Tibby's New Orleans Kitchen

This week's Food Adventure is a little bit different.  This time, we took my Dad out for a Father's Day dinner, and, boy, did we feast!  Tibby's New Orleans Kitchen in Altamonte Springs offers a menu so filled with Cajun delights that you will have a hard time deciding which one you want to try.  We ordered three schooners of beer and a water, and took our time going over the menu, changing our minds again and again.  Finally, we had to decide.  So, we started with some Maw's Fries - a plateful of French fries smothered in debris gravy and sprinkled with cheese.  I'm not usually much of a French fries person, but I found myself glad to have gotten a second serving!  Then, once all the fries were gone, everyone kept scooping up spoonfuls of debris gravy and downing them like soup!

We all ordered different items, and everyone seemed to enjoy the food quite a bit.  Some portions do seem to be larger than others - the whole muffuletta is gianormous.  I ordered the "Who-dat" cajun blackened chicken (pictured above).  Roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts, Cajun seasoning and lemon butter sauce over Boudin grit cakes and topped with blackened chicken. As with everything I've had from this place, I wanted to lick the plate, and might've tried if the restaurant hadn't been so busy.  I like blackened food and seldom do restaurants do it right, laying claim to New Orleans as home, Tibby's had better get it right, and they do.  The chicken is juicy, and spicy.  The grit cakes have a nice crunch with a creamy middle.  And, the lemon butter sauce was amazing.

Tony ordered the whole muffuletta, and we brought half of it home.  We split that half for lunch today, and had plenty.  My father had been wanting some crawfish pie, and there was a combo on the menu with that, jambalaya and chicken file gumbo.  He cleaned his plate.  His girlfriend ordered the shrimp and andouille cheddar grits.  It was another dish with a large serving, and she took half home.

I had to take a look at the dessert menu and, once I did, I couldn't resist.  I ordered the bread pudding with brandy cream sauce and was, oh, so glad I did.  It is a very large slice of very flavorful, very dense bread pudding, but that is not the star of the show.  The brandy cream sauce they pour over the warmed bread pudding is incredible.  It was like a warm vanilla cream, and, again, I had to refrain from licking the plate, even though we brought half of it home.  Tony and my father ordered single servings of beignets (3 each), and they were perfect.

Good food at reasonable prices. Great sounds of New Orleans playing while you eat. And, interesting walls to examine while you wait.  This is my new favorite restaurant.  The only downside is that it gets loud when it is busy, making conversation difficult.