we chose fried okra and an “upgraded” side of jambalaya. I’m not going to lie… the jambalaya was the best thing I ate. I took a bite and exclaimed, “I f*cked up…I should have ordered this as my meal.” It had the perfect melody of flavors and textures. It is 100% what I am ordering when I go back.
*Note -if you order fried chicken, eat it on-the-spot. It’s not a requirement by the restaurant; however, the exterior loses its crispiness if you take it to-go or get it delivered.
Desserts
By this point, we were full… but we couldn’t pass up the sweets. They all looked amazing… and given how good the rest of the food was, I HAD to try some housemade dessert.
Banana Bread Pudding. Very different from the chilled banana pudding you’ll get at Magnolia Bakery. This follows the classic English bread pudding; however, it has a twist of banana thrown in. Warm. Sticky. Gooey. Covered in caramel. Yup — it’s delicious. And perfect for a cold, rainy day.
Blackberry Cobbler. With a warm, crispy top, and sweet blackberry filling…it contrasted perfectly with the cold vanilla ice cream. It was the epitome of a classic southern dessert.
My verdict? 8/10. I’d definitely go back. I’d love it if the interior was a little more spruced up, but I guess that’s the tradeoff for inexpensive and delicious.
